Georg. 4.8Prīncipiō sēdēs apibus statiōque petenda,
quō neque sit ventīs aditus—nam pābula ventī
10ferre domum prohibent—neque ovēs haedīque petulcī
flōribus īnsultent aut errāns būcula campō
dēcutiat rōrem et surgentēs atterat herbās.First a site and station must be sought for the bees, where there is no access for winds (for winds prevent them carrying their food home), and where no sheep or butting kids trample on the flowers, or a heifer straying on the plain shakes off the dew and wears down the springing grass. Georg. 4.13Absint et pictī squālentia terga lacertī
pinguibus ā stabulīs meropēsque aliaeque volucrēs
15et manibus Procnē pectus signāta cruentīs;Let the painted lizard with scaly back keep far from the rich hives, and bee-eaters and other birds, and Procne, her breast marked by bloody hands; Georg. 4.16omnia nam lātē vāstant ipsāsque volantēs
ōre ferunt dulcem nīdīs immītibus ēscam.for they lay waste everything far and wide, and carry off the bees themselves in flight in their beaks, a sweet morsel for their cruel nestlings. Georg. 4.18At liquidī fontēs et stagna virentia muscō
adsint et tenuis fugiēns per grāmina rīvus,
20palmaque vestibulum aut ingēns oleaster inumbret,
ut, cum prīma novī dūcent exāmina rēgēs
vērē suō lūdetque favīs ēmissa iuventūs,
vīcīna invītet dēcēdere rīpa calōrī,
obviaque hospitiīs teneat frondentibus arbōs.But let clear springs and pools green with moss be near, and a thin stream slipping through the grass, and let a palm or huge wild olive shade the entrance, so that when the new kings lead out the first swarms in their own spring, and the young, let out from the combs, are at play, a bank nearby may invite them to withdraw from the heat, and a tree in their path may hold them in its leafy hospitality.
Georg. 4.25In medium, seu stābit iners seu prōfluet ūmor,
trānsversās salicēs et grandia conice saxa,
pontibus ut crēbrīs possint cōnsistere et alās
pandere ad aestīvum sōlem, sī forte morantēs
sparserit aut praeceps Neptūnō immerserit Eurus.In the middle, whether the water stands still or flows on, throw willows crosswise and great stones, so that they may have many bridges to stand on and spread their wings to the summer sun, if by chance the East Wind has scattered them as they linger, or plunged them headlong into Neptune. Georg. 4.30Haec circum casiae viridēs et olentia lātē
serpylla et graviter spīrantis cōpia thymbrae
flōreat inriguumque bibant violāria fontem.Around these let green cassia and far-scented wild thyme and an abundance of strongly breathing savory flower, and let violet beds drink from the watering spring. Georg. 4.33Ipsa autem, seu corticibus tibi sūta cavātīs,
seu lentō fuerint alvāria vīmine texta,
35angustōs habeant aditūs: nam frīgore mella
cōgit hiems, eademque calor liquefacta remittit.But the hives themselves, whether you have them sewn from hollowed bark or woven of pliant osier, should have narrow entrances: for winter congeals the honey with cold, and heat likewise melts it and lets it run.
Georg. 4.37Utraque vīs apibus pariter metuenda;Both forces are equally to be feared by bees; Georg. 4.37neque illae
nēquīquam in tēctīs certātim tenuia cērā
spīrāmenta linunt fūcōque et flōribus ōrās
40explent collēctumque haec ipsa ad mūnera glūten
et viscō et Phrygiae servant pice lentius Īdae.and not for nothing do they vie in smearing with wax the tiny vents in their dwellings, and fill the edges with bee-glue and flowers, and keep a gum gathered for this very task, more clinging than birdlime and the pitch of Phrygian Ida. Georg. 4.42Saepe etiam effossīs, sī vēra est fāma, latebrīs
sub terrā fōvēre larem, penitusque repertae
pūmicibusque cavīs exēsaeque arboris antrō.Often too, if the report is true, they have kept house in burrows dug underground, and have been found deep in hollow pumice and in the cavity of a decayed tree. Georg. 4.45Tū tamen et levī rīmōsa cubīlia līmō
ungue fovēns circum et rārās superinice frondēs.Yet you should smear their cracked chambers around with smooth mud, warming them, and throw a few leaves on top. Georg. 4.47Neu propius tēctīs taxum sine, nēve rubentēs
ūre focō cancrōs, altae neu crēde palūdī,
aut ubi odor caenī gravis aut ubi concava pulsū
50saxa sonant vōcisque offēnsa resultat imāgō.And do not let a yew grow too near their dwellings, or roast reddening crabs on your hearth, or trust a deep marsh, or a place where there is a heavy smell of mud, or where hollow rocks ring when struck and the image of a voice rebounds from them.