}
The first thing that a Gardiner about Bees must be carefull for, is an
house not stakes and stones abroad, _Sub dio_: for stakes rot and reele,
raine and weather eate your hiues, and couers, and cold most of all is
hurtfull for your Bees. Therefore you must haue an house made along, a
sure dry wall in your Garden, neere, or in your Orchard: for Bees loue
flowers and wood with their hearts.

This is the forme, a Frame standing on posts with a Floore (if you
would haue it hold more Hiues, two Floores boorded) layd on bearers, and
backe posts, couered ouer with boords, slate-wise.

IC

Let the floores be without holes or clifts, least in casting time, the
Bees lye out, and loyter.

And though your Hiues stand within an hand breadth the one of another:
yet will Bees know their home.

In this Frame may your Bees stand drye and warme, especially if you make
doores like doores of windows to shroud them in winter, as in an house:
prouided you leaue the hiues mouths open. I my self haue deuised such
an house, and I find that it keeps and strengthens my Bees much, and my
hiues will last sixe to one.

{SN: Hiues.}
M. _Markham_ commends Hiues of wood. I discommend them not: but straw
Hiues are in vse with vs, and I thinke with all the world, which I
commend for nimblenesse, closenesse, warmnesse and drinesse. Bees loue
no externall motions of dawbing or such like. Sometimes occasion shall
be offered to lift and turne Hiues, as shall appeare hereafter. One
light entire hiue of straw in that case is better, then one that is
dawbed, weighty and cumbersome. I wish euery hiue, for a keeping swarme,
to hold three pecks at least in measure. For too little Hiues procure
Bees, in casting time, either to lye out, and loyter, or else to cast
before they be ripe and strong, and so make weake swarmes and vntimely:
Whereas if they haue roome sufficient, they ripen timely, and casting
seasonably, are strong, and fit for labour presently. Neither would the
hiue be too too great, for then they loyter, and waste meate and
time.

{SN: Hiuing of Bees.}
Your Bees delight in wood, for feeding, especially for casting:
therefore want not an Orchard. A _Mayes_ swarme is worth a Mares Foale:
if they want wood, they be in danger of flying away. Any time before
_Midsummer_ is good, for casting and timely before _Iuly_ is not euill.
I much like M _Markhams_ opinion for hiuing a swarme in combes of a dead
or forsaken hiue, so they be fresh & cleanl