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CHAPTER II.

ON THE PROSPERITY AND DECLINE OF AN APIARY CONDUCTED ON THE OLD SYSTEM, AND THE MEANS OF REMEDYING DEFECTS IN THAT SYSTEM.

IN speaking of bees, there is a French proverb, "On a vite beaucoup et vite peu;" that is to say, that the prosperity of an apiary closely precedes its ruin. This we can easily understand, seeing, as we do, the way in which beekeeping is carried on in many localities. To begin with, a swarm in good condition will give one or two swarms the following year; thus, for a certain time, an apiary of from fifteen to twenty hives will be kept well stocked. For some years the swarms are sold. There comes a bad year-there are no swarms; the hives get old, swarming ceases, and mortality soon makes a clean sweep of this apiary, hitherto in prosperous condition.

If a swarm issues from a straw hive, the colony whence it issued keeps diminishing, because the space allotted to the brood decreases gradually, even in the most prosperous years.

The space left is diminished still further by a second swarm; and since the new queen, as yet unimpregnated, cannot make use of the empty cells for depositing her eggs, the bees fill these cells with honey, and the colony which has produced two swarms is often fated to perish during the following winter, although amply supplied with provisions.

According to the system which we are about to explain, by means of artificial swarming the strength of the colonies is largely increased, seeing that the space allotted to the comb is always in proportion to the wants of the bees.

Artificial swarming has also this advantage over natural swarming, that it does not require daily supervision and consequent loss of time; for when a natural swarm leaves the hive, it is often lost, even after having been hived; and at other times, in spite, apparently, of the most favourable circumstances, no swarm issues forth at all, whereas by artificial swarms these contingencies can be guarded against.

CHAPTER III.

ON THE BEE-HOUSE SIMPLIFIED.

IT is generally known that bee-houses should be exposed as much as possible to the ten-o'clock sun, and, at the same time, be sheltered from the north wind. It is known also that a bee-house should be suitable for the system of hives which it is proposed to adopt. Now, in the beehouse which we recommend, and in which we have taken pains to unite all the advantages of each system in use throughout French Switzerland,* the space between each row of hives should be sufficient to allow three hives to be placed one above the other, each being about six inches in height, in addition to which two inches must be allowed for the floor and crown boards,

* See frontispiece.

making a total in all of twenty inches; or, allowing a little margin, we may say two and a half feet. Calculating that the lowest row of hives is at a distance of about a foot from the ground, we get three and a half feet from the ground to the rails which support the second row.

Three of our hives, placed one above the other on these rails, require an additional height of two and a half feet. These measurements added together amount to six feet, which seems to us high enough for our bee-house.*

It is of importance that the drip from the roof should be at the back, and that the roof or thatching should project about a foot on each side of the bee-house.

The opening to a small bee-house can be made either from the back or at the sides, according to the depth from back to front. It is indispensable that draughts should be excluded on all sides.

When the bee-house is built of planks, we recommend that the planks at the back and sides should run in a groove formed by two

*In the frontispiece the height in front is shown as seven feet, which will be found necessary if the house is thatched.

fillets, or strips, of wood nailed to the joists at the top and bottom, so that in dry weather, especially in winter and spring, the boards may be tightened by means of a wedge inserted between them at one end.*

Such a bee-house as this can be constructed at a small cost. During very hot weather, it is a good plan to give ventilation during the day. We now pass on to the different systems of hives in use; after which, we shall describe that kind of hive which we have adopted, and which has been of service to us in the various experiments we have made.

* In the frontispiece weather-boarding is shown, instead of this method.