The Bi-Monthly Zoological Bulletin of the Division of Zoology of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (Volume 2, No. 3)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1912. Excerpt: ... bees, will return to tlie old stand, and if they find another Live there they will enter it, and if not they will enter the nearest hive they can find. Thus when a hive is moved from place to place it loses its field bees or workers, and, of course, its yield of honey is greatly reduced, although it is a good method to pursue in checking the swarming impulse. A nucleus, --as described on another page of this bulletin, --can be established on the old stand, and the new hive can be moved to another part of the bee yard. This will generally result in the destruction of the queen cells that are started, or the destruction of all young queens but one. If, however, the hive is to be moved to a short distance, and the owner wishes to keep all the bees profitably employed and keep the colony strong, the only safe way he can do this is to move it but a few steps at a time. He can turn it with its back directly in the line he wishes to move it, and once every few days carry it backwards a few steps. The field bees will thus leain to find it each time, and will follow it to its final resting place, and but few will thus be lost. In moving bees but a short distance it can be remembered that only the old workers and the flying drones return to the old stand. The queen remains in the hive wherever it is carried, as do the young bees that have not yet become field workers, and as do especially the laying workers in the queenless hive. WATERING. Bees need water as well as food. All their food in the form of honey, syrup or sugar must be greatly diluted before it can be swallowed by them. As brood-rearing starts in the latter part of winter and continues during early spring, and as the honey must be diluted to about the consistency of nectai before it can be fed to the you...