MOVING BEES. 



307 



MOVING BEES. 



half a mile, is not so easy. They are famil- 

 iar with the wliole range of flight within a 

 mile of the old stand; and when they go over 

 their old hunting-gromid, so to speak, in- 

 s ead of returning to the hive from which 

 they have just come they will return to tlie 

 old location. How, then, shall we make 

 tliem stay where placed? One way, and the 

 very best one, is to wait till fall or winter. 

 After they have quit flying for the season, 

 move them to the spot desired. If they are 

 confined for several weeks by cold weather, 

 or longer, they will mark their new location 

 and go back to it as their regular and perma- 

 nent home. It will be better still if they can 

 be confined for se\'eral months in the cellar; 

 then when' they are put out again in the 

 spring, place them in the new location; for 

 it is well known that cellared bees can be 

 placed anywhere the following spring with- 

 out reference to their old stands. Wherever 

 they are placed they will mark their loca- 

 tion, and that must be their fixed position 

 for the season. 



But suppose it is the midst of summer, and 

 for some reason the bees must be moved a 

 few lods from their old location. Perhaps 

 complaint is made that the bees in the front 

 yard are interfering with passersby, and to 

 avoid trouble it seems desirable to move 

 them to the back yard. In an emergency of 

 this kind the following plan may be used : 



Tack wire cloth over the entrances, carry 

 the hives down cellar, and keep them there 

 for at least five days, and longer if they ap- 

 pear to be quiet. While the bees are in the 

 cellar, change the surroundings in the front 

 yard or in the old location as much as possi- 

 ble. After the bees have served out their 

 allotted time of confinement, put them in 

 the back yard in the same order as before if it 

 can be done conveniently. While some of the 

 bees may, perhaps, go back, the great ma- 

 jo] ity will stay in their new location. Those 

 that do return should be given a frame of brood 

 in a hive ; and when they have clustered on 

 it take them to the new location and dump 

 in front of the entrance to the hive. If the 

 bees are c n fined during cool or rainy weath- 

 er, when they can not fly, tliere will be no 

 loss of honey that might possibly be gathered 

 from the field; but while the bees are con- 

 fined in the cellar, keei) a watch on them to 

 see that they do not suffocate; and, if prac- 

 ticaljle, cover the whole top of the hive with 

 wire screen. 



In cool weather it is not necessary to put 

 the bees in the cellar; but after the wire 

 cloth is tacked on at the entrance the hive 



may be moved immediately to its new loca- 

 tion. The bees should be kept confined at 

 least five days, or as long as they are appar 

 ently quiet. If they crowd around the en- 

 trance so as to cause suffocation they should 

 be released at once. But do not think of 

 confining a strong colony in warm weathei' 

 without putting it in the cellar where it is 

 cool, and giving it i)lenty of ventilation. 



Ordinarily, weak nuclei can be readily 

 moved from one location to another without 

 danger of suffocation. As explained under 

 the lead of Nuclei, further on, we always 

 make it a practice to confine the bees for at 

 least three days. At the end of that time 

 they are usually content to stay in their new 

 location without returning to the old spot 

 This plan is not to be used if it be at all 

 practicable to leave the bees till fall or win- 

 ter. 



Theie is still another method; and wher- 

 ever it is practicable to carry it out we would 

 recommend it in preference to carrying them 

 into the cellar; that is, move tiie bees to a 

 point a mile and a half or two miles from the 

 old location. Let them stay there two or 

 three weeks, then move them back. But 

 this involves considerable labor, so that tlie 

 average person would not think it practi- 

 cable. 



There is danger that bees confined in the 

 cellar, and then released, may go back to 

 the old location. This is especially true of 

 black bees; and it becomes, therefore, ad- 

 visable to do all short-distance moving iu 

 the winter. As a general thing we would 

 advise against moving full ( olonies short 

 distances in mid-summer; but in case of ne- 

 cessity or emergency they may be confined 

 in the cellar as explaine<l. 



HOW TO MOVE BEES 

 EKAL 



A DISTANCE 

 MILE.S. 



OK SEV- 



The remarks that have been made hereto- 

 fore apply to moving bees only a short dis- 

 tance; but when they are to be carried a 

 considerable distance, and jolted over rough 

 roads, the bees require more ventilation 

 than can usually be afforded by an ordinary 

 entrance. If they are shut up during the 

 middle of the day, those in the field are lia- 

 ble to be lost. Ordinarily they should be 

 confined at night or in the early morning — 

 better at night. 



If you wish to move bees during the day 

 time, while many are in the fields, you can 

 get them nearly all in by smoking them at 

 intervals for about half an hour. This will 

 give those that are out time to come in, and 

 the smoking will prevent any more goin 



