132 



TWELFTH ANNUAL, REPORT OF THE 



length of time; I believe the bees 

 would depend on the water dropping 

 on that, but I, too, believe that they 

 would carry the water if it was within 

 a reasonable distance, to make use of 

 a good part of this sugar. 



Mr. Lyman — I knew of a bee-keeper 

 who fed his bees at one time by using 

 lamp chimneys; put them right across 

 over the bottom and filled with sugar, 

 and poured a little water into the top 

 of the chimneys, on top of the brood 

 frames; that of course was not a con- 

 tinuous supply of water, but it worked 

 pretty well. 



Mr. Cavanagh — We all know that if 

 we eat candy we are going to drink 

 water, and is it not reasonable to sup- 

 pose that if the bees eat sugar, they 

 will want to drink water? 



I had an old bee-man visit me this 

 summer that claims the bees will do 

 that, and I really believe they will; he 

 ought to know. I think the Root Com- 

 panv have advocated, lately, the feed- 

 ing of A sugar for winter feeding. Why 

 not apply the same principle to spring 

 feeding? I believe we ought to have 

 water in the hive; it is essential in 

 the spring, a supply of water, and it 

 will Fave the bees flying for water on 

 "cold windy days. 



Pres. Huffman — How would you sup- 

 ply them with water? 



Mr. Cavanagh — Sometimes there is 

 water in the hive. 



Mr. P^^les— A can with a very small 

 hole through, to let it drip. 



l\Tr Cavanagh — One way is to tip the 

 hive back a little and let it run in the 

 entrance every time it rains. 



Pres. Huffman — How would a sponge 



do? 



Mr. Cavanagh — A sponge would be 

 pretty good. 



Mr. Dadant— The question has ^been 

 asked— "How often to feed?" Has'any- 

 body tried feeding every day with the 

 Alexander feeder? Or with some other 

 kind of a feeder? Is there any differ- 

 ence between feeding every day 

 and feeding every week or once in 

 every two weeks? 



Pres. Huffman — The question says— 

 "How often and how much?" 



Mr. Pyles—- I believe Mt. Boardman 

 said — "Feed every day not less than 

 half a pint to a pint of this syrup." 

 Mr. Baxter, several years ago, gave a 

 paper along this same line; and he 

 stated that in getting his bees in con- 



dition — they were short of stores — he 

 fed them each day; as I remember it 

 he read a paper along this line — ^he fed 

 them once a day until the honey began 

 to come in regularly, and some of these 

 men who have made a study have been 

 claiming that if we have a cold, wet 

 spell for a week to give them some 

 feed or we will lose a 'great deal in 

 brood rearing by throwing out the un- 

 sealed larvae; give them feed not less 

 than once a day if you are feeding. 



Virgin Queens. 



"Is it practical to introduce virgin 

 queens, and how?" 



Pres. Huffman — ^The only thing that 

 I can see against this is that you might 

 be introducing a second time before 

 you would get a laying queen; the 

 queen in flying out, she might get 

 caught or might not get back, and you 

 would have no queen for that colony, 

 and you would have to introduce a 

 second time. 



Mr. Dadant^Mr. Stanley is with us— 

 we would like to hear from him. 



Mr. Stanley — I have introduced hun- 

 dreds of them. I have introduced them 

 Avhere I sold out queens; I have intro- 

 duced them in full colonies and in 

 colonies in good condition. If there is 

 anything further you want to know, 

 and I can tell you, I will give you all 

 the light I can on it. 



Mr. Dadant — Mr. Stanley brought us 

 up a cage last night, and it is quite a 

 device; just like a regular queen cage, 

 except it has three openings; one open- 

 ing in the middle to insert the queen; 

 another opening, the same as the regu- 

 lar cage. The other with a queen ex- 

 cluder over it to keep the queen from 

 going out; only one bee can get through 

 at a time; one bee going through at a 

 time won't cause commotion; I think it 

 is a practical device, and I should think 

 it would solve the question of introduc- 

 ing all kinds of queens. 



Mr. Cavanagli — I would like to ask 

 this convention a few questions now, 

 as"^a delegate: 



If I am to represent this convention 

 at the National convention, I want to 

 know what the sentiment of this con- 

 vention is on the important questions 

 that will naturally come up for discus- 

 sion. 



As to the mater of co-operating in 

 the buying and selling of honey, and 

 taking up the claims of bee-keepers 



