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 VII. 
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 
diffieulty 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 
