BUILDINGS 
159 
pump is a real necessity to elevate the 
honey so that heavy lifting ancl consequent 
loss of time are avoided. (See Extracting.) 
In hilly or mountainous countries, however, 
there is no difficulty in selecting a sidehill. 
If desired, as is the custom, in many parts 
of California, large honey-tanks may be 
located out of doors on the lower side of 
the building, the honey running from the 
extracting-room direct to the tank. 
The late E. W. Alexander of Delanson, 
N. Y., a beekeeper who had 750 colonies all 
in one apiary, used for many years a small 
Typical sidehill California honey-house. The honey 
runs by gravity from the extractor thru pipes into 
the large tanks located below the building on the 
outside. 
extracting-house just large enough to re¬ 
ceive an extractor, uncapping-box, and 
space to receive and pass out combs thru 
openings in the side of the building, ordi¬ 
narily covered with sliding doors. A tin 
pipe conveyed the honey by gravity to a 
large tank in another building on lower 
ground. 
E. S. Miles of Dunlap, Iowa, has a very 
conveniently arranged building having two 
large rooms, the floors of which are on dif¬ 
ferent levels, the floor of the ell being 3^/2 
feet below that of the main room. Needless 
to say, Mr. Miles has room for a workbench 
where he nails shipping cases, cases for . 
comb honey, hives, and other stuff. Each 
room has an outer door with a platform 
just about the height of a wagon-bed. 
These two doors are on a side of the build¬ 
ing opposite from the bees so that there is 
little danger in driving right up with a 
team of horses. 
The sides of the building are of 2 x 4 
studding, 24 inches apart, boarded with 
shiplap, then papered, and finally sided 
with regular 6-inch house siding. The roof 
is made of 2 x 4 rafters, 24 inches apart, 
covered with sheathing and shingled. The 
material for the whole building cost about 
$300. The main room is 16 x 48 feet; the 
addition, or ell, 12 by 18 feet. A building 
of this size is ample for all the work in 
connection with the handling of 300 colo¬ 
nies. By using a cheap shed for addi¬ 
tional storage it would be large enough for 
500 colonies. 
VENTILATION AND WINDOWS. 
A common fault of beekeepers’ buildings 
is that the ceilings are too low and there 
is inadequate ventilation so that the tem¬ 
perature on a hot day becomes almost un¬ 
bearable. A ceiling three or four feet 
higher than it would actually have to be 
adds but very little to the general cost and 
at the same time permits a wide shelf, per¬ 
haps seven feet from the floor, running the 
entire length on either side of the building. 
Such shelves not only help to keep the 
room cooler, but furnish much additional 
space for temporary storage. 
For light and ventilation a very good 
plan is to cut out long horizontal windows 
in each side and perhaps in one end also, 
having hinged wooden shutters which can 
lie lowered to keep out the storm in bad 
weather. A tight-fitting frame covered with 
galvanized wire cloth makes the opening 
bee-tight. There should be one or two 
glass windows as well to permit of interior 
work in stormy weather when it would be 
best to have the shutters closed. All 
screened openings should be provided with 
several honey-house bee-escapes at the top 
to let out bees that are bound to get inside 
during extracting time. A screened door 
is a positive disadvantage, for the bees 
keep hovering around the door, and when 
it is opened many of them get in. A solid 
