131 



GLEANIJiGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Feb. 



than a gain. But what is there to hinder our plac- 

 ing an empty comb and one of brood in all stages 

 into the empty hive, placing the comb of brood 

 next the side having the hole in it, the empty comb 

 next, and lastly a division-board? Now place in the 

 queen-oell nearly ready to hatch, and I will war- 

 rant the bees from the old hive to go through the 

 queen-excluding metal, take care of the brood and 

 cell, care for the queen just the same as if she were 

 in an isolated hive or nucleus, when in due time 

 she will become fertile and go to filling the combs 

 in this hive with eggs. From all my experience in 

 the past, in raising queens, as given in my book, in 

 having them reared above queen-excluding metal 

 by the thousand, and fertilized and laying by the 

 score, in hives partitioned off by queen excluding 

 division-boards, while the old queen was doing her 

 full duty below, I am just as sure thai this plan 

 would work as if I had tried it and proved the same. 



2. " By using the plan which I have outlined above, 

 will it not prevent the original hive from swarm- 

 ing? If so, this will do away with some one to stay 

 at home all the while to watch for swarms during 

 the swarming season, besides proving a bonanza to 

 those having out-apiaries which they wish to work 

 for comb honey." 



Well, as I said before, I do not think it would 

 work as the questioner gives it: but by using the 

 suggestion given, as I have explained, I see no rea- 

 son why it should not stop swarming entirely. As 

 soon as the young queen gets to laying, or before, 

 if the old colony is very strong, take more combs of 

 brood from it and fill their place with frames of 

 foundation or frames of comb, putting the brood, 

 thus taken out, over in the hive having the young 

 queen. Sections should now be placed over the 

 part of the new hive where the brood and combs 

 are, so that, in no case, the bees lack for room to 

 store all the honey there is coming in; and I would 

 have these sections, in every case, filled with 

 foundation, so that the bees would have no excuse 

 for any desire to swarm, by being loth to build 

 comb. Occasionally, or as often as the out-apiary 

 is visited, move more frames of brood over to the 

 new hive, putting frames of foundation in the 

 place of the frames taken each time till the new 

 hive is full, always putting on sections as the bees 

 seem to require. If I am correct in thinking that 

 the above will do away with swarming, we shall 

 have something of great advantage, at least to all 

 those working out-apiaries. 



3. " Will a colony thus managed make as much hon- 

 ey as they would had they been kept in the old 

 hive, and by some means not allowed to swarm?" 



If we had tha.t "xonu means" which would allow the 

 bees to work with a will all summer long, with no 

 desire to swarm, then I should say that they would 

 produce more honey in the original hive, and with 

 only one queen; but inasmuch as bees are, as a 

 rule, determined to swarm, where worked for 

 comb honey, it looks to me as it the above would 

 give more honey than could be obtained either by 

 letting them swarm, or so throwing them out of 

 their normal condition by manipulation that 

 swarming can be prevented. All cutting of queen- 

 cells, caging of queens, etc., to prevent swarming, 

 seems to put the colony in an abnormal condition, 

 so that the work which they do while so placed 

 seems to be done with a protest; hence it often hap- 

 pens that the season is mostly consumed by the 

 Jjees sulking the tinte away, instead Of their work- 



ing with a will; the result ot which is a small crop 

 of honey, of a poor quality. 



If the above is of any benefit to any, they can 

 thank Mr. H. Sawyer, of Burlington, Iowa, for the 

 original thoughts in the matter, for it was he who 

 asked the questions. G. M. Doolittle. 



Borodino, N. Y., Feb. 2. 



THE BRANTFORD INTEKNATIONAI. 

 CONVENTION. 



A FORMAL INTRODUCTION TO ITS MEMBERS. 



You will remember, in my report of the 

 International Convention, at lirantford, I 

 said that I would introduce the members of 

 the association to the readers of Glean- 

 ings. In accordance with that promise^ 

 with my very lowest bow, hat in hand, I 

 present to you one by one the members of 

 the International Bee-keepers' Association. 

 I leave it to you to say if they are not an in- 

 teresting lot of people. A goodly number 

 of intelligent faces are among the lot — jes, 

 lawyers, doctors, ministers, editors, states- 

 men, presidents of bee-associations, and 

 others of no mean calling, grace the lot. 



Had it not been for that "• big wall,'' I 

 should probably have taken some views of 

 the bee-keepers with my camera (which, you 

 will remember, was in safe keeping in the 

 custom-house office ;) but I don't know that 

 lam so very sorry, after all, because the 

 city photographer has given us a very much 

 better picture than I could have taken. 



About the middle of one of the sessions 

 we adjourned, in pursuance of the call of 

 the artist, across the street, and stationed 

 ourselves in front of the City Hall, in pret- 

 ty much the attitude shown on the opposite 

 page. One of the most difficult things in 

 photography is to arrange a large group; 

 but our artist succeeded admirably, we will 

 all agree. The day was cloudy, and the 

 light was soft and subdued. It is almost 

 impossible to get a good outdoor group 

 photo in the sunlight by the modern quick- 

 working dry plates. 



The picture opposite is a very much re- 

 duced reproduction of the original photo- 

 graph ; but it shows sufficiently well the 

 individuality of each of the bee-keepers. 

 Tbis engraving, like all others of its class, 

 must not be held closer to the eyes than 15 

 inches. 



As I look over many of the faces, pleasant 

 memories are recalled, and the names that I 

 could net remember are all brought back to 

 me now. I can not refrain from pointing 

 out in print a few of the faces. Well, there 

 is Secretary R. F. Holtermann. No. 1. To 

 him belongs very largely the credit of the 

 success of the convention, both in numbeis 

 and in enthiisiasm. It was he who had 

 previously made arrangements with the 

 photographer for this beautiful picture. 

 Just back of him is our genial friend J. B. 

 Hall, No. 20, of thick-top-bar fame. And 

 there is R. L. Taylor, the lawyer and states- 

 man. No. 21. I wonder what he is look- 

 ing away up in the air for. Is he lining a 

 beeV Geo. II. Ashby, No. 22, is considera- 

 ble of a bee-keeper, and quite a fun-maker 

 at conventions. No. 28 is our friend Martin 



