196 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Mar. 15 



By having bees hatched in Ihe super they 

 will return to ihat part of the hive with the 

 nectar which they gather. This induces the 

 bees in the lower hive to store the honey 

 above, and save the lower combs for brood. 



Middleburg, N. Y., Jan. 24. 



[It is generally conceded that more ex- 

 tracted can be produced under the same con- 

 ditions than comb honey; but how much 

 more is a mooted question. — Ed.] 



' DRIFTING " AFTER MOVING OR SET- 

 TING BEES our OF A CELLAR. 



What Is "Drifting"? A Discussion of the 



Conditions which Cause it, and 



the Remedies. 



BY R. F. HOLTERMANN. 



The question often presents itself, as to 

 how we can prevent bees, under certain con- 

 ditions, from drifting. By "drifting" is 

 meant the tendency bees have to fly out of 

 their hives in considerable numbers, and, in- 

 stead of returning, go to a new location in 

 the apiary. This may result in the bees be- 

 ing attracted to the most populous colunies, 

 or possibly from one end of a row to anoth- 

 er, or from one side of the apiary to the oth- 

 er side. This condition occurs most frequent- 

 ly during the tirst flight in the spring, par- 

 ticularly when the bees have been winiered 

 indoors under unfavorable condit ons. 

 Another occasion for driftmg is when bees 

 are moved from one locatii n to another in 

 the summer. There is also, in rare instances, 

 a tendency to drift when a swarm issues and 

 returns again The bees of such a swarm 

 scatter somewhat into every hive in a row, 

 etc. This latter, h wever, does not come 

 properly under the occasions for drifting, al- 

 though we will consider it later. 



To remedy the conditions given we must 

 find the causes— the {.rincipal one, in my 

 estimation, being excitement on the part of 

 the bees so that they do not mark their loca- 

 tion as they leave the hive, and move, there- 

 fore, toward a stronger attraction elsewhere, 

 which attraction generallv consists of flying 

 bees or clustered bees that are vi&ibly attract- 

 ing others to them. 



Another cause is the wind, which may blow 

 the bees to one side of abeeyard. ano, as 

 they recover control of their motion, they 

 collect in front of the most ctmvenieni hive, 

 and the one manifesting the most life, hav- 

 ing fo; gotten or lust their own entrance; and 

 as the flying bees increase in numbers, oth- 

 ers keep coming. This is particularly true 

 when colonies are set out of a cellar after 

 having wintered poorly, when the conse- 

 quent rapid changes of conditions from in- 

 side atmosphere to the outside increase the 

 excitement of the first fly. The proxin ity 

 of one hive to another has an important bear- 

 ing on the matter, as dots also the order in 

 whi(h the hives stand, the bees of hives 

 standing in rows being perhaps more likely 

 to drift. 



MOVING BEES. 



When bees are moved from one location 

 to another during hot weather, to a new 

 pasture for instance, so that they have been 

 confined to the hive, they get excited, espe- 

 cially if they are confined when it is light, 

 and if, during the day, the hives are opened, 

 the bees are quite likely to drift — perhaps in 

 several ways. The end of the row at which 

 the hives are lirst opened is the end toward 

 which they naturally turn. Af er that, un- 

 less enough time has elapsed so that the first 

 uproar has quieted down, within moderation 

 at least, one may open the hives anywhere, 

 and yet the bees will keep drifting toward 

 the end where the first and greatest excite- 

 ment is, although they may follow a row. 

 The principle in drifting appears to be this: 

 A temporary excitement causes the bees to 

 forget the instinct rf returning to the place 

 they left, so that they are drawn to the new 

 home by other interests. It is always a ques- 

 tion in my mind as to whether bees would 

 not return to their own hive if the conditions 

 were unchanged since the last flight. By 

 this I mean that, if every colony is set out 

 fjom the cellar and placed on the stand oc- 

 cupied last year, would not the bets, after 

 an excited flight, be more likely to return to 

 their own hives? Or if, after colonies are 

 moved in the summer, would the bees have 

 less tendency to drift if the hives are set in 

 the same relative position to themselves and 

 the other objects? 



REMEDIFS FOR DRIFTING. 



In setting out colonies in the spring, if the 

 cellar can be well aired the night before, and 

 the hives set out before daylight, on a day 

 when it is no warmer than necessary for safe 

 flight, and preferably on a cloudy day, if 

 warm enough, the conditions are not favor- 

 able to drifting. The fewer colonies set out 

 at one time the better, and the further apart 

 the hives are placed the less the bees are at- 

 tracted by other colonies. If a bee keeper 

 d« es all in his power to secure these condi- 

 tions I think he has done his best. I have 

 said nothing about securing ideal wintering 

 conditions; forif a bee-keeperhas not already 

 attended to this there is no use in suggesting 

 to him any thing of the kind, for it is too late. 



Some may ask how they can secure all the 

 above combinations; but it is not for me to 

 say how, fur, as in many other things, we 

 have an ideal or pa'tern, and our skill and 

 experience must aid us in attaining to it. 



When colonies are moved I like to set the 

 hives on their new stands during the night. 

 Then after the entrances are opened the bees 

 quiet down before trying their first flight. 

 In my experience this has always prevented 

 drifting. When this can not be done, an ex- 

 cellent plan is to sprinkle the bees well with 

 water before the hives are opened ; and if they 

 get a light shower bath as they come out of 

 tne hives, all the better. 



DKIFTING OF BEES FROM A SWARM. 



Jacob Alspaugh once said to me that if the 

 hives were close together he would prefer 

 not to clip the queens' wings, for he would 



