The old rule of many beekeepers is to take the bees from the cellar when the soft maples are in bloom. This is an excellent rule in localities where there are trees of this species. In general, in zone 1 the right time to take the bees out of the cellar is about the time of the spring equinox (March 21). In choosing a time for the removal of the bees, the beekeeper again should watch the weather maps closely. He should choose a time when a high-pressure area is just passing and at the approach of a well-defined low-pressure area. At such a time the weather will be cool, not permitting the bees to fly, but at the time of the low-pressure area the weather will become warmer, allowing the good flights, which are then badly needed. If the bees are taken out at a time when they can fly at once--and some beekeepers prefer this--they should be taken out in the early morning, so that they can have a good flight before night. Bees should not be taken from the cellar at a time when they can fly only a little, but they should either be taken out when they can not fly at all or at a time when they can fly freely almost at once. Bees in good condition rarely fly freely unless the outside temperature is as high as 60° F. PREVENTION OF DRIFTING. When the bees are taken from the cellar and placed on their summer positions they sometimes tend to leave the weaker, colonies and on their return to collect in those with greater populations. This is known as "drifting." In general, the bees tend to drift toward the windward side of the apiary. Most frequently they join the hives that were first set out and which have established a strong flight by the time the neighboring colonies have first taken wing. The tendencies, therefore, are to join flying colonies, stronger colonies, and the end colonies in a row. The condition of the bees plays a large part in drifting, for if the bees are badly in need of a flight because of dysentery they go at once into the air without properly marking the location of their hive, and therefore are not able to find it when they return. To prevent drifting, it is best to set the bees out when it is too cold for them to fly, so that as the weather warms, permitting flight, this will take place more naturally. It is also well to reduce the entrances so that as the bees leave the hive their tendency to orient themselves will be greater. It is claimed by some beekeepers that if the cellar is well aired the night before the bees are to be removed, they will be in better condition and will drift less, but it is not clear what difference this can make unless the clusters are made tighter because of lower temperatures.