taking their honey, or giving tlieni room to 

 build comb. Tlie young bees liaving their 

 worlt alh)tted to them in the hive, as nurses 

 and comb-builders; tiiose young bees not 

 needed as nurses ought to liave room to 

 cluster and build comb until they are old 

 enough to go forth in quest of honey. If 

 you are working for extracted honey, you 

 will as sooh as your hive becomes well tilled 

 with bees, but not too much crowded, place 

 an upper story on your hive the same size 

 as the lower, take one or two of the outside 

 combs, without brood if possible, and put 

 them in the upper story with division boards, 

 then place empty frames between the brood 

 and continue the process as often as the 

 frames are hlled until they get strong enough 

 to build combs above, after which give an 

 empty frame as often as needed. Should 

 you use combs instead of empty frames, 

 and get your hive filled with honey before 

 it is thick enough to extract, remove one of 

 the combs and give an empty frame instead, 

 and put a third story on some of your hives 

 to ripen the honey in your surplus combs. 



If you wish box honey, place your boxes 

 on as soon as your hives are well filled with 

 bees and they are storing honey. Have one 

 or two boxes filled with comb, if it contains 

 honey so much the better, place starters of 

 comb or foiuidation in the other boxes — the 

 more comb the better. The boxes should be 

 placed as near the brood as possible, and 

 directly over it. See that your bees have 

 free access to all the boxes, and when you 

 tier up with empty boxes under your full 

 ones, see that your bees have access to the 

 upper as well as the lower boxes. Sliould 

 you desire to have combs started in boxes 

 at the side of the hive, place your boxes 

 between the brood and entrance, never 

 behind or to one side. Always give your 

 bees upward ventilation in hot weather, and 

 if you have no shade use a loose cover for 

 your hives, raised at one end or side to allow 

 the air to circulate freely below. 



The next thing is to tell you how to man- 

 age the few swarms which will unavoidably 

 issue. In the fii'st place see that all your 

 queens have their wings clipped. The "best 

 time is while the fruit trees are in bloom. 

 Your hives should all be placed on the ground 

 so that your queens can get back, should 

 you be absent at the time of swarming. To 

 prevent further trouble and subdue the 

 swarming fever, extract all their honey and 

 remove all the queen cells, and they will 

 usually give no further trouble the renia'inder 

 of the season, provided you keep the honey 

 out of their way, and keep them with one 

 frame not quite filled with comb. If you 

 ■want box honey, the treatment is not so 

 simple. The best plan is, as soon as the 

 swarm is out, move the old hive a few feet 

 from the old stand an place an empty hive 

 on the old stand to receive the swarm; then 

 take and remove your combs, boxes and all, 

 brush the bees off and remove queen cells 

 and give the combs to your swarm, place 

 your boxes on and set the swarm where 

 you want it to remain. Then give your bees 

 Bome brood and a queen cell in the old hive, 

 place it on its stand, and your work is done. 



In conclusion I will give you a report of 

 my success in preventing swarming: 



In 1875 I commenced with 77 colonies, had H swarms 

 " 1876 " " 118 " " 11 



" 1877 " " l;iO " " 12 " 



" 1878 " " 130 " " 6 " 



Report of honey during the same time : 



1875 extracted 6,600 lbs 



1876 " ia,lXJO " 



1877 " 14,000 " 



1878 " 11,000 " 



Total for i years ending Aug. 7 44,500 " 



E. C. L. Larch. 

 Ashland, Boone Co., Mo. 



North-western Ohio Convention. 



This Association met at Toledo, Oct. 3, 

 Capt. W. F. Williams in the chair ; A. 

 Fahnestock, Sec'y. protein. i^^^ 



After the reading of the minutes of the 

 last meeting, and their approval. Mr. New- 

 man, Editor of the Awekican Bee Jour- 

 nal, Chicago, addressed the meeting in a 

 very intelligent manner, and advanced the 

 solid truth, that every beekeeper should 

 use but one kind or description of hive, on 

 account of the facility of manipulating; the 

 prize box (size 5>^x6J^ inches wide) has 

 become the standard section box and should 

 be put up in neat shipping crates; extracted 

 honey must be put up in neat jars so as to 

 be attractive. He also spoke of the use of 

 honey in doing up fruit, and for sweetening 

 cakes, pies, etc. Honey is no longer a lux- 

 ury ; tliousands of pounds are now used 

 where but a few pounds were heretofore 

 used. It has now found its way into manu- 

 factories, and is largely used for making 

 candy, ales, flavoring tobacco, &c., as well 

 as in every place where sugar or syrups 

 were formerly used. 



On the subject of queens he said that we 

 did not want queens merely for their light 

 color or beauty, but for usefulness, industry, 

 etc., and that instead of our importing 

 queens from Italy, we should produce such 

 an improved race that Italy and other na- 

 tions should, and would, import from us. 

 He has no doubt, that we can raise better 

 queens in every respect than any nov/ im- 

 ported into this country. 



Mr. Newman alluded to each convention 

 having a show of honey, bees, etc., once a 

 year, as it tended to create more enquiry, 

 and bring the matter of honey producers 

 more directly before the public. 



Mr. Fahnestock offered the following reso- 

 lution : Resolved. That the Naticmal Con- 

 vention at New York should establish a 

 standard of purity for Italian queens, and 

 that no queens should be sent out by any 

 queen breeder, unless previously tested, and 

 up to the standard. 



The following resolutions were passed : 

 Resolved, That Messrs. Everett and New- 

 man represent us at National Convention. 



Resolved, That the members of this 

 Convention report to the Secretary by letter, 

 the increase, amountof honey, &c., and any 

 other matter of interest. 



Resolved, That the next Convention 

 of this Society be held at Wauseon. on the 

 first Thursday in January, 1879. 



The committee appointed at a previous 

 meeting on the purity of queens, reported 

 as follows : 



