CHAPTER I. SITUATION OF AN APIARY.

The choice of a good situation is of the utmost consequence. An apiary will not thrive in a bad situation, however well it may be cared for in other respects.

1. The hives must, above all things, be sheltered from the wind. It is the first precept of Virgil[1]. For that purpose, the force of the wind must be broken, either by houses or by lofty trees in the vicinity. A wall, however high, or a simple hedge, is not sufficient, because the bees that fly to the fields prefer stopping in places where the air is tranquil, near bushes, or along hedges or dells, where they find a much greater abundance of honey than in places exposed to gales of wind. They fatigue themselves flying from flower to flower, and still more returning to their dwelling, after having completed their little ladenings: with a rapid flight they get over a great extent of space, frequently against the wind; but, on approaching their hive, they slacken their speed, and advance, wheeling round and round, to recognize it. A mistake, at this time, might be fatal, and cost them their lives; and if, at this moment, they encounter a strong current of air, or a whirlwind, to repel them, they are again forced to wheel round to reconnoitre their habitation. After a hard struggle, the most vigorous arrive; the others fall, without power to rise again, especially when the air is cold, or the sky clouded. The ground will then be strewed with dying or dead bees, which never happens when the hives are placed in sheltered situations.

2d, The second condition of a good situation is its proximity to a fountain; or, still better, to a little brook, where the bees may drink[2]. Water is absolutely necessary, and enters as much as honey into the composition of the pap with which they nourish the brood; and the pollen or dust of flowers, which they bring home on their thighs, is also a very essential ingredient in this pap. The vicinity of deep waters is very hurtful to bees; and I have sometimes seen hundreds of them drowned attempting to drink out of a cistern.

If there is no small stream or fountain near them, they should be supplied by troughs, filled with moss, and then water poured on it, until they are as full as they can hold. The working bees come in swarms to them in the spring, and quench their thirst without risk.

3d, It is commonly believed that an apiary is not well situated unless it stands in the sun. This is an error; bees like the shade when working, and like the sun only when in the fields, which then animates and sustains them. For this reason, when people wish a swarm to settle, after it has left the hive, they hasten to cover it; because the shade induces them to rest, while a hot sun annoys them, and inclines them to take flight again. When we wish to disperse a cluster of bees off the front of a hive, we have only to expose it to the rays of the sun in the heat of the day. The bees then retreat under the hive, on the side, or behind it. They thrive well in thick forests, and delight in them; because there they find a uniform temperature and a propitious shade. How often, during the dog-days, have we not seen the honey running down, and the combs melting, in those hives exposed to the heat of the sun. In one hour, sometimes, a whole apiary will be destroyed. It is also a mistake to suppose hives exposed to the sun produce the earliest and strongest swarms. I have oftener than once experienced the reverse. My earliest swarms have generally come from the best shaded hives, and which only receive the sun late. I have even lost some in such situations, because they took flight sooner than we thought of watching them. We need never fear to shade a hive since Virgil recommends it[3]. If the roof does not project sufficiently to protect the hive from the sun in the heat of the day, I would advise them to be shaded with deals or pieces of matting.

4th, The most favourable exposure is towards where the sun is from ten o'clock till mid-day. They should never be turned to the east or west, but, more especially to the north, where the cold and tempestuous winds would greatly injure them.

5th, Hives should not be placed high, on a first or second floor, as I have sometimes seen them, unless they be completely sheltered; because the wind is less powerful near the ground than in elevated situations.