ILLINOIS STATE BEE-KEEPEES ASSOCIATIOX. 



91 



Mr. Dadant — Dr. White said that after 

 fifteen minutea at 212 there were no live 

 germs found. 



The President — There is some danger 

 that the vessel may have portions of it 

 which doesn't rise to that temperature. 

 If one is a little careless, there may be parts 

 of it that are not heated to the 212 degrees, 

 and in that way the honey might tran.smit 

 the disease germs. 



Mr. Smith — I would like to ask a 

 question that is rather scientific. I would 

 like to know if the weight of the egg of the 

 bee has ever been estimated. How many 

 will it take to weigh an ounce? Has it 

 ever been estimated? 



Mr. MacNeill — There is no trouble about 

 weighing or finding out the weight of one 

 egg, if it were necessary, ^ith a chemical 

 balance. 



I would like to know the experience of 

 the members with the pound packages of 

 bees from the south. 



Mr. Simmons — Mr. President, a year ago 

 last spring I had twelve or fifteen packages 

 from the south, two-pound packages in- 

 cluding the queen, and they did well. 

 They much more than paid for themselves 

 in the following summer. Thej'^ arrived in 

 very nice shape. I had brood combs for 

 them, got them about the seventh or 

 eighth of May, and they went right to 

 work. 



COMPARISONS. 



100 colonies v/intered outdoors. 



100 wintered in the cellar. 



100 two-pound packages of bees. 



(By Edward Hassinger, Jr.) 



It is quite evident that in regard to bees 

 and all the factors involved in honey 

 production, one cannot speak with mathe- 

 matical exactness. However^ a detailed 

 colony record was kept in each yard and 

 close observations taken at all times. The 

 comparisons as outlined are made without 

 favor or prejudice. Each 100 colonies 

 were in a diflferent yard, or location, within 

 a radius of ten miles. The locations are 

 practically the same as far as plants and 

 conditions for. an equal honey flow was 

 concerned. In this article the comparisons 

 are limited to the amount of surplus honey 

 produced in each yard, and evidence to 

 show why the great difference in the crop, 

 and evidence to show why the crop could 

 have been equal in each yard if the chances 

 had been equal (on the factors considered 

 in the present article) and what it would 

 have cost to make the chances equal, and 



evidence to show that it would have paid 

 to make the chances equal. 



In referring to the figures always bear 

 in mind that the comparisons are limited 

 to the above mentioned factors. A com- 

 parison of the different hives; the total 

 investment in each yard; and the expense 

 of operating each yard, in time, labor and 

 auto; all vary considerable, but are not 

 essential to balance the present factors as 

 compared. 



In giving the net surplus per colony 

 and per yard it is necessary that a basib 

 be taken for all the yards as one whole, 

 that is, because all the yards are not 

 wintered on the same amount of stores, 

 for instance the yard wintered in the 

 cellar '"I operate on shares" the owner of 

 same always winters his bees on 30 pounds 

 of stores, while mine are wintered out- 

 doors and will average 60 pounds and 

 more with a shallow super of extra honey, 

 not because they need it, or use it, but 

 as a reserve fund present all the time, and 

 to be used in case of emergency. The 

 spring of 1917 proved to be such a spring 

 when the emergency fund paid the interest 

 on the "standing emergency fund" for a 

 good many years that are normal. As 

 Mr. Doolittle says "millions of honey at 

 our house," are always a source of in- 

 spiration to anj' colony of bees at all times . 



The basis, that the net surplus is figured 

 on in these comparisons is 30 pounds, for 

 all 300 colonies, for obvious reasons. 



As jou all know the spring of 1917 was 

 very cold and backward, at least the con- 

 ditions were such in my locality^ that the 

 bees could not make a livins; for more than 

 one day per week, until the honey flow 

 started in July. On the above mentioned 

 basis the net surplus crop was as follows: 



100 colonies wintered outdoors, 16,500 

 pounds. (100 per cent.) 



100 colonies wintered cellar, 9,500 

 pounds. (57 per cent.) 



100 two-pound packages, 8,500 poimds. 

 (51 per cent.) 



The difference in the crop was simply 

 due to the difference in the strength of 

 the individual colonies in each yard, and 

 the yards compared with each other as a 

 whole. These comparisons show why the 

 difference in the strength of the colonies 

 occurred in each yard as a whole. 



It happened that all of the 100 colonies 

 wintered outdoors had good queens, by 

 that is meant, that all of them produced 

 some surplus. This yard is allowed 100 

 per cent credit on queens. Of course this 

 yard had protection, being housed in the 

 winter cases. Therefore, 100 per cent 

 credit is allowed this yard for protection. 



