102 THE APIAET. 



LOCATION MARKED. 



As they come from their door, they pause a moment, as 

 if to rub their eyes, which have been so long obscured in 

 darkness. They rise on the wing, but instead of leaving 

 in a direct line, immediately turn their heads towards the 

 entrance of their tenement, describing a circle of a few 

 inches at first, but larger as they recede, until an area of 

 several rods has been viewed and marked. 



SHOULD NOT BE MOVED. 



After a few excursions, and surrounding objects have 

 became familiar, this precaution is not taken, and they 

 leave in a direct line for their destination, and return by 

 their way-marks without difSculty. Man, with his reason, 

 is guided in the same manner. There are a great many 

 people who suppose the bee knows its hive by a kind of 

 instinct, or is attracted towards it, like the steel to the 

 magnet. At least they act as if they thought so, as they 

 • often move their bees a few feet or rods, after the location 

 is thus marked, and what is the consequence ? The stocks 

 are materially injured, and sometimes entirely ruined by 

 loss of bees. Let us notice the cause. As I have stated, 

 the bees have marked the location. They leave the hive 

 without any precaution, as surrounding objects are famil- 

 iar. They return to their old stand and find no home. 

 If there is more than one stock, and their own has been 

 removed from four to twenty feet, some of the bees may 

 find a hive, but are just as liable to enter the wrong one 

 as the right. Probably they would not go over twenty 

 feet, and very likely not that, unless the new situation was 

 very conspicuous. K a person had but one stock, the loss 

 would probably be less, as every bee finding a hive, 

 would be sure to be right, and none would be killed, as is 

 generally the case, when a few enter a strange hive. 

 Sometimes a stock will allow strange bees to unite with 



