It was decided to have tliree regular ann- 

 ual meetings as follows: Last Saturday in 

 Feb., last Saturday in May, and last Satur- 

 day in October, 



Mr. McCorniack gave some useful hints 

 upon the subject of bee-hives, stating that 

 he used the "Gallop Hive," which he 

 thinks possesses some advantages over 

 others. That by the use of this hive in 

 what he called an extensive form, weak 

 swarms could be thrown together and save 

 them. The past few years have demon- 

 strated the fact that " Bee-keeping " can be 

 made profitable in this part of Iowa. 



Meeting adjourned to last Saturday in 

 May, to which meeting are all interested in 

 this subject are cordially invited to be 

 present. 



Michigan Convention. 



The semi-annual meeting of the Michigan 

 Bee-keepers' Association convened at East 

 Saginaw, April 10. 



President A. B. Cheney, of Sparta Center, 

 called the meeting to order, and read a 

 letter from the Secretary, W. L. Porter, 

 sending in his resignation, on account of ill 

 health. Prof. Cook nominated Hon. Con- 

 rad Fey, of East Saginaw, who was unani- 

 mously elected to fill the vacancy. Prof. A. 

 J. Cook, Dr. L. C. Whiting and T. F. Bing- 

 ham were appointed a committee of 

 arrangements. Wliile the committee was 

 out Secretary Fey introduced Mayor Thom- 

 son, who briefly addressed and welcomed 

 the Association to the Valley. 



BURYING BEES IN WINTER. 



Prof. Cook said that at the Agricultural 

 College some colonies of bees had been de- 

 stroyed by mice, and he would advise 

 means to prevent mice from getting at the 

 hives. He recommended protecting the 

 openings with perforated tin ; said he 

 thought well of burying bees, leaving an 

 opening at the top filled with straw for 

 ventilation. They should be buried in 

 sand with good draining. It is not an ex- 

 pensive way of protection. He had tried it 

 several seasons, and found that they con- 

 sumed less lioney than those that were not 

 protected. 



T. F. Bingham said the main thing was 

 the depth at which they were buried, and 

 thought they should be placed entirely 

 under the ground, so the temperature should 

 be as uniform as possible during the whole 

 winter. 



Mr. Fey said he had kept bees since he 

 was a boy, and in only one or two instances 

 had he been troubled with mice, and he 

 thought the weather had much to do with 

 wintering. Some seasons they would do 

 better buried, and some they would do 

 better above ground. He had built a bee 

 house. One winter he lost some 90 colonies 

 in his house, but he thought the cause was 

 damp, wet weather. He thought ventilation 

 had more to do with keeping bees than most 

 people supposed. 



Mr. Hetherington said he had no trouble 

 wjth mice ; thought it was impracticable to 

 bury bees here in the Valley — the ground 

 being so level. He packed with straw, and 



had good success, losing very few. Some- 

 times he had covered with snow when it 

 was deep ; had some colonies dwindle that 

 were kept in the cellar, and usually did not 

 do well when housed in cellars or bee 

 houses. 



Dr. Whiting said that if bees were kept 

 dry and had good food, they would take 

 care of themselves, whetlier it was warm or 

 cold, and give examples where they had 

 wintered well when they were blocked up 1 

 or 2 inches above the board, and especially 

 in cold weather ; also in houses and in cel- 

 lars, and packed in straw, and the first had 

 wintered the best of all. 



T. F. Bingham said he built a house with 

 lumber, filled with hay, well packed ; also 

 packed under and over the hives with the 

 same material, having space tor his bees to 

 come out, and had been very successful 

 with his bees the past winter, but the 

 weather had been so warm that he did not 

 consider it a fair test. 



J. P. Allison said his bees were in an 

 open shed, about 20 inches from the ground, 

 and he spread some hay in front of them on 

 the snow. When the bees came out, on 

 warm days, they fell on the hay, and would 

 get up and go back. He gave them plenty 

 of air. He lost 16 colonies the winter after 

 the fires of 1871, but thought it was on 

 account of the fires in the fall and not the 

 cold weather. 



Mr. Walter had buried in snow and lost 

 most of them when only partially buried, 

 but when wholly buried they had wintered 

 safely. 



Peter Leasia, of Bridgeport, said he had 

 lost several colonies when there was plenty 

 of honey left, and could see no reason, 

 except it was for want of place to breed ; 

 thought they wanted plenty of air, and if 

 well ventilated would winter well in all 

 ordinary seasons. 



President Chapin said he had built a 

 house with double walls, filled with saw- 

 dust, and had lost from 10 to 25 per cent., 

 but could not say it was the house, as there 

 was a cider mill close by, and it might be 

 the effects of that. Had tried open air one 

 winter and lost all he had ; was now trying 

 the cellar, and thought well of it, so far ; 

 but could not tell how long it would be suc- 

 cessful. He thought to winter bees suc- 

 cessfully, first, we should have a perfectly 

 dry place ; and, second, he thought if venti- 

 lation was given, there would be no trouble. 



Prof. Cook said that sometimes bees may 

 gather too much honey in the fall and not 

 leave room for brood, as he had reason to 

 know, especially when the season was 

 propitious. 



The President then appointed the fol- 

 lowing committee on bee apparatus : Prof. 

 A. J. Cook, O. J. Hetherington and Byron 

 Walker. 



HOW SHALL WE INCREASE OUR COLONIES ? 



Dr. Whiting.— The process I have adopted 

 is to get queens fertilized and laying, then 

 transfer combs from old hives to an empty 

 one and fill up with brood, bees and queen, 

 and change their location, thus preventing 

 swarming, and thus keep on increasing. 



Mr. Walker agreed with the Doctor. 



Prof. Cook does not believe in following 



