362 
FLIGHT OF BEES 
go out after stores they evidently try to 
find their nectar as near the hive as possi¬ 
ble. They will not g'O over half a mile if 
they can get a sufficient supply within that 
distance; but in most cases that range 
does not supply enough pasturage, and it 
is evident they keep increasing their flight 
until they go as far as one and one-half 
miles. If they are unable to secure enough, 
and if there is forage on beyond, they 
often go farther. 
Bees will sometimes fly over a body of 
water or a valley from an elevation three 
or even five miles, particularly if there are 
fields in sight that are somewhat showy. 
Whether they have a long-range vision or 
not has not been proven; but the fact that 
they will find white patches of buckwheat 
five miles away across a valley is somewhat 
significant. In a like manner they will go 
across a valley four or five miles to orange 
bloom in California. Whether they are 
guided by sight or smell in either case is 
difficult to prove; but it is quite probable 
that a breeze will carry the odors of a 
buckwheat field or of an orange grove in 
full bloom to bees five miles away. While 
we might not be able to detect odors at 
such a distance, the scent organs of the bee 
are much more acute than ours; and they 
might and probably would get a knowledge 
of its presence in a given locality. 
As a general rule, as stated at the outset, 
bees do not fly much over one and one-half 
miles. Where they have to go greater dis¬ 
tances their wings sometimes show wear, es¬ 
pecially if they have to pass thru shrub¬ 
bery. 
We once had one yard located in an aster 
district. The supply of nectar gave out in 
the near-by fields; but we traced some of 
the bees of that yard to asters five miles 
away. That fall there was a very rapid 
decimation of bees. Colonies that were 
strong just before the asters came into 
bloom dwindled down to three and two 
frame nuclei. The surviving bees had their 
wings badly frayed. The presumption is 
that in dodging thru and over shrubbery in 
their long flights they tore their wings more 
or less, with the result that large numbers 
of them never got back home. 
When bees are going to and from the 
field, they fly as low as possible to avoid the 
wind. Instead of flying over shrubbery 
they will dodge thru it for forage on the 
other side. At other times they will fly 
over it. We have observed, however, at 
one of our yards, that bees would go no 
farther than a «piece of woods half a mile 
away. The probabilities are that, on rising 
to the height of the trees, they encountered 
a current of wind in the opposite direction. 
It is a well-known fact that bees can not 
fly against a strong wind. 
THE RANGE OF FLIGHT AND ITS RELATION TO 
OUTYARDS. 
In the location of outyards one should 
take into consideration the general lay of 
the land and the character of possible bee- 
forage. In ordinary white clover regions 
where there are patches of woods, build¬ 
ings, or much shrubbery, bees do not fly 
much over one and one-half miles; but 
when clover ceases to yield, and basswood 
can be found two or three miles away, 
those same bees will fly farther; and when 
conditions are right, they will fly from 
three to five miles, and even seven miles 
across a body of water. But locations that 
furnish such long ranges are very rare. 
The flight of bees will determine some¬ 
what the size of the beeyard. If they do 
not go farther than one and one-half miles, 
probably not more than 50 colonies can be 
kept in the location, and possibly 30 would 
be better. 
In some parts of the country as many as 
500 colonies can be kept in one place. The 
late E. W. Alexander kept 500 colonies at 
Delanson, N. Y., on a hill overlooking a 
valley. He traced his bees five miles from 
home many times, and secured large crops 
of honey. J. F. McIntyre, at his cele¬ 
brated Sespe apiary near Ventura, Calif., 
kept over 500 colonies. (See Apiary.) 
In both of these cases it is evident that the 
bees would have to fly at least five miles in 
order to get the proper yield per colony. 
When an apiary of 50 colonies secures a 
good yield, the presumption is that the 
bees do not fly very far; and it sometimes 
happens that 30 colonies will do better than 
50. In that case they should be located 
about three miles apart, making a radius 
of flight of one and one-half miles. 
FOOD VALUE OF HONEY.— See 
Honey as a Food. 
