POSITION AND ASPECT. 161 
you change its place you perplex them, much the 
same as you would be perplexed if, during a short 
absence, some one lifted your house and placed it a 
mile off. The poor bees return loaded, and, seeking 
in vain for their habitation, either fall down and 
perish with fatigue, or throw themselves into neigh- 
bouring hives. When hives are transported to a long 
distance, there is no fear that the bees will return. 
But this inconvenience would be sure to take place if 
they were removed only a few hundred paces from the 
spot to which they have been accustomed. The hive 
may not perish, but it will be greatly weakened. In my 
opinion, if the situation is to be changed at all, they 
should be taken at least a mile and a half.” This 
removal should only be attempted in winter or early 
spring, under usual circumstances. It might, how- 
ever, happen that it was required to move a hive only 
a very short distance, in the summer time; when no 
harm would arise were the change of location made by 
daily shifting it a few inches. Mr. Hibberd remarks 
on the loss that must inevitably ensue from this cause, 
if an established stock (not a new swarm) is purchased 
of a near neighbour, in which case a great number of 
the bees are certain to return to their old home. He 
further gives the useful piece of information, that, 
after removing his own apiary a distance of two miles, 
he went to the old spot on the following day and saw 
just a few bees buzzing about it; but on the day 
after there was not a single one. Hence it would 
appear that the distance of a mile and a half is 
sufficient as far as appreciable losses are concerned ; 
but, to be absolutely secure against return of the bees, 
M 
