According to Virgil

First, a seat must be chosen for the bees where neither the winds may have access (for the winds hinder them from carrying home their food), nor sheep and frisky kids may trample down the flowers. And let the lizards with speckled scaly backs be far from the rich hives, also woodpeckers and other birds. For they lay waste the honey and in their mouths bear away the bees themselves while on the wing, a sweet morsel for their merciless young. But let clear springs and pools edged with green moss be near and a gentle rivulet swiftly running through the meadows. And let a palm or stately wild olive overshade the entrance: that, when the new kings lead forth the first swarms in the spring, and the youth issuing from the hives indulge in sport, the neighboring bank may invite them to withdraw from the heat, and the tree may receive them with its leafy shelter. Into the midst of the water, whether idle or running, throw willows and huge stones, that the bees may rest upon frequent bridges and spread their wings to the summer sun.

Bees: A Study from Vergil
By Mary Elizabeth Burt
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