256 
Beekeeping 
As the weather becomes warmer the supplies rapidly increase 
and the bees are greatly stimulated to build up the colony. 
The old bees that emerged the previous autumn have been 
called upon, under ordinary winter conditions, to expend 
considerable energy, and their ability to do the collecting and 
the inside work in the spring is in general in inverse ratio 
to the expenditure of energy in the winter. Brood-rearing, 
however, begins before or as soon as new supplies come to 
the hive, provided, of course, that the colon}' is normal, and 
as the first bees emerge they in turn increase the capacity of 
the colony for brood-rearing, so that with a good queen and 
other favorable conditions the brood is rapidly increased. 
Object of spring manipulations. 
The main object of the work in the spring is to insure an 
abundance of bees in time for the harvest. In the more 
northern localities, summer comes on with a rush and often 
the principal nectar-secreting plants are in bloom so soon 
after cold weather that the colony is frequently not in condi¬ 
tion to obtain the maximum crop, or there may be a period 
in the spring when, from lack of nectar, the bees are not 
stimulated to the maximum breeding. If left to themselves 
and if honey is already present in the hive, bees will naturally 
rear brood and thereby rapidly increase the size of the 
colony, and the work of the beekeeper is to provide the most 
favorable conditions for the manifestation of this instinct. 
Prevention of drifting. 
Colonies which are wintered in the cellar need not be put 
in the same locations that they occupied the previous year, 
when they are removed. In setting them out, some care 
is necessary to prevent mixing. If they can fly as soon as 
they are set out, they may rush forth and then be unable 
again to locate the proper hive, in which case they often 
“drift,” that is, bees enter the wrong colonies with the result 
that some colonies will be increased in size at the expense 
of others. If bees can be set out at night or on a cloudy or 
