102 



AMERICAN BEE |ObT?NAL 



Feb. 14, 1901. 



comb full. On one of the combs I found the queen and put 

 her below. The next day but one, some one coming- into 

 dinner said the bees were swarming. I said, " What are the 

 bees swarming for? I don't believe there is a queen-cell in 

 the yard." But noticing that the air was full of flying 

 bees I went out to see what hive they were coming from. 

 It was from the hive in which I had piit the queen below the 

 day but one before. The cause of the swarming was not 

 hard to understand. The bees clustered in two places, and, 

 suspecting that each cluster had a queen, I hived them in 

 two hives. One cluster was large, and I hived it on 9 Lang- 

 stroth frames; the other I put into an 8-frame dovetailed 

 hive. Each cluster had a queen. 



After hiving them I went to see what was going on in 

 their old home. I found a queen in possession there, and 

 quite a number of cells, from which the queens had issued. 

 I reduced the old hive to two sections, and left it that way 

 for the balance of the season. When packt for winter it 

 was so heavy with honey that I did not care to lift it. The 

 two swarms stored their winter's supply, notwithstanding 

 the season had been an unusually poor one for honey. 

 These were all the swarms I had the past season. 



Anothor colony wintered in two 10-frame dovetailed 

 hive-bodies on 17 frames, had a queen nearly or quite as 

 prolific as the one just mentioned. The last of April the 

 two stories were so full of bees that I put another story un- 

 der, containing 9 frames. About the first of June the three 

 stories seemed to be full of bees. An examination showed 

 that there was no brood in the lower story, but the one 

 above, which also contained 9. frames, was practically full 

 of brood, and the upper one seemed to be about half filled. 

 As the upper story contained much honey I removed the 

 middle story to another stand, knowing that most of the 

 bees would go back to the old location. I did not see this 

 colony again for several days, but when I did I found a 

 queen on the first comb I raised. Another mature queen 

 was found on another comb. Then I formed a nucleus and 

 gave it to one of the queens. The queen left in the hive 

 proved to be an uncommonly good one, even if it was reared 

 in a manner which queen-breeders generally condemn. 



SELECTING A HOME BEFORE SW.\RMING. 



Do bees intending to swarm hunt up a place to go be- 

 fore the swarming takes place? I guess they do some- 

 times. ( )ne season I noticed bees in great numbers enter- 

 ing a hive which stood on another hive at the upper side of 

 the bee-j'ard. The hive had some empty corabs in it. I 

 lookt about to see where the bees were coming from, and 

 found them pouring out of a hive at the lower end of the 

 3'ard and taking a bee-line for the hive at the upper end of 

 the yard — a distance of about 4 or 5 rods. 



EEQUEENING COLONIES IN THE FALL — MAILING QUEENS. 



I unqueened and requeened one-fourth of the apiary 

 last fall. Most of the work was done in October, but it was 

 not finisht until some time in November. One reason why 

 I like to do this work so late in the season is because in al- 

 most every instance I found the bees two deep, and as they 

 have nothing from which to start queen-cells I don't have 

 to be very particular about the time of introducing. In two 

 instances there was a little brood, but as the queens were 

 delaj'ed I had a chance to destroy queen-cells. 



The queens were from different parts of the country, 

 and from breeders of good repute, and I have reason to be- 

 lieve they were all safely introduced. 



I shall continue to order queens to be sent thru the 

 mails, as I do not believe that many are injured in transit. 

 Four queens ordered last fall were received dead. ()neof 

 these was delayed in the mails at a time when the weather 

 was hot. Two others had received such a shock that the 

 cages were split from end to end, and had been tied up with 

 string. The other cage had the queen and the bees all 

 dead in it, doubtless caused by the same shock which split 

 the cages of the other queens, as they came in the same 

 mail. 



When I received queens with pasteboard covering the 

 entrance to the candy it was promptly torn off, and I had no 

 queens killed in consequence of being releast too soon. 



I do not think that Mr. Fred Tyler need to worry about 

 his bees getting too warm packt as he describes on page 

 7(i6 (1900). Decatur Co., Iowa, Jan. 7. 



The Premiums offered this week are well worth work 

 ing- for. Look at them. 



Convention Proceedings. | 



Report of the Proceeding's of the 31st Annual 



Convention of the National Bee-Keepers' 



Association, held at Chicag-o, 111., 



Aug'. 28, 29 and 30, 1900. 



BV DR. A. B. M.\SON, SEC. 



(Continued from page 86.] 

 MELTING CANDIED EXTRACTED HONEY. 



OuES. — What is the lowest temperature at which can- 

 died honey will melt? 



Mr. Aikin — I think about 100 degrees, or a little better, 

 but you must continue the heat for a long time ; about 110 

 to 120 degrees will melt it in a few hours. The highest de- 

 gree that I wish to subject m3' honey to is about 160 or 170 

 degrees ; beyon4 that it begins to spoil the flavor. An ad- 

 ditional question on the same sheet is: "What is the 

 highest temperature it will bear without injury?" About 

 160 or 170 degrees is high enough. I would rather melt at 

 140 or 150, keeping it a longer time at that degree than to 

 u,se the higher temperature. 



APIS DORSAT.^ AND THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION. 



yuES. — What is the attitude of this Association in re- 

 gard to impofting Apis dorsata, the big bee of India ? 



Mr. Aikin — If I am to answer that, I believe it is op- 

 posed. I don't know. 



Dr. Mason — Opposed until we know more about it. 



QuES. — Have any steps to procure or test these bees been 

 taken ? 



Ans. — Yes, there have. 



Mr. Benton — The attitude of this societj- did not seem 

 to be that at the Buffalo convention, and I was wondering 

 whether it had changed, considering your answer. 



Mr. Aikin — I judged from the sentiment as exprest 

 thru the bee-papers of late — I said I thought, I do not know. 

 I suppose the only way we could come at it would be by 

 taking the temperature of the people here now. Are you 

 thru with this subject ? 



REQl'EENING .\N APIARY. 



QiES. — What time of the year is best to requeen an 

 apiary, all things considered ? 



Mr. Aikin — Dr. Mason, answer that. 



Dr. Mason — Why, I really don't know. I prefer to do it 

 during the honey-flow, myself, and by natural methods. I 

 don't use the artificial methods. 



A Member — Early or late ? 



Dr. Mason — Late. 



A Member — How late ? 



Dr. Mason — For convenience, that is all. I don't be- 

 lieve it makes any difference as regards their good quali- 

 ties which stage, early or late. 



A Member — You would saj- just after the honey-flow ? 



Dr. Mason — Just as it is closing up, before it closes. 

 They must have the vim and energy they have when the 

 honey -flow is on. 



A Member — How often would you requeen ? 



Dr. Mason — Once in two years. 



MATING IN CONFINEMENT — SPREADING BROOD. 



QuES. — Can the queen mate with the drone if the queen 

 and drones are confined in a tent or other inclosure, say 

 200x100 feet ? 



Dr. Mason — Xo. 



QiES. — Is it any benefit to spread brood in early spring ? 



Mr, Aikin — Prof. Gillette, please answer that. 



Prof. Gillette — Let some one with more experience an- 

 swer that. 



Mr. Poppleton — Yes. 



A Member — Sometimes it is, and ^sometimes it is not, 

 depending principally upon the man or woman who man- 

 ages it. If you know how, it is all right ; if you don't know 

 how, go slow. 



KEEPING EXTR.ACTED HONEY'. 



OuES. — How long will extracted honey keep ? 

 Dr. Mason — I don't know ; it has never been tried. 



