THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



105 



Mr. Doollttle had Pome which sagged and 

 leaked in liot weather, to the bees' confusion. 



Mr. Ellvvood had seen the same thing:. 



Moved and seconded, that arfiticial comb 

 foundation is a success. Lost, emphatically. 

 Hoiv many pounds of iumey are consum- 

 ed in producing one pound of comb ? 



Mr. Doolittle— Up to last year, I concurred 

 witii Huber and Quinby, that it takes 20 lbs. of 

 honey to make 1 lb of comb. Tests have been 

 made under unnatural circumstances. My 

 observations lead me to believe that it does not 

 take over 10 lbs. of honey for 1 lb of comb. I 

 believe pollen is sometimes largely used in 

 comb manufacture by the bees. 



Mr. Ellwood — Huber's and Quinby's esti- 

 mates are too high. My opinion is that, in the 

 favorable part of tlie season, 10 lbs. of honey is 

 enough to make 1 lb of comb. It has been 

 demonstrated that 1 ft) of comb can be made 

 from 13 lbs. of honey. It has been asserted 

 that bees will make more comb from sugar 

 syrup than from honey. I think this true. 



Mr. Betsinger— 20 lbs. of honey to each lb. of 

 comb is not too higli an estimate. My opinion 

 is that it takes an equivalent in work of 30 lbs. 

 of honey to make 1 lb of comb. 



Mr. Clarke — I made 50 lbs. of sugar into 

 syrup, and fed it to 5 stocks of bees. From it 

 I got 20 Langstroth frames of comb, to .5 lbs. of 

 coiTib, whicli would be 1 lt> of comb to 5 lbs. of 

 sugar. A quart of water was added to eacli 

 pound of sugar. Tliirty pounds of syrup were 

 deposited in this comb. Tlie work was accom- 

 plished in less than 3 weeks. They were not 

 confined and may have gathered some honey. 



Mr. Bacon gives late swarms comb, and they 

 put in honey enough to live on through the 

 winter. Without this aid, they are a failure. 



Mr. Ellwood— In inaking estimates, allow- 

 ance enougli is not made for tlie extra time 

 required to build comb, and hence a. larger 

 amount of honey is claimed to be necessary 

 for 1 lb of comb. 



Mr. Doolittle— Most comb building is done in 

 the night. Otliers concurred in this. 



How much entrance should there be in a 

 3 lb. ho7iey box ? 



Mr. Jones— Two ■'« in. slots, about 4 in. long. 



Mr. Doolittle— It should be twice that size. 



Mr. Bacon — Many failed by not giving suffi- 

 cient entrance for the bees. 



Mr. Jones— The entrance should not be large 

 enough to entice tlie queen. 



Mr. Betsinger— I open \4 i"- the entire length. 



Mr. Doolittle concurred in this. 



Mr. House — The larger the entrance, the 

 better. A bottom perforated with holes, each 

 large enough to admit a bee, was not as well 

 as the same all in one hole. 



Hoiv large should starters be in boxes ? 



Several said, " the larger the better." 



Mr. Betsinger — I never use a starter more 

 than 2 in. square. 



Mr. Bacon- It is difficult to get starters pure 

 enough not to show in contrast to new comb. 



Mr. Doolittle— I use a triangular starter, 

 about IJ^ in. each side; bees accept it readily. 

 Why will bees fill more boxes on low hives 

 than on tall ones ? 



Mr. Ellwood— Because the boxes are nearer 

 the brood, though the honey may not be as 

 good quality. 



Mr. hongstreet— I never saw brood near the 

 top of a tall hive. 



Will bees ivinter better in a tall hive ? 



Mr. .lones— Not in all cases. I get more 

 honey from the low Langstroth hive. 



Mr. NeUis— For out-door wintering the tall 

 hive is the best, because the honey is above 

 the bees and kept warm and accessible, but 

 frost ett'ects the honey at the side. In a cellar, 

 where the tempeiature is uniform, the form 

 of hive lias not much to do with wintering. 



Mr. Bacon agreed with Mr. Nellis. 



Mr. Perry— Tall hives are best, because the 

 Ive bees can get farther away from the dead. 



How to secure all straight worker comb f 



Mr. Doolittle— Use a wax quide by means of 

 a straight edge, and hive the bees on frames 

 with such guides. 



Mr. House— I space off equally, IJ/;^ in., and 

 use a triangular piece below. 



Mr. Betsinger— I favor frequent examination 

 and straiirten the comb if it is going wrong. 



Mr. NeUi.s-If started right there is no incll- 

 naiion to vary from a parallel until the combs 

 arc two-third built. I incline the hive at an 

 angle of 45°, and turn every other frame round 

 end for end, as soon as tlie edges of the comb 

 will lap by each other. This makes crooking 

 impossible. 



Mr. Bundy— I use coinb foundation. 



[s the honey extractor a success ? 



Mr. Nellis —Yes, if extracted honey will 

 bring half the price of box honey, and find 

 quick sale. 



Mr. Betsinger — I concur in that. 



Mr. Ellwood — I find the extractor a success. 



Otliers favored the use of the extractor in 

 many ways. 



Will bees winter as well token run for ex- 

 tracted as when for comb honey ? 



Mr. Ellwood--They winter better when run 

 for extracted honey. 



Mr. Betsinger took tlie opposite view and 

 contented that a swarm may be too large, and 

 become uneasy because of too much heat at 

 the centre. It was suggested tliat more venti- 

 lation would remedy this difficulty. 



What to do %oith hives that are now half 

 buried in snow ? 



Mr. Ellwood— Let them alone. 



Mr. Nellis— Shovel them out. 



Several members related instances of bees 5 

 or 6 ft. under tlie snow tliat wintered well. 

 This suggested — "Finislitlie burial." 



By request, Mr. Bacon presented a detailed 

 description of liis bee house. 



A ballot for the next place of meeting re- 

 sulted— Syracuse, 20 ; Rome, 5; Binghamton, 

 2; Oneida,!. Syracuse declared ciiosen. 



N. N. Betsinger and M. B. Warner were ap- 

 pointed a committee to secure a liall. 



The convention had the honor of the pres- 

 ence of Miss Lottie A. Wilkins (Nellie Lins- 

 wik) and two other ladies. 



CLOSING SESSION. 



The convention was called to order by the Presi- 

 dent at 9:30 a. m., Friday. 



Mr. Doolittle exhibited a 6-lb. box sawed into 3 

 sections, which can readily be separated, when till- 

 ed, and sold in separate frames of about 2 lbs. each. 



A letter from C. R. Isham, of Peoria, N. Y., was 

 read, suggesting that the attention of the State 

 Agricultural Society be called to the business of 

 bee-keeping, and tliat it encourage exhibitions of 

 honey at the State fairs. 



Rev. E. Van Slylce, of Syracuse, one of the first 

 members of the Association, was introduced, and 

 proceeded to make a few remarks. He is a friend 

 of bee-keeping because it makes man studious and 

 industrious. It compels liim to prompt judgment 

 and action. If success is achieved, the liees must 

 be kept and not left to keep themselves. He 

 thinks there is still a chance for the improvement 

 of hives, but all efforts should be made with an eye 

 single to the public welfare, and not in a selfish, 

 money-making spirit. 



Mr. Van Slyke had read with interest the theory 

 of Mr. Doolittle, as to the manner of evaporating 

 honey. Does this Convention endorse tliat theory? 



Mr. Ellwood was of the opinion that Mr. Doolit- 

 tle's explanation of the mode by which bees thick- 

 en honey is not substantiated. The tlieory was 

 originated by Mr. Gallop. The majority believe 

 heat to be the principal agent. Certain entomo- 

 logists claim that the tongue of the bee is not hol- 

 low. If that be true, the peculiar action described 

 by Mr. Doolittle cannot take place 



Mr. Nellis— But few members had made sufficient 

 observation to enable them to express a positive 

 opinion. 



