1897. 



THE AMERICAN BEE KEEPER. 



78 



deal of care, and would surely give 

 them a new packing when placed on 

 their new stands. 



There is one case in which \ve would 

 entirely abstain from transporting 

 them on March first, and that is, if the 

 weather has been so that they have 

 not had a flight for a month or more 

 previous to moving them, and if the 

 weather is still so rude as to prevent 

 their flight shortly after they have 

 been removed. The moving would 

 disturb them and would cause them to 

 scatter about the hive. Probably a 

 number of bees in each hive would be 

 chilled. Perhaps, also, the extra ex- 

 ertion would induce them to consume 

 more than usual, and their intestines, 

 already loaded with feces, would be- 

 come so much more embarrassed, and 

 the result, unless a warm day come 

 quickly, would very probably be dis- 

 astrous. 



In any case it is well to move them 

 shortly after they have had one good 

 flight. Rather move them a little 

 earlier after a good flight than wait 

 and disturb them during a two weeks' 

 or three weeks' confinement such as 

 we sometimes see in March, especially 

 in late winters. 



One thing above all is very import- 

 ant : Be sure that they are compelled 

 on their first flight after the change to 

 notice their change of residence. If 

 they can not fly out the very day on 

 which they are moved they will be 

 quite likely, when the excitement is 

 over, to issue out of the hive, as if 

 hothing had happened — that is, with- 

 out looking behind. A bee in its first 

 two or three flights out of its hive, 

 takes a close observation of the sur- 

 roundings and notices the exact spot 

 of its house so closely that if you move 



the hive afterwards, if it were but one 

 foot in any direction, it would have 

 some difficulty in recognizing the en- 

 trance. 



After the first two or three flights 

 the bee never looks back but darts out 

 straight. So if we move them and 

 they do not have a chance to fly for 

 two or three days or even till the next 

 day, the excitement being over, they 

 will have probably forgotten all about 

 it and will not even suspect that the 

 location has been changed. The bees 

 will issue as usual in a straight line 

 and will not notice the change until 

 they are a few feet away ; perhaps 

 they will not think of looking back 

 before they have gone a hundred feet 

 or more. Then if there a number of 

 hives together there will be some con- 

 fusion and many bees will be lost. 

 There is a very simple way to prevent 

 this. Place something in front of the 

 hives so they may know before they 

 take wing that there is a change in the 

 outside conditions. We use a slanting 

 board in front of the entrance around 

 which they have to fly. This calls 

 their attention to the change at once. 

 Another way is to keep the hives clos- 

 ed till the middle of a warm day ; but 

 this method will irritate them more 

 than the first. 



(From Bee Keepers Review). 



THE MATING OF QUEENS-HOW IT 

 MAY BE OONTEOLLED. 



BY L. A. ASPINWALL. 



In most lines of progress we find 

 with the advantage gained a corres- 

 ponding evil presents itself. This be- 

 comes apparent upon the introduction 

 of improved bees, notably ihe Italians. 

 Notwithstanding their recognized 

 superiority over the black or brown 



