1016 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Dec. 15 



most cordial of all men, the bee-keepers of 

 that vicinity. 



After the reg'ular business, which, by the 

 way, was carried on quickly and well, 

 there was the opening- of the question-box, 

 which was the starting- signal of an excit- 

 ing- race between experienced men. All 

 took part — those who by long- study and 

 constant practice had become expert, and 

 those who were feeling- the first symptoms 

 of the bee fever. 



Only the answers to the principal ques- 

 tions will be given here, or, rather, those 

 which would be of the most general inter- 

 est. As in the convention itself, no effort 

 will be made to classify the questions, but 

 they will be taken up as they came. 



Q. — Should colonies which produce only 

 two or three pounds of honey be counted in 

 estimating the average yield of an apiary? 



This received as answer a most emphatic 

 "3'es ! " from several. 



Q. — If it is too late to empty out unfilled 

 sections before winter, will they be suitable 

 if left over until the next summer, to be 

 filled full? 



Some said that this could be done, 

 that the bees would go right on with 

 the work where it was left off, and that 

 any which had solidified would be lique- 

 fied by the heat of the bees. But it was 

 thought that, if this were done, there would 

 be two kinds of honey in the same section. 

 The general opinion was that all honey left 

 over from the preceding year, if again 

 g-iven to the bees, would be taken out and 

 the comb refilled, so it was considered best 

 to feed back all partly filled sections or else 

 first extract the honey from them before 

 putting back on the hive. 



In Pres. York's address he gave briefly 

 some of the pressing needs of bee-keepers — 

 the need of laws to prevent the spread of 

 bee diseases in Illinois, and the need of a 

 more perfect organization of the honey- pro- 

 ducers for the purpose of selling honey. 

 He said that this could most readily be 

 accomplished by the bee-keeping public 

 taking- a more active interest in the Nation- 

 al Association. Each ought to take into 

 consideration the good of all — not simply of 

 himself. 



In the above address the matter of foul- 

 brood laws for Illinois was first taken up 

 and discussed. In the convention room 

 there were six men who had foul brood in 

 their apiaries. Those who attend a con- 

 vention are usually the more intelligent peo- 

 ple, looking out for the best things. If six 

 intelligent men were troubled with foul- 

 brood, how about the great mass of igno- 

 rant people who do not know about the dif- 

 ferent methods to keep away that disease ? 

 It is these ignorant people whom the foul- 

 brood laws would help, and not so much 

 those who keep up with the times. The 

 Wisconsin bee-keepers have such a law, 

 and are well satisfied with it. They say it 

 is effective and well enforced. They urge 

 all who have not foul-brood legislation in 

 their own States, to make every possible 



effort to obtain it without delay. Having 

 clearly shown that they certainly ought to 

 do something, the convention called on N. 

 E. France to tell them how. He urged 

 them to write to every bee-keeper in the 

 State, and to write repeatedly, until there 

 were answers by the basketful. He said 

 that nothing could be done unless the whole 

 mass of bee-keepers could be aroused in 

 order to show that this thing is important. 

 One man was heard to say that, if the 

 whole time yet remaining could be spent on 

 the subject of foul-brood legislation, it 

 would be time well spent, and that no one 

 could go home and say that he had not been 

 benefited by the discussion. But a subject 

 long continued loses in enthusiasm, and it 

 afforded variety and rest to drop tjack on 

 to the question-box. 



Q. — Which are preferable — square or tall 

 sections ? 



The usual arguments were given for 

 each, which are so well known that they 

 need not be given here. One could not help 

 noticing this point — those arguments 

 against the tall sections were made chiefly 

 by men who had never used them, and who 

 talked like this: "We have used the square 

 section for a great many years, and it has 

 always given satisfaction. Why make a 

 change?" The different manufacturers 

 present stated that the sales of the tall sec- 

 tion were steadily increasing ; and that 

 those who used them once would generally 

 use no other afterward. 



Q.— If granulated sour honey is boiled, 

 will it be fit to feed to bees ? 



No definite answer could be given to this. 

 Some said they had done it with good re- 

 sults, and that it made good honey after the 

 bees had put it in the comb. However, the 

 general opinion was that it did not pay, 

 because the best honey is none too good for 

 feeding back, especially for winter. 



Q. — Is spraying fruit-trees while in full 

 bloom a crime against bee-keepers? 



Only in States where there is a law 

 against it. But it is always morally 

 wrong. Any kind of moisture on the blos- 

 som is detrimental to the pollen, the germ; 

 therefore some say that dry poison will not 

 injure. But this only blows off, and will 

 not destroy what it is intended to, because 

 that which it ought to kill has not yet come 

 into existence. 



Q. — Is pickled brood ever ropy? 



It will, perhaps, string a very little, but 

 never to the extent of foul brood. Pickled 

 brood is not contagious. 



Such a flood of questions arose here that 

 they were all deferred to the evening ses- 

 sion, when N. E. France would answer 

 them all in his talk on foul brood. 



MR. FRANCE'S TALK ON FOUL BROOD. 



He started out by saying that pickled, 

 chilled, or starved brood, when dried, never 

 sticks to the sides of the cell, but is loose, 

 and is easily carried out by the bees. Foul 

 brood, when dried down to a mere black 

 scale, is always so immovably fastened to 



