1880 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



491 



CONVENTION REPORT. 



The North-Wcstcrn Bee-Keepers Association was 

 organized in this city on the 14th ult. Reports of 

 the honey crop for 1880 seemed to indicate that the 

 yield was about an average one. Indoor and out- 

 door wintering each had its advocates. All advo- 

 cated good protection, but they could not agree as 

 to what constituted good protection. There was 

 some nice, extracted and comb honey on exhibition; 

 also some combs that were no credit to the bees (?) 

 that built them. I was very much disappointed in 

 the implements shown there. They looked very 

 bungling, but no doubt answered the purpose for 

 which they were intended. If theCom ention meets 

 in LaCrosse again, I will try to show them some of 

 your fixtures and implements. I believe they would 

 set some of those present at this convention to 

 thinking. The results of the convention were a 

 pleasant time, some useful hints, and the acquain- 

 tance of brother bee-keepers. F. O. I'Oi.leys. 



LaCrosse, Wis., Sept. ti, 1880. 



TWO (QUEENS IN A HIVE. 



I do not think doubly-queened swarms are as 

 much of a variety as is generally supposed. In mid- 

 winter of '78-79, I found a dead queen upon the 

 alighting board, and, of course, I expected to tind 

 the swarm queenless in tbe spring, but it was among 

 the first to carry in pollen. I think some writer on 

 bees has stated that, in anticipation of the death of 

 a decrepit queen, the bees will rear a young queen. 

 At any rate such a theory would account for the 

 presence of two queens in tbe same hive, the bees 

 retaining sufficient affection for the old queen to 

 protect her from the assaults of the new one. Late- 

 ly, I believe, one instance has been reported in 

 Gle vnings, where, if one of the two queens was re- 

 moved, another would at once be reared. If this is 

 a fact, it shows that bees will become accustomed to 

 the surrounding circumstances, and be guided by 

 them in spite of their instinct to the contrary. In 

 view of these circumstance, it may be found possi- 

 ble to induce a gentle, queenless colony, whose 

 readiness to accept queens has been previously test- 

 ed, to accept two queens. The combats of queens 

 may be more the fault of the bees than ot the queens. 

 As doubly-queened swarms would greatly simplify 

 queen rearing, the subject is certainly deserving of 

 careful investigation. N. H. Suplee. 



Philadelphia, Pa., Aug. 20, 1880. 



TRIUMPHING UNDER DIFFICULTIES. 



I transferred two queenless stocks into one hive, 

 and had good luck. I pried open the old boxes, cut 

 the combs, and filled 4 racks, and introduced one of 

 the queens I got from you. Then I hunted out the 

 black queen of a strong colony, and successfully 

 transferred it. But you may believe I had a hot 

 time of it with 5 stocks of hybrids. They got "on 

 their ear," and they went for every thing that they 

 saw move, even the chickens. But I stuck to them, 

 til I had my work done, at any rate, and my queens 

 are now safely laying. Isaac Rummell. 



Warren, O., Sept. 19, 1880. 



HONEY BY THE CL'l'FUL. 



Seeds and queen canre all right. Bees weie all 

 dead but 2. I send you two orange trees (dwarf), 

 and one banana, to put in the corners of your 

 greenhouse. The banana you will xce grow, and 

 when it blooms you will see the honey by the "eup- 

 ful." It will blossom In 18 months. The orange 



trees will blossom in 3 or 3 years, and bear the best 

 kind of oranges. Take the same care of them that 

 you would of fuchsias or geraniums, and they will 

 do well. Aug. Leyvraz. 



Palatka, Fla., Sept. 16, 1880. 



Many thanks, friend. L. The trees and 

 that wonderful banana are down in the 

 greenhouse already, and now we shall look 

 out for cupfuls of honey again, with re- 

 newed hopes. But I fear if we have got to 

 keep all the plants in the greenhouse, we 

 shall hardly be able to raise honey enough 

 for our whole 300 colonies, even at the rate of 

 cupfuls to a blossom. 



%$}}€!%*> §M€uva(fmg. 



^jf|V)EES have done moderately well. I have taken 

 FOj)) about 1,000 lbs. of honey, comb and extracted, 

 and have several hundred lbs. in boxes and 

 one-pound sections, to take off yet. Bees are doing 

 splendidly now, working mainly on buckwheat and 

 Spanish needles. The three-dollar queen bought of 

 you last fall has proved to be a very good honey- 

 gatherer, and several of her daughters are very fine 

 and prolific queens. I have 40 colonies all in fine 

 condition. Honey in this vicinity has been very 

 scarce, but may be more plenty this fall yet. 



Henry H. Lawrence. 

 Columbia City, Whitley Co., Ind., Sept. 2, 1880. 



BINGHAM'S HONEY REPORT FOR 1880. 



Eighty-five colonies of bees in fair condition to 

 begin the clover and basswood season. Increased 

 artificially and otherwise to 110. Sept. 17th and 18th, 

 extracted from the upper set, third tier of frames, 

 14 to 15 hundred lbs. of fine, thick, clover and linn 

 honey. Shall pack 100 colonies as usual, each one 

 composed of two sets of frames, and bees, honey, 

 pollen and combs weighing 50 lbs. This is the small- 

 est crop of honey I have ever had, but my bees are 

 in splendid wintering condition, and my hopes are 

 not blasted. T. F. Bingham. 



Otsego, Mich., Sept. 20, 1880. 



Well now, friend B., it seems to me that 

 you have come awfully close to it, if you 

 are not in Blasted Hopes. An average of 

 11 or 15 lbs. to the colony is— well, I guess 

 we will say it is considerably better than no 

 surplus and not enough to winter, as some 

 report. I wonder how it is that L. C. Boot 

 is so much ahead of every body else this 

 poor season. 



HONEY CROP FOR 1880. 



This has been the poorest honey season that I ev- 

 er knew. My best have made about 80 lbs. of sur- 

 plus, while some have only provided for winter. As 

 I had many stocks and the majority of them good, I 

 am satisfied with the profits. I believe that bee- 

 keeping will pay oven in the poorest seasons, if 

 managed properly. 



Leroy Van Kirk. 



Washington, Pa., Sept. 1, 1880. 



I commenced the season of 1880 with 114 colonies; 

 have increased to 104 colonies, raised 100 Italian 

 queens, and taken 4,000 lbs. extracted, and 1,400 lbs. 

 comb honey. C. M. Woolver. 



Hallsville, Montgomery Co., N. Y., Sept. 18, 1880. 



