Elias Hershey started in the spring witii 

 15 colonies and now lias 27. His are Italian 

 bees and have made about 25 lbs. of liouey 

 to the colony. 



J. G. Martin said he had 5 colonies in the 

 spring, sold 6, and now has 24 colonies. He 

 has so far taken off 500 lbs. of honey, and 

 still has a good deal more. He used a good 

 quantity of foundation comb. The bees are 

 doing well in his neighborhood, now, but 

 did not do so well in tlie spring. 



J. B. Eshleman, of Ephrata, reported that 

 the increase of his colonies was small, he 

 having made only 8 natural and 1 artificial 

 swarm. His object is more to get honey 

 than bees. He gave as a reason for the 

 small increase that his colonies were very 

 strong and in good condition in the early 

 spring, and had made preparations for 

 swarming, when theinclementweathercame 

 on, which prevented them from making 

 much honeyfrom the trees then blossoming; 

 the great change in the atmosphere seemed 

 to stop all further progress in the way of 

 swarming. Had not this occurred he thinks 

 he would have had more swarms in April 

 alone than all his subsequent increase has 

 amounted to. The yield of honey so far has 

 been over 500 lbs., including what is still in 

 the hives. The prospects for an additional 

 suryjlus is good about Ephrata, the rains 

 having improved the pasture. 



Daniel Kreider began with 8 colonies and 

 now has 14. He has taken away about 150 

 lbs. of honey, and his bees are still hard at 

 work, with a fair promise of increasing 

 their stores. 



J. T. Sheaffer started with 9 colonies, and 

 has now 20. He tries to raise bees more than 

 honey. His bees have never done better. 

 They are busily at work. The spring was 

 unfavorable. He has Italian bees. His 

 boxes are now full and they are storing away 

 in the surplus boxes. He would have none 

 but Italians. Some swarmed three times. 



B. F. Seldomridge had 5 colonies to begin 

 with and they swarmed well; all are now at 

 work in the honey boxes, having filled the 

 hives. Some are storing in the second extra 

 box. All but one are Italians. His bees 

 have never worked so well in July as at this 

 season. 



Amos G. Wensrer started with 14 colonies 

 in the sprine. He has made about 350 lbs. 

 of honey. His bees have done very well. 

 In April they were doing well, but in May 

 they nearly starved. From 3 Italian colo- 

 nies he has now 8. In July they did very 

 well. 



The President remarked that bees seemed 

 to require moisture as much as grass or corn. 

 When the season is too dry they do not store 

 up largely, but if the season is too wet it 

 is also detrimental to the storage of large 

 honey products. He had about 30 colonies. 

 He has given them out on the shares. One 

 man who got 15 hives, now lias 32. They 

 are gatliering honey fast, and all seem to be 

 doing well. 



QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION. 



"do beks ski,ect a place for their 



hive prior to swarming ?" 



J. F. Hershey has seen a swam leave the 



hive andgodirect toadistanttreetoremain. 



Often small working bodies of bees leave 



the main swarming body and seek a place to 

 stop in. Many swarms are lost by bees 



going oflf. If the wings of the queen are 

 clipped prior to swarming the bees do not 

 escape. 



J. G. Martin clips a wing of the queen and 

 has lost no swarms; once he lost the queen 

 by this operation, but saved the swarm. The 

 clipped wing never grows out again. 



G. S. Lintner divides his colonies and thus 

 saves all trouble and loses no swarms. If 

 a looking-glass is used when the bees are in 

 the air and the reflected light is thrown upon 

 them, they lose their course and come down 

 at once. They are unable to withstand this 

 test. 



J. F. Shaeffer has tried all ways, and finds 

 dust, stones, clubs and such articles about as 

 good as anything. The looking-glass can't 

 be used in cloudy weather and will hardly 

 stop a swarm with a young queen. He does 

 not know what to say about the selection of 

 a place for a hive prior to swarming. 



The President thought it unnatural for 

 the bees not to select a place prior to issuing 

 from the hive. He saw a swarm recently go 

 direct to a hollow tree. Bees have been 

 known to clean out a hollow tree several 

 days prior to swarming as if making ready 

 for that event. Bees have been known 

 to be busy in and about a tree, then to leave 

 it for a few days, and a swarm finally to take 

 up its quarters there. 



IS HONEY FOUND AS A NATURAL PRODUCT 

 BY THE BEES, OR DO THEY MANUFAC- 

 TURE IT? 



J. F. Hershey.— Bees gather honey, they 

 do not manufacture it. If bees gather from 

 buckwheat it is buckwheat honey; if white 

 clover it is white clover honey, etc. All the 

 change that occurs in the honey is caused by 

 the evaporation of the water; if sugar syrup 

 is fed and stored in the comlj, it is still the 

 same. 



J . G. Martin two years fed sugar syrup, 

 and it did not seem to be any thing else when 

 put into the combs. 



J. F. Shaetfer agrees with Mr. Hershey. 

 The honey will be just as the bees gather it, 

 but evaporation will change it. The scent 

 however remains the same, whether it be 

 white clover or any other substance. 



CAN A LOCALITY BE OVERSTOCKED BY 

 BEES? 



J. F. Hershey said he never had enough 

 to test the question. Eighteen years ago, 

 there were 10 colonies within a mile of his 

 house; to-day there are 250, and they all 

 gather as much honey as the early ones did. 

 How it would be if a great many were con- 

 gregated at one place he does not know, and 

 was not prepared to say. 



THE BEST REMEDY FOR BEE STINGS. 



J. F. Shaeffer said spirits of ammonia are 

 th« best remedy. It prevents nearly all 

 swelling and is a sure remedy to prevent 

 pain. 



Elias Hershey said an application of honey 

 will prevent swelling; at tirst was intensely 

 pained by the stings; now he no longer 

 minds them. 



J. F. Hershey corroborated the above; 



