LOCATION OF HIVES.
IN locating your hives, place them on the south side of buildings, or a
close board fence facing south, south-east or south-west. If possible,
locate in the shade of some trees, where they Will be shaded from the
sun from nine o'clock in the forenoon until one in the afternoon, or a
little later. If no trees afford shade, arrange a roof over each hive,
which shall shade the entire hive, and especially the front, in the
summer season. But in spring and fall it is better to let the bees have
the full benefit of the sun's rays, shining directly upon the hive.
Construct a separate stand for each hive, as follows: Cut boards about
three feet long, and joists three by six inches square (two pieces of
the latter two feet long;) nail the ends of the boards to these pieces,
so as to form a stand, when placed on the ground, three feet long, two
feet wide and six inches high. This gives a free circulation of air
beneath the stand. Set your hive on this stand, the rear of the hive
even with the rear of the stand, which leaves the stand projecting a
foot or more in front, making an admirable place for the bees to alight
before entering the hive. Set your stands three feet apart, and make
them perfectly level before placing your hive upon them.
Place an alighting board in front of each hive. Get a board about
eighteen inches wide and two feet long. Nail on some cleats at each
end, to prevent warping. Rest one edge of this board on the ground,
the other edge on the end of the platform in front of the hive. By
this arrangement many bees will be saved in early spring which would
otherwise be lost. By the old plan of setting the hives two or three
feet high, with no alighting board, and a free draught of wind beneath,
the loss of bees was very great, especially in the early spring
months, on chilly afternoons following a very warm forenoon. The bees,
returning loaded with pollen, are unable to reach a hive placed so
high, and are blown to the earth by the hundreds, and becoming chilled,
die. The death of a few bees is a great loss in early spring, for they
are required in keeping up the animal heat in the hive to forward
breeding.
The location of bees as here recommended will be found greatly superior
to any other, for other reasons than those mentioned, and which are too
numerous to herein specify.
Every one who commences bee keeping should ever remember, that bees
always mark the location of their hives. The young bee the first time
it leaves the hive invariably does this. The same is true with all
swarms, in the first flight in early spring, after being dormant in the
hive through the winter months.
In marking the location, the bee comes from the hive, and at the
entrance rises on the wing. Turning its head toward the hive, it
recedes in circles, backward, at first describing a circle so small
as to be scarcely perceptible, but enlarging as the distance from the
hive is increased. They thus take into view all objects surrounding
the hive, so that they are able to return to their own hives without
difficulty. After one or two excursions begun in this manner, the
bee leaves the hive in a direct line for the fields, without taking
any further precaution whatever, and returns by its knowledge of the
objects in the vicinity of the hives, without difficulty.
Notwithstanding there might be a hundred hives standing in a line,
with only a few inches space between each, and all of the same color
and appearance, if left to itself no bee would enter the hive of its
neighbor, although there might be hundreds of thousands of the busy
workers, from all the hives, dying promiscuously about in the air.
Each bee knows its own hive perfectly, and if from any accident it
enters its neighbor's house, immediate death is usually the result;
or possibly it may escape, after being roughly handled, and made to
understand that it is trespassing on forbidden ground.
Some bee keepers, with little knowledge of their occupation, often
remove a hive of bees several rods, in the working season. The result
is, all the bees that had marked the location (and all the old bees
had done this) are lost. They would continue to leave the hive in a
direct line, after its removal, not taking the precaution to mark the
location, as they were unaware of the change, and when they were ready
to return, they would return to the former place.
Bees may be safely moved a dozen miles or more, at any time, as this
takes them beyond their knowledge of country; but in such cases set
the hives six feet apart at least. If this precaution is not taken and
the hives are set close together, the bees will rush from the hives
on being let out, not knowing the location has been changed, and when
they return, many will enter the wrong hive, and be slaughtered without
mercy.
Therefore, let stocks be placed, early in the spring, before they have
marked the situation of the stands they are to occupy for the summer,
and not change them after the bees have commenced their labors--at
least change them no less distance than twelve miles.