934 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



is on, if stress of weather confines the bees 

 to their hive a very few days, they may be 

 seen marking their location as soon as i^er- 

 mitted to fly. 



Bees may also be seen sometimes to mark 

 their location anew after being confined to 

 their hives a few honrs, a few minutes, or 

 not at all, if they have been under some 

 great excitement, such as the excitement 

 caused by being heavily smoked. 



There seems good reason to believe that 

 there is a more or less close connection 

 between a locating flight and forgetfulness 

 of location ; in other words, that when bees 

 mark their location at any time it is to for- 

 get all about where they were previously. 



In a few words, then, we find that bees 

 mark the objects suiTounding the liive 

 rather than the hive itself, and that confine- 

 ment and excitement are elements that help 

 to make them mark their location and attach 

 themselves to it. 



With these points in view we are ready 

 to consider what must be done to make bees 

 stay put when moved to a new location. 



Tf a colony be moved ten miles from its 

 old location, no precaution need be used, no 

 matter when the change is made. There will 

 be no danger of the bees returning to their 

 old location, for it is beyond their finding. 

 Nor need the distance be ten nnlts. In most 

 cases probably a mile and a half, or even a 

 mile, would serve. But, no matter what 

 tlie distance, if the bees upon going afield 

 from their new location should happen up- 

 on ground whereon they had previously 

 pastured, it is quite likely they might return 

 to the location they had always known as 

 home. 



Suppose, now, that we want to move the 

 colonies of an apiary a short distance at a 

 time when they are in daily flight. If the 

 distance be only four or five rods, with no 

 other bees nearer, and if the hives have the 

 same relative positions in the new place that 

 they had before, each bee might be expected 

 to find its own hive without trouble. But at 

 some point the distance may become so 

 great as to make trouble, possibly at the 

 distance of one or two city blocks. More 

 or less of the bees upon their first flight 

 would return to the old location. Every- 

 thing would look homelike to them except 

 that their hives were absent. We can im- 

 agine thera circling about the old spot, per- 

 haps to the distance of a few rods, looking, 

 looking, for the old home, and finally set- 

 tling down upon the old stand, saying, 

 " Well, this must be our old home ; every- 

 thing looks homelike, only our hive is gone. 

 No use to look any more; all we can do is 

 to slay here and wait till it returns, if it 



ever does return." And so they settle down 

 despairingly to await the end that comes to 

 them in due time. Clearly it would help 

 matters if they could not recognize the spot 

 as their old home; and that will be accom- 

 plished by changing appearances, moving 

 or removing any old objects that are mov- 

 able, and bringing upon the gTound new 

 objects, thus practically taking away their 

 " location." 



However long or short the distance, we 

 may take advantage of the two factors 

 previously mentioned — confinement and 

 excitement. In the evening before removal 

 the bees may be fastened in the hives or 

 else in the morning before they fly, and not 

 opened till some time the next day, care 

 being taken that they are not left so long 

 as to smother in a very hot day. An hour's 

 confinement at a time when the bees are 

 anxious to get into the field may equal a 

 month's confinement in the middle of win- 

 ter, for the bees become very much excited 

 when they find they cannot get out. Instead 

 of moving the bees so softly that they shall 

 not know they are being moved, they may 

 be left on the old stands till well on in the 

 day, and then trundled on a wheelbarrow or 

 taken by some other rough conveyance. 

 The rough handling increases the excite- 

 ment, which may be still more increased, if 

 thought necessary, by pounding on the hives 

 just before opening the entrances and by 

 smoking. A common practice is to put a 

 board before the entrance for the first flight. 

 This, either on account of added f-(itement 

 or for some other reason, helps to make the 

 bees mark their location. 



Suppose, now, that the bees have been 

 moved, and that for fear of smothering 

 them we have not been vigorous enough in 

 our precautions, and that some of the bees 

 have gone back to the old place, perhaps 

 settling in clumps. The case is not at all 

 hopeless. Set in the old place a hive con- 

 taining a few combs, with or without honey, 

 and in the course of the day all the return- 

 ing bees will be assembled in this hive. 

 Take them to the new location and give 

 them where they will do the most good. 

 Repeat the performance the next day if 

 any more bees return. So effective is this 

 treatment that it may be used as the only 

 means to attach the bees to a new location. 

 For the transition from the cheerless condi- 

 tion of being witliout a home or a mother to 

 one where they have both is so great that 

 the joyful excitement destroys all attach- 

 ment for the old home and awakens a last- 

 ing attachment for the new. 



Marengo, 111. 



