330 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



half sheets in the sections and full 

 sheets in the brood-frames. It was 

 also tlie decision of the Association 

 tliat an eight-frame hive was as good 

 as a ten-lrame one; also, that the 

 Italian bees and the Langstroth liive 

 were the best. 



A vote of thanks were tendered the 

 llacomb and Biishnell papers, and 

 the Amekican Bee Journal, for 

 their kindness in announcing the 

 meeting. Adjourned to meet at 

 Macomb, Ills., on the second Thurs- 

 day in October, 1885. 



J..G. Norton, Sec. 



A. W. FisK, Pres. 



Read at tlie Internationjil Congress. 



Overstocking a Locality. 



JOHN Y. IjETWILEB. 



From numerous inquiries made by 

 Northern apiarists, and also by con- 

 -versation with visitors here from 

 various localities in the North, I lind 

 the prevailing opinion is, that the 

 mangrove district of Eastern Florida 

 is now nearly, or quite, overstocked 

 with apiaries. This opinion is almost 

 universal in the North, and has been 

 the means of keeping (juite a number 

 of individuals from engaging in 

 honey production in this locality. 

 The readers of several of the bee- 

 papers have teen informed from time 

 to time that their is no further oppor- 

 tunity of engaging in bee-culture at 

 this place without overstocking the 

 locality, and they have been advised 

 to seek the western coast to locate 

 their apiaries. Having been engaged 

 in apiculture in Northwestern Ohio 

 for nearly ten years, and being 

 familiar with both the white clover 

 .and basswood crops during a number 

 ■of seasons, I think that I am free to 

 say that nothing of the kind has ever 

 come under my observation as the 

 heavy (low of honey during the man- 

 grove season is boundless. This is 

 the principal honey crop of the coast, 

 though there is hoiiey gathered nearly 

 every day in the year in small 

 ■quantities. 



Commencing on Jan. 1, the ash, 

 maple, willow, and other forest trees 

 yield a fair supply, and other trees 

 and bushes which neither time nor 

 space will allow me to enumerate. 

 The saw-palmetto, previous to the 

 mangrove, the cabbage afterward, 

 and also various wild flowers during 

 the entire winter months yield a 

 scanty supply of honey, which, in 

 many instances keeps up the stores of 

 a colony. During April, feeding 

 diluted honey in the open air is fre- 

 quently resorted to in order to 

 strengthen the colonies for the harvest 

 ot mangrove, which is due about 

 June 10, wlien the honey season of 

 the coast begins in good earnest, and 

 continues with but little variation 

 from 4-T to 00 days ; the season of 1884, 

 according to my personal observation, 

 was about 80 days. 



The northern limit of the mangrove 

 ■district is Port Orange, six miles 

 .south of iJaytona, Volusia i-ounty, 

 and about the same distance from 

 Musquito Inlet. From the nothern 



limit, for a distance of 25 miles, there 

 are innumerable islands ranging from 

 a few square rods in area to many 

 acres in extent, which, in the honey 

 season, are covered with bloom, and 

 secrete immense quantities ot honey, 

 sufficient, in my estimation, to supply 

 thousands of colonies. When this 

 fact is established beyond a doubt, I 

 see no reason why energetic, indus- 

 trious Northern apiarists should be 

 advised to locate on the west coast, 

 where, in my opinion, neither trans- 

 portation nor the advantag'-s which 

 we possess are to be found. 



I am told that the mangrove blooms 

 profusely as far south as Indian River 

 Narrows, but having had no oppor- 

 tunity to know by personal observa- 

 tion, I leave the matter as I have been 

 informed. During spring and fall I 

 do not doubt but what this locality 

 can be overstocked ; but while the 

 mangrove yields honey so bountifully, 

 what apiarist of experience will ex- 

 tract so closely, or sell his crop to the 

 detriment of his bees and personal 

 interests. 



I take this opportunity to state to 

 my fellow bee-keepers, aiid those who 

 come to Florida to engage in apicul- 

 ture, that they should come with the 

 determination to withstand the dis- 

 advantages of a humid climate, in- 

 sect pests, and high rates of trans- 

 portation, as well as many other in- 

 conveniences unthought of in their 

 Northern homes; on the other hand, 

 a salubrious healthful cHmate, a total 

 exemption from the rigors of winter, 

 and the fact that neither winter 

 losses nor "spring dwindling" dis- 

 courage the apiarist. I would sug- 

 gest to all wlio desire to change their 

 locality, to first come and see before 

 selling, and upon investigation decide 

 whether the change will be for the 

 benefit of all concerned. We should 

 be pleased to welcome to our locality 

 any apiarist, and impart any infor- 

 mation in our power to advance their 

 interests. 



New Smyrna,© Fla. 



For the American Bee JoumaL 



Bees Beneficial to Fruit, etc. 



.J. H. ANDltE. 



Much lias been written in regard to 

 tlie destructiveness of bees in or- 

 chards, vineyards, etc. Now this 

 would be well enough in its way, if 

 we could have facts demonstrated by 

 scientific experiments made by im- 

 partial investigation ; but as such as- 

 sertions are usually mere guess-work, 

 it is an easy matter to bury them un- 

 der an avalanche of opposing facts. 



Within the last 25 years there have 

 been, in this vicinity, four or five sea- 

 sons wtien we had late frosts which 

 killed nearly all of the fruit. During 

 such seasons I observed many ap|)les 

 tliat were mixed with fruit of an en- 

 tirely different color, and it was 

 easily seen of what particular variety; 

 in souie instances the spots were 

 small, and again, it would cover half 

 the apple. Some would even give the 

 flavor also. It was a mystery to me 

 for some lime, but I finally solved it 



in this way : The apples that were 

 so mixed came from weak, late blos- 

 soms that lacked in pollen to make 

 fruit, and which would never have 

 produced fruit in a fruit-bearing sea- 

 son; but all of the early blossoms 

 being chilled, the bees in their work- 

 ings carried enough pollen from some 

 late-blossoming variety to those weak 

 blossoms, thus giving them stamina 

 enough to produce fruit. The tree 

 being freed from the earlier blossoms 

 threw its strength to those hybrids, 

 and produced fruit, which, in a fruit- 

 bearing year, would have dropped 

 from the tree. Thus in some seasons 

 thousands of bushels of fruit are 

 furnished us by the bees. It is quite 

 likely that if the facts were known, 

 this is of minor importance in com- 

 parison to tiie real benefit bees are 

 aside from gathering honey. 



I intend to try a colony this season, 

 in a hive with 16 frames, 7x10, stand- 

 ing on their ends. Begin in one cor- 

 ner of the hive and stand up four 

 frames ; if they are Quinby frames 

 one end will need be gained in the 

 centre for passages. Now stand up 

 four more with the sides at the ends 

 of the first four, when it is finished. 

 There will be four frames in each 

 corner — one-half warm, the other cold 

 frames. This will bring the brood- 

 chamber outside of frames 14x14 

 inches square, and comb 10 inches 

 high. With little trouble this could 

 be used as a hanging frame hive, by 

 putting two cross sticks across the 

 hive, one each way. Each frame will 

 occupy IJ^ inches space to make all 

 correspond. 



Lockwood, 9 N. Y. 



For the American Bee JournaL 



New Method of Transferring Bees. 



O. CLUTE. 



On page 228, in answer to the ques- 

 tion, " What is the best method of 

 transferring bees from box-hives ?" 

 several able bee-keepers reply that it 

 is a good way to drum out the bees, 

 put them into a new hive with frames 

 of wired foundation, and then, 21 

 days later, drum out from the old 

 hive all bees that have hatched in the 

 meantime and unite them with the 

 others. 



Concerning this method of trans- 

 ferring, I wish to remark: 1. If the 

 drumming out of the bees is at all 

 thorough, there will not be enough of 

 them left in the old hive to keep the 

 capped brood warm, and all of it ex- 

 cept what is just ready to hatch will 

 chill and die. This is sure to be the 

 case if the transferring is done in the 

 cool weather of spring, or if there 

 comes a cool time after the trans- 

 ferring, even when it is done in sum- 

 mer. This loss of capped brood is a 

 serious objection to this method of 

 transferring. 



2. If the drumming (Hit of the bees 

 is thorough, there will not be enough 

 of them left to feed and care for tne 

 uncapped brood, and hence it will 

 chill, and starve, and die. If there 

 was a good deal of brood in the old 

 hive just on the point of hatching. 



