166 HANDY BOOK OF BEES. 



CHAPTER XXXIII. 



TEANSPORTING BEES FROM ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER. 



Ix some favoured district.s boes remain from the begin- 

 ning of tiie year to the end of it. The trouble or expense of 

 removing them to a locality supposed to be better, would 

 not be covered by the additional income. In other locali- 

 ties the heather is at so great a distance that it is not con- 

 sidered worth while to remove bees so far for the chance 

 of having a harvest of moorland honey. But earnest men, 

 who keep large strong hives, find it profitable to remove 

 them to good pasture. We remove ours twice every year, 

 first to the clover, then to the heather ; but our neigh- 

 bourhood is a very poor one for honey. If left at home, 

 our best hives would not gain 1 lb. of honey each daily 

 in favourable weather during the months of June, July, 

 and August, whereas on the clover and heather they 

 gather from 2 lb. to 6 lb. each daily. When the bee- 

 keepers of this country awake to see the value of large 

 hives, in the vast stores of honey speedily gathered by 

 them, the practice of removing bees to better honey dis- 

 tricts mil become as general here as in some Continental 

 parts, where carts are made on purpose, shelf over shelf, to 

 carry hives. In hot weather, inexperienced persons find 

 some difficulty in removing full hives, the combs of 

 which are so apt to fall down and melt by their own heat. 

 Great care is required in removing such hives ; for when- 



