^2 



FIFTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE 



ones which "get there" during honey 

 ■flow. His average of honey per colony 

 is more tlian double nearby apiaries, 

 with old queens of inbred records if 

 any have been kept. 



"I fully believe European foul brood 

 is, a "blessing in disguise." It means 

 th« ,.Q4alner must clean up, get some 

 better'^-blood in his bees, and with that 

 comes a still more important part, "a 

 better bee-keeper." 



In a diseased apiary of over two hun- 

 dred cases of European foul brood, 

 we treated and used young ciueens from 

 several breeders, and watched results. 

 Some of those swarms after requeen- 

 ing and removing combs showed it In ■ 

 a half dozen cells during the season. 



So that queen was exchanged for one 

 raised. from another strain which never 

 showed the disease. It took two sea- 

 sons to find whose bees were the 

 strongest or most immune to disease. 



This breeder does not inbreed but is 

 selecting and importing all the time 

 and only from the best does he raise 

 queens for market. So far not one of 

 his queens used in many diseased api- 

 aries has showed disease. 



I wish to say I am no queen breeder 

 nor am I interested in any, but I do 

 wish to impress the bee-keepers in 

 ■Illinois State Convention that this sub- 

 ject is of great importance. 



Better queens — better bee-keepers — 

 better winter stores with better winter 

 protection. More honey and more pro- 

 fit. 



Best wishes to you all. 

 Tours truly, 

 (Signed) N. E. FRANCE. 

 Mr. Bowen — Since coming to this 

 Convention I have had some talk with 

 some of the men about queen breeders 

 in particular, and I take the same stand 

 that Mr. France does. 



This matter of inbreeding: While 

 you might' get pretty bees, you work 

 against the vitality of the bee. Some 

 took exception to it. I still hold to the 

 idea that we ought to introduce new 

 blood every year and this practice I 

 have followed for some time. Generally 

 I want to introduce from twenty to 

 twenty- five per cent. 



I have never had any foul brood; I 

 don't know whether that is the cause of 

 it. I don't ^Vant to brag too much 

 about that. I have never had any foul 

 brood, and I do believe in the matter 

 of hunting up who raises the best 

 queens, the best honey gatherers, and 



introducing a little new blood in your 

 bees every year; and then as a rule I 

 bought from those if they were good. 



It is just as he says — it is something 

 that pays — good stock. Who would 

 think of following up the same strain 

 without some new blood? 



Mr. Kildow — I don't want to get into 

 any discussion, but I have my doubts 

 about this inbreeding business among 

 bees and insects; I don't believe there 

 is anything in rt still I cannot go ahead 

 and tell you exa^ly why. 



There are lots of thirds we believe 

 but we can't tell it exact^. I believe 

 if you breed from the b'est of your 

 yard and keep selecting that way that 

 you are on the rigKf line and are doing 

 as good ^s the man who went off and 

 bought queens from some one else; he 

 is doing Jh^-^ame thing; and, after you 

 get pure sto^^to start with and will 

 select from the best, I don't believe in 

 that inbreeding business among insects. 



If you get queens from different 

 parties through the country you don't 

 know where you are, hardly; you are 

 getting a promiscuous lot; you cannot 

 get a standard. Every fellaw^is breed- 

 ing after his own liking, aimm you get 

 queens from Tom, Dick and^Harry, I 

 don't believe in it. * 



Mr. Stone — I am a good deal like Mr. 

 Kildow. I get new queens prettj?;' nearly 

 every year, but then I select the young 

 qufeehs from the best queen I have got, 

 but when these young queens hatch 

 out and go out to be fertilized I don't 

 know but that the drones, will go out 

 of the same hive as she does; then 

 what am I going to do? You cannot 

 control that. 



Mr. Coppin — You could prevent that 

 now if you wanted to. If you have one 

 hive better than the other that you 

 want to queen from, keep the hive 

 without any drones; you would not 

 have any inbreeding. 



Mr. Pyles — That has been thrashed 

 out a number of times at Conventions 

 at which I have been. In the Illinois 

 State Convention two years ago; in the 

 Chicago and Northwestef^n Convention 

 and the Eastern Illinois: and finvthine- 

 that is brought out usually is re-hashed 

 from that which has been said before. 



In Italy are they importing new- 

 queens all fhe time to increase their 

 stock, or are they making use of that 

 which is produced in Italy? Are they 

 sending to America, to France or to 



