POSITION AND ARRANGEMENT OF APIARY.
As it is desirable to have our apiary grounds so fixed as to give the
best results, and as this costs some money and more labor, it should
be done once for all. As plan and execution in this direction must
needs precede even the purchase of bees, this subject deserves an early
consideration. Hence, we will proceed to consider position, arrangement
of grounds, and preparation for each individual colony.
POSITION.
Of course, it is of first importance that the apiary be near at hand.
In city or village this is imperative. In the country or at suburban
homes, we have more choice, but close proximity to the house is of
much importance. In a city, it may be necessary to follow friend
Muth's example, and locate on the house-tops, where, despite the
inconvenience, we may achieve success. The lay of the ground is not
important, though if a hill, it should not be very steep. It may slope
in any direction, but better any way than toward the north.
ARRANGEMENT OF GROUNDS.
Unless sandy, these should be well drained. If a grove offers inviting
shade, accept it, but trim high to avoid damp. Such a grove could soon
be formed of basswood and tulip trees, which, as we shall see, are
very desirable, as their bloom offers plenteous and most delicious
honey. Even Virgil urges shade of palm and olive, also that we screen
the bees from winds. Wind-screens are very desirable, especially on
the windward side. Such a screen may be formed of a tall board fence,
which, if it surrounds the grounds, will also serve to protect against
thieves. Yet these are gloomy and forbidding, and will be eschewed by
the apiarist who has an eye to æsthetics. Ever-green screens, either
of Norway spruce, Austrian or other pine, or arbor vitæ, each or all,
are not only very effective, but are quickly grown, inexpensive, and
add greatly to the beauty of the grounds. If the apiary is large, a
small, neat, inexpensive house, in the centre of the apiary grounds, is
indispensable. This will serve in winter as a shop for making hives,
frames, etc., and as a store-house for honey, while in summer it will
be used for extracting, transferring, storing, bottling, etc. In
building this, it will be well to construct a frost-proof, _thoroughly
drained_, dark, and well-ventilated cellar. To secure the thorough
ventilation, pass a tube, which may be made of tile, from near the
bottom, through the earth to the surface; and another, from near the
bottom, to the chimney or stove-pipe above.
PREPARATION FOR EACH COLONY.
Virgil was right in recommending shade for each colony. Bees are forced
to cluster outside the hive, where the hives are subjected to the full
force of the sun's rays. By the intense heat, the temperature inside
becomes like that of an oven, and the wonder is that they do not desert
entirely. I have known hives, thus unprotected, to be covered by bees,
idling outside, when by simply shading the hives, all would go merrily
to work. The combs, too, and foundation especially, are liable, in
unshaded hives, to melt and fall down, which is very damaging to the
bees, and very vexatious to the apiarist. The remedy for all this is to
always have the hives so situated that they will be entirely shaded all
through the heat of the day. This might be done by constructing a shed
or house, but these are expensive and inconvenient, and, therefore, to
be discarded. Perhaps the Coe house-apiary (Chap. XVIII) may prove an
exception; but, as yet, we have no reliable assurance of the fact.
If the apiarist has a convenient grove, this may be trimmed high, so
as not to be damp, and will fulfill every requirement. So arrange the
hives that while they are shaded through all the heat of the day, they
will receive the sun's rays early and late, and thus the bees will
work more hours. I always face my hives to the east. If no grove is at
command, the hives maybe placed on the north of a Concord grape-vine,
or other vigorous variety, as the apiarist may prefer. This should be
trained to a trellis, which may be made by setting two posts, either
of cedar or oak. Let these extend four or five feet above the ground,
and be three or four feet apart. Connect them at intervals of eighteen
inches with three galvanized wires, the last one being at the top of
the posts. Thus we can have shade and grapes, and can see for ourselves
that bees do not injure grapes. If preferred, we may use ever-greens
for this purpose, which can be kept low, and trimmed square and close
on the north. These can be got at once, and are superior in that they
furnish ample shade at all seasons. Norway spruce is the best. These
should be at least six feet apart. A. I. Root's idea of having the
vines of each succeeding row divide the spaces of the previous row,
in quincunx order, is very good; though I should prefer the rows in
this case to be four, instead of three feet apart, especially with
ever-greens. Until protecting shade can be thus permanently secured,
boards should be arranged for temporary protection. Many apiarists
economize by using fruit trees for this purpose, which, from their
spreading tops, answer very well.
Mr. A. I. Root's idea of having sawdust under and about the hives is,
I think, a good one. The hives of the Michigan Agricultural College
(Fig. 53) are protected by ever-greens, trimmed close on the north
side. A space four feet by six, north of the shrubs, was then dug out
to a depth of four inches, and filled with sawdust (Fig. 53, _f_),
underlying which were old bricks, so that nothing would grow up through
the sawdust. The sawdust thus extends one foot back, or west of the
hive, three feet north, and the same distance to the east or front side
of the hive. This makes it neat about the hive, and largely removes
the danger of losing the queen in handling the bees; as should she
fall outside the hive, the sharp-sighted apiarist would be very likely
indeed to see her.
Mr. J. H. Nellis, the able Secretary of the North-Eastern Bee-Keepers'
Association, objects to sawdust, as he thinks it rots too quickly, and
blows about badly. He would use sand or gravel instead. I have tried
both gravel and sawdust, and prefer the latter, as explained above.
By having the sawdust a little below the general surface, and adding
a little once in four or five years, it keeps all nice and agreeable.
After the ever-greens are well started, all the space between the
sawdust areas should be in grass, and kept neatly mown. This takes but
a little time, and makes the apiary always pleasant and inviting.
[Illustration: Fig. 53.]