624 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Sept. 



in chaff hives out of doors. I lost half my bees last 

 winter. 



C. E. Jojies.— The cellar is a good place to winter, 

 if properly prepared. 



President.— The cause of last winter's losses was 

 poor stores and severe weather. 



WHAT IS THE CAUSE AND CURE OF SPRING 

 DWINDLING? 



Mr. Morris.— Our spring losses were caused by 

 there being too few young bees when we went into 

 winter quarters. 



Dan White.— The cure is plenty of j'oung bees. 



Presiilent.— There is some mystery about spring 

 dwindling. A colony dwindling seems to get dis- 

 couraged, and will not even gather pollen. ] am 

 sometimes inclined to think it a disease of some 

 kind, and may be contagious, afl'ecting whole apia- 

 ries, and missing others in the same locality. A 

 disastrous winter is a benefit, in one way, by mak- 

 ing a demand for bees and honey. 



IS SORGHUM INJURIOUS TO BEESV 



President.— Yeii. it is a dangerous winter food. 

 Mr. M(irris.~\V\\\ bees degenerate by in-breeding? 

 (J. E. Jams.— We had better introduce new blood. 

 President.— \ don't think there is any danger of 

 any harm arising from in-breeding. 



WHO USES SEPARATORS? 



Dr. Besse.—l don't, and think it is better without 

 them. 



Secretanj.—J have abandoned them. To get the 

 nicest and straightest combs, use I'^s-inch sections; 

 such a section, 4'/2X4'3, will hold a pound, and you 

 can have as many rows of sections as you have 

 brood-frames— the frames being spaced I'g inches; 

 reverse your sections. 



A. Benedict.— I use ivj-inch sections with no sepa- 

 rators. 



It seemed to be generally understood that we 

 could all dispense with separators by using luirrow- 

 er sections. 



Adjourned to meet in Sec. Chamberlain's office, in 

 State House, at T o'clock. 



EVENING SESSION. 



The question was asked. Which is in-eferabio, luit- 

 ui-al swarming or division? 



Dr. Besse.— Divide them. I would rather divide 

 three than hive one natural swarm. By division you 

 have complete conti-ol of the bees. 1 raise early 

 queens from best stock. Get early drones by in- 

 serting a drone comb in the center of full colony. 

 When a colony indicates swarming I divide, putting- 

 old queen on new stand and new queen on old 

 stand. 



C. E. Jones.— J am in favor of natural swarming. 

 I also raised early queens. I make two swarms out 

 of a large one. I think it more natural lor them to 

 swarm. 



Secretary.— I let my bees swarm naturally, or I 

 divide them, according to the circumstances and 

 conditions of a colony at the time. No general rule 

 can be laid down. It may be best to divide one, and 

 best to leave another to swarm. You must learn to 

 determine by experience. I clip my queens. 



Mr. Pierson.— l i)refer natural swarms. I clip my 

 queens also. 



President .—Where you desire increase, divide. If 

 you wish honey and no increase, let them swarm il 

 you can't help it. 



Wm. Oldroyd described how he took a swarm out 

 of a \ery high tree, which led to a discussion on 

 hiving swarnis. 



Mr. Benedict.— I would smoke a swarm down from 

 a high limb by tying liurning nigs to a piece of iron 

 fastened to a long i)()le, or I would use a swarming- 

 bo.x. I believe in artilicial swarming, and I don't 

 believe in it. I divide by the " lirumming " process, 

 wliich is the most natural. 'I'lic liecs thus swarmed 

 are filled with lioncv: and :is a swarm takes about 

 ti Ihs.ol iidiiey with tliem, this l'Ivos tlieiii a start. 1 

 I)Ut the olii queen on the new staixl, and run the 

 new (|ueen in the other part. In 1.") days I can drum 

 again. Hy jiutting in the new queen 1 always have 

 the liive full of li«>es. 



Dr. Besse.—liecs usually' alight on low Inishcs. 



ir>?i. Oldrojjd.-Thiit is iiot ui.\' experience. 



Dr. Besse.— To hiye a higli swarm I would shake 

 the bees off on a i>ole, to which a cagt>d queen is 

 fastened. 



C. E. Jones. — In swarming time I watch my bees 

 closely. I can tell within 10 minutes of the time 

 when a swarm is going to come out. lU-es general- 

 ly alight low. I take (he swarms from a limb in a 



swarming -basket with a spring lid. I generally 

 catch swarms in a basket just as they are coming 

 out. If two or three s^varms alight together, dump 

 them on a sheet; catch the queens, and divide 

 equally as nearly as possible. 



now CAN WE TELL WHEN A COLONY IS GOING TO 

 SWARM? 



*4i(8.— By the commotion in the hive and in front 

 of it. I use a hive with glass on the sides. 



A. Benedict. — I separate my swarms with my 

 smoke-pole, holding it near the swarm already set- 

 tled, which will prevent others from settling. 



President. — We used to keep a caged queen to 

 catch swarms, as stated by Dr. B. 



Secretary.— Mr. Ed. Miller, a neighbor bee-man, 

 who is a carpenter by trade, and who is away from 

 home during the day, clips his queens, and during 

 the swarming season sticks a stout bush, with some 

 branches on, a few bees in front of each hive, in 

 the ground. When a swarm comes out his " better 

 half" catches the queen, cages her, and fastens the 

 cage in the bush. The bees settle on the bush, and 

 at noon or in evening, after work, Mr. M. hives 

 them. 



Adjourned to meet at fair ground, Friday morn- 

 ing at 9 o'clock. 



FRIDAY MORNING SESSION. 



In the absence of the President, Mr. Benedict act- 

 ed as chairman. 



HOW CAN WE GET THE MOST HONEY? 



Mrs. Cidp. — 1 get more timn twice as much e.\- 

 ti-acted honej' as comb honey, by putting in empty 

 frames. 



8cc?-efan/.— Last season I had a large number of 

 sections tilled with empty comb, and I believe it 

 was due to this fact that 1 had my good yield of 

 comb honey this season. I think if we can always 

 manage so as to get our sections filled with comb 

 we can get as mueli comb as extracted honey. 



."(//. B( nediet.- We advise beginners to go slow in 

 extracting, and leuru the business, or they may 

 in-odiice had results, and get discouraged. I use a 

 movable bottom-hive, and tier up in extracting. If 

 the colony swarms, I hive it on foundation combs 

 under ihe old colony, placing a wire cloth between 

 the two for a day or two. The queen begins to oc- 

 cupy lower story; and as the bees hatch out above, 

 the honey is stored in the frames. By this method 

 I get a large body of bees at work in a single hive. 



Mrs. Cidp.-'Mv practice is similar to that describ- 

 ed by Bro. Benedict. 



A. Bc)(i<livl. — In Ayorking for comb honey I use 

 the same uu'thod of keeping my colonies strong by 

 hiving l)aek the swarm. If I hive swarms by them- 

 selves, I take a section-rack from the old hive and 

 put it on a new one. 



Dr. Besse.— How soon do yon extract after putting 

 swarm back? 



.4)!,s.— In two or three days, or as often as neces- 

 sary—whenever honey is partly capped. 



_D;-. Bcss!'. — This, in my experience, won't work 

 well. If you extract next day, the (|ueen will go up 

 and occupy frames, and Ikcs w ill build drone-comb 

 below. 1 have no partienlai- method of working for 

 extracted honey. I usually extract fi-om brood- 

 ehaniher as soon' as (|Ueen gets crowded. 1 tier up 

 two or three storlt'S high; always let liees cap afiout 

 txvo thirds of my honey before extracting. Bees 

 work tlownward; put empty hi\e under full one. 



.4. /i(')i('i/i(^- In tiering up section cases, alwaj'S 

 put an empty one beneath a full one. 



The cou\ention then adjourned, to meet some 

 time in January'. 



STATE FAIR EXHIBITS, AND KAME TO WHOM PRE- 

 MIUMS WERE GIVEN. 



There was on exhibition by a number of bee-keep- 

 ers, honey, Ixitli extracted and comb, some very 

 tine fii'i's and fixtures, and implements of all kinds. 

 Mr. Ooodiiih ivxhibited a nice lot of comb honey, 

 one-i>ound sections put iij) in small shii)ping-cases, 

 also a \-er.\' tine<lisiilay of extracted honey put up in 

 many ditferent st\ les. Ilereeei\ei] first jiremium 

 on eomh honey, first on geiu'i-al display of comb 

 and extiaeted, second on extracted. 



Mrs. Culp exiiiliiled some very fine wax, on ^vhich 

 she took first pi-eniium. 



Dr. Besses disi)lay of extracted honey was very 

 fine— the nicest disi)lay we ever saw. He took first 

 premium on extracti'd honey. 



r. E. .lones look second premium on display of 

 comli lioiiey, and first iireniiuni on full colony and 

 manii)ulat ion of same. 



