^KPTK^n'>Kl; i, lOifi 



793 



After the flow from the oraniic is over, 

 tlie bees are carried by motor to tlie vicin- 

 ity of Newhall, where they are loaded in the 

 early evening', and in the morning tliey are 

 flying among the sage 30 miles away, By 

 moving this apiary Mi'. Laiinan is able to 



secnre a cr(i]i of honey much greater liian 

 he would if he had left the bees in the 

 orange location. The motor truck is a great 

 boon to the nervy beekeeper who wants the 

 honey. 



Lexiuiiton. Kv. 



ARE BEES GUIDED BY SCENT OR BY SIGHT? 



P.Y n. BLACKBOURNE 



The editor has stated that the flight of 

 bees is dependent on the distance they can 

 see pasturage. T sliouhl like to suggest 

 that scent plays an im})ortant part in help- 

 ing' the bees to And extensive areas of hon- 

 ey-producing plants. I have frequently 

 noticed that oii a windy day the perfume 

 from certain flowers is carried for a consid- 

 erable distance, and 1 am inclined to think 

 tliat bees will follow uj) the " ti'ail," so to 

 speak, against the wind. 



A year or two ago I came acioss a case 

 wliich pointed to the above conclusion. My 

 apiary is situated in an orchard bounded 

 on its north side by a high hedge and a 

 tliick row of plum-trees. Beyond this the 

 fields stretch away up 

 hill, and three-quarters 

 of a mile to the north- 

 Avest are many acres of 

 sainfoin upon which my 

 bees were working. On 

 this particular day an 

 east wind Avas blowing; 

 and as I was returning 

 from the fields I noticed 

 a stead}' stream of bees 

 proceeding against the 

 wind along the north side of the hedge. 

 Being cui'ious as to where they were going, 

 I followed them up and found that they 

 were working on about an acre of white 

 clover situated at the end of the hedge about 

 a quarter of a mile from my ajjiary. Now, 

 this white clover was mixed with some other 

 clovers and lye grass, and the actual flower- 

 heads weie mostly short and not at all 

 thick. That is to say, they did not present 

 a mass of wddte that could be seen from a 

 distance. The bees were blacks, and must 



have come from an apiaiy situated a mile 

 to tlie west of my own. 1 could see that 

 none of my bees were working on the clover, 

 for mine were Italians and hybrids. 



Now, why were not these blacks working 

 on the sainfoin, which was much nearer to 

 them — less than half the distance of the 

 clover? I concluded that the scent from 

 the clover had been carried down by the 

 wind, while that from the sainfoin had been 

 carried to the north of theij- hives. Why, 

 then, were not my bees attracted f Either 

 because, in order to get out of the orchard 

 to reach tlie fields, they Avei'e obliged to rise 

 high in the air to. clear the hedge and treevS, 

 or else because they had jireviously been 



UIREC TION OF WiND 



'.{"Apiary. 



'^fiE'DCEi''AND TREES 



% ■:>>-^ ^ iS} ^ 



■m c^ (?§ 'i...i?i 



^ 



€) 



5 ^ 



MyJ^piarv 



working on the sainfoin for some days, tho 

 if this latter is the i'east)n why did not the 

 blacks also work ori it ■ 



The whole question is an exceedingly 

 interesting" one, and also important for 

 those engaged in commercial beekeeping; 

 as one of the principal aids to success is 

 in the study of one's locality. 



Ramsgate, England. 



[See the article In' 

 722, last issue. — Ed.] 



J. E. Crane, page 



DRIFTING SWARMS FROM BOX HIVES 



BY V. (i REINER 



bv 



The practice of making forced swarms practiced to a ureat extent in European 



_,' driving or drumming them out of tlieii' countries and is now. The follower of 



Jiabitation into a l)ox or hive placed on toj) modern methods, however, scorns the idea 



is a very old one. Wlien tlie straw skep of making forced swarms by this simple 



was in fasliion tliis manner of increase was and effective method, and still it may be 



