MOVING BEES 29 



tion they reassure themselves that the location is correct, and 

 re-enter the hive again. 



If the hive is moved but a few feet away, they are greatly 

 confused and will require some little time to accustom them- 

 selves to the new location. If the day be warm and the workers 

 are in the field, hundreds of them will soon be flying about the 

 former location of the hive. 



Bee-keepers take advantage of this characteristic of the honey- 

 bee to return to its old location regardless of changes, to make 

 swarms hive themselves. The queens are clipped so as to be 

 unable to accompany the swarm, and the bees, missing her, re- 

 turn to the old home only to find it gone and an empty hive in its 

 place, as described in Chapter YII. 



If bees are only moved a short distance many will be lost by 

 returning to the old stand, unless some precaution be taken to 

 insure that the new location will be carefully marked by all bees 

 leaving the hive. For this reason it is best to move the bees 

 three or four miles if possible. When they are moved a less 

 distance it is well to place the hive in a dark cellar for several 

 days ; a week if they can be kept quiet that long. After the hive 

 is taken from the cellar and set in the new situation, it is well to 

 turn a large box over it, and remove a board near the ground to 

 make a decided difference in appearances to the bees coming 

 from the hive. They will then be likely to take note of the new 

 location, and return in safety to the hive. After a day or two 

 the box can be removed. Its only object is to create a new appear- 

 ance. Bees moved for a considerable distance find conditions 

 so strange, that there is little danger of loss from failure to 

 return to the hive. The shorter the distance, the greater the 

 difficulty in moving them, unless it be when they are removed 

 from the cellar in spring, when they can safely be placed in any 

 situation. However, even then, if they are only placed a short 

 distance from the old stand, some of the old bees will return to 

 the place where the hive stood the fall before. If the bees are 

 to be taken but a short distance, say two or three rods, it is a 



