®ouucnticru6* 



Western Illinois Convention. 



Second semi-annual session, held at 

 Oquawka, Henderson Co., 111., Oct. 2 and 3, 

 1877; President KellosR in the chair. 



The first business called was the admis- 

 sion of new members, when the following 

 persons enrolled their names: 



Chas. Dadant, Hamilton, 111., (by letter), 

 C P. Dadant, Hamilton, (by letter), D. D. 

 Palmer, Eliza, Martin Wort, Keithsburu, L. 

 H. Scudder, New Boston, C. W. Green, 

 Oquawka, M. T. Sharp, Oquawka, A. A. 

 Clark, Oquawka, Wm. O. Atkinson. Ver- 

 mont, L. C. Meadows, Abingdon, Stephen 

 Kennedy, Kosetta. A. M. Blakesly, liock 

 Island, Dr. I. P. Wilson, Burlington, Iowa, 

 Geo. Bischolf, Burlington. 



Lady members: Mrs. L. C. Axtei, Rose- 

 ville, Mrs. H. L. Scudder, New Boston, Mrs. 

 W. O. Atkinson, Vermont, Misses Fannie 

 E. Koberston and Susan R. Meadows, 

 Abingdon. 



Election of officers for the ensuing year 

 resulted as follows: Pres., D. D. Palmer, 

 Eliza, III ; Sec, W.M.Kellogg. Oneida; Treas., 

 T. G" McGaw, Monmouth; Vice Pres'ts, N. 

 H. Derr, Keithsburg, and Jas. A. Simpson, 

 Alexis. 



Motion carried that there bean annual fee 

 of 50 cts. to pay for lights, hall rent, printing, 

 etc., and that ladies be admitted free of 

 charge. 



Motion made and carried that subjects for 

 discussion be selected by those wishing in- 

 formation. 



THE BEST METHOD OF CATCHING BI^ACK 

 QUEENS, AND INTODUCING ITALIANS. 



Simpson — black queens are apt to run. I 

 take out the frames one by one, look care- 

 fully tor the queen, and set the frames in an 

 empty hive. If I don't hnd her thus, I put 

 the combs back, but first shake bees down 

 in front of the hive on a cloth, and look for 

 a queen as the bees travel in, and usually 

 find her. After catching black queen, I 

 cage the Italian queen and put the cage in 

 the hive, in contact with honey; leave her 

 caged 24 hours, then release her, (if by the 

 action of the bees Ideem it safe), sprinkling 

 queen and bees with sweetened water or 

 honey; handle bees carefully while doing 

 this. 



Haines — confine queen in cage 24 to 48 

 hours, then di]i in sweetened water, and in 



9 cases out ot 10, queen is well received; 

 best time to find black queen is 3 or 4 p. m.; 

 for holding frames, prefer a frame of 4 cor- 

 ners, instead of hive, and set in front or one 

 side of hive to let dropped bees run into hive. 



McGaw— after years of experience I find 

 this plan good: Drive bees into cap of liive 

 or box, place hive on one end <)f a cloth, the 

 box of bees on the other, make the bees 

 cross over to hive by dipping a few out to 

 get them started; find the queen while 

 crossing. Scent the bees with oil of anice, 



10 or 15 drops in alcohol and water, douse 

 the Italian queen in also, and introduce at 

 once; I adopt this plan when away from 

 home and in a hurry, if at home would take 

 a slower method. 



Kellogg— cage Italian queen and place on 

 top of frames, under quilt or honey board; 

 on the morning of the third day look through 



hive, and pinch off all the queen cells and 

 close the liive; afternoon of the same day 

 open hive very carefully, daub queen in a 

 half cup of honey, daubing her all over; 

 drop into hive with a spoon and sprinkle the 

 ballanceof honey on frames and bees; close 

 the hive and do notopen it again for at least 

 3 days; many a queen has been lost 'by 

 opening the hive too soon after introducing. 



no BEES START QI'EEN CELLS WHILE 

 QUEEN IS IN CAGE? 



McGaw and Kellog never saw it other- 

 wise. Atkinson never saw it done. 



Palmer— Find black queen by a plan sim- 

 ilar to Simpson's, introduce Italian queen 

 by daubing thoroughly in honey and pouring 

 in honey, queen and all; black bees some- 

 times keep on raising queen cells after the 

 Italian queen is introduced, until all the 

 black '■ es are gone. 



Axt -Introduce Italian queen in wire 

 cloth c e; by leaving the cage on top. one 

 is liable to forget it for several days. Have 

 tried another method; use Quinby's hive, 

 take an open-end cage, take off side of hive, 

 cut a hole through the comb, leaving the 

 plug of honey in the nole; crowd open end 

 of cage over this plug; bees will lick up 

 honey, eat out plug and the queen is safely 

 introduced. 



Simpson— Mr. Axtell's plan is not good for 

 top-opening liives. 



Axtell— Take a piece of comb, cut the 

 hole through and use on top the same as on 

 the side of frames. 



Meadows— What is the safest length of 

 time to keep queen in cage before releasing? 



Ans.— No certai n time— from 24 to 48 hours. 



Wirt— How do you make the bees hold 

 still while handling? 



Ans.— Use rotten wood smoke. 



Meadows— At what time of the year is it 

 best to introduce queens? 



Ans.— For a new beginner, when there is 

 a good flow of honey; for old hands, almost 

 any time. 



now MANY HAVE SEEN FERTILE WORK- 

 EltS? 



Scudder— Have had a good deal of experi- 

 ence with them, think there are such birds; 

 worked with a swarm all summer, putting 

 in bees and queens; made a failure and had 

 to own up beat by a fertile worker. 



Simpson— Had a second swarm, gave them 

 comb, and in two weeks were queenless, 

 gave them a queen cell twice, destroyed by 

 fertile worker, gave caged queen, released 

 in 18 hours and accepted. 



Palmer— A stock in the fall, weak or 

 q;ieenless is not worth fussing with. 



THE BEST PLAN FOR UNITING, IN ORDER TO 



PREVENT THE BEES RETUIINING TO THEIR 



OWN STAND AND FIGHTING. 



Simpson— I have my nuclei in circles, 

 entrances outward in fall; slowly bringing 

 entrances close together, then unite in one 

 hive, and remove all the nuclei hives. 



Kellogg— Sprinkle all the bees with sweet- 

 ened or scented water and shake bees down 

 in front of one hive, and let them crawl in 

 together, giving the best combs from both 

 hives (or more) for the new stock; look out 

 for robbers. 



WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO PUT IN QUEEN 

 CELLS AFTER REMOVING THE OLD QUEEN? 



McGaw— At once. 



