At the Hive Entrance.pdf - BioBees

Observation
Explanation
super. One can only expect a good harvest from such
populations when there is plenty of honeydew, and
even then they remain far behind selected populations.
But even in apiaries where selection is carried
out, such populations can still be found, for ifthey are
not eliminated, their males fly several kilometers
away. By using my very simple breeding method
which does not require either special knowledge or
equipment, any beekeeper can easily achieve this
result. (See Storch. Der praktische Imker. 13th edition).
To sum up: brooding until late in December
and again in January is a feature inherited from the
home-land of the Italian bee. In our latitude this
characteristic is a drawback. What can be found on
the day of the cleansing flight on the bottom board of
populations not at home in our climate? Principally
young bees, which having broken away from the cluster
to relieve themselves, became drowsy and fall onto
the bottom board to die. The others are bees that
wore themselves out by caring non -stop for the
brood. I have dealt at some length with this topic as it
is the main reason for a poor harvest from nonselected
colonies.
When, after three months of
confinement, the bees leave the
hive for the cleansing flight,
they do not immediately fly as
far away as during the honeyflow
season. They face their
hives and remain in this position
for some time before distancing
themselves tracing
increasingly wider circles and
then they relieve themselves.
Young bees, who a few days after their birth fly to
defaecate or orientate themselves behave similarly.
The same applies to bees need to re-orientate themselves
on their cleansing flight because they have overwintered
and been confined for a long time. This enables
one to move hives or even the whole apiary, over
small distances, without losing any bees, provided this
is done before the cleansing flight. But beware! If, as
sometimes happens, certain populations have already
ventured out before the cleansing flight, moving the
hives entails certain risks.
Despite being orientated in the
same direction as the others the
bees of certain hives flyaway
immediately.
Usually these colonies are already nursing a brood.
The nursing bees have over-loaded bowels and are in
urgent need of relief. Greater need of water! Greater
food consumption!
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