Timm JEMBnicMK WMM j&ismnKi^. 



355 



Then again I introduced young lay- 

 ing queens to colonies that had 

 been queenless eight or more days, 

 and on examination a week or so 

 later, I found they, too, had queen- 

 cells well started. All this time they 

 were making just about a living — some 

 storing a little in the sections ; but the 

 weather was so wet that they could 

 not do much except rear brood and 

 swarm. 



It was now about the first of July, 

 and for nearly a month I had had the 

 worst trial of swarming that I ever 

 knew. I was quite sure now that 

 nothing short of a good honey-flow 

 would check this swarming fever ; but 

 with the force of workers then on 

 hand, I expected a crop from the bass- 

 wood, if the weather was favorable, 

 for it was budded unusually full. A 

 few days later it commenced down 

 the valley at first, and, as the weather 

 was favorable, they did about the 

 best work of the season, and carried 

 the honey a couple of miles. 



The swarming had nearly ceased ; 

 the sections (30 5}x5j^, or 50 pounds 

 capacity) on each hive, perhaps would 

 average one-half full. I ventured now 

 to tier up about one-half of the very 

 strongest colonies. The weather fol- 

 lowing was not quite what I wished it 

 to be, but when it did clear up a little, 

 they would show the same energy for 

 storing honey that they had done at 

 swarming. As the season advanced, 

 I saw by their line of flight (which 

 was towards a high, cold mountain) 

 that the basswood season was of short 

 duration. On examination, I saw that 

 while some colonies had the sections 

 all full and nearly capped, others 

 would need more time than they 

 would have from the basswood. The 

 day following, in the forenoon, when 

 most of the old bees were in the field, 

 I removed the sections from such hives 

 as had them nearly completed. These 

 I placed near the entrance, and in a 

 short time nearly all the bees had re- 

 turned to their own hives. 



Then from those with the partly- 

 filled sections, I removed bees and all, 

 and placed on the hives of the former. 

 This, as will be seen, gave them nearly 

 a double working-force on the pai'tly- 

 fiUed sections, and while they were 

 being filled very rapidlj', the ones 

 nearly capped were being completed 

 on the colonies from which I had taken 

 the partly-filled ones. 



When the above is practiced, both 

 colonies should have a fertile queen, or 

 fighting would be the result I prac- 

 tice nearly the same plan with those 

 that are a little slow to enter the 

 sections. 



As the buckwheat season was fast 

 approaching, I removed the white 

 honey from the hives, and found 



nearly all of the sections well filled. 

 I had over 3,200 jiounds of comb and 

 extracted honey, tluee-fourths of which 

 was comb. 



On account of the wet weather again 

 I did not secure as much buckwheat 

 honey as I sometimes have done, but I 

 had something over 1,000 pounds. 

 This made the average yield a trifle 

 over 100 pounds per colony. 



HONEY-PLANTS FOB BEES. 



Although I have secured only three 

 crops in the past eight years from 

 the basswood, I must place this at the 

 head of the list, for I never have been 

 able to make a very good showing 

 without it. It blossomed quite well 

 here in 1888, and while some got quite 

 a crop, even in this county, it was an 

 entire failure here. 



The buckwheat I have never known 

 to fail to produce some honey — I think 

 I have taken as high as 40 or 50 

 pounds per colony from it. The honey 

 being dark, it usually sells for 4 or 5 

 cents per pound less than the white. 



We have considerable white clover 

 here, but as yet I have seen only one 

 good yield from it. The raspberry 

 produces some honey nearlj' eveiy 

 season. 



About Sept. 1, of last season, there 

 was considerable honey gathered from 

 the golden-i'od. I have never known 

 bees to work on it only one season be- 

 fore. This may be on account of the 

 early frosts we usually have here. 



IMPORTANCE OF GOOD QUEENS. 



1 consider the queen the most impor- 

 tant factor in successful bee-keeping. 

 and I have had excellent results with 

 crossing the best Italian strains, and 

 from such a cross last season I ob- 

 tained 150 pounds each, of comb 

 honey, from a few choice colonies. An 

 examination of the slates showed that 

 all these queens were sisters. Now 

 while I have had queens do good busi- 

 ness at four years of age, I have had 

 thera fail early in the season at three 

 years ; and by so doing, have about 

 ruined the white honey crop of the 

 season ; for if ever I want a queen at 

 her best, it is through the month of 

 May. 



I will say by way of summing up, 

 that most of my youngqueens are kept 

 in strong nuclei (of which I had over 

 20 from the 5 weak colonies first men- 

 tioned), until near the end of the 

 honey season ; then, after introducing 

 to full colonies, they are kept two 

 years, and no more unless selected for 

 queen-mothers. 



When I used to let the bees super- 

 sede their queens, although one-fourth 

 or less of the hives would contain old 

 queens, it often happened that 50 or 75 

 per cent, of my weak colonies in the 



spring would (-(jutain queens of this 

 sort. 



I intended to give my method of 

 queen-rearing, but this article is 

 alreadj' too long. I know that the 

 above is not all "accoi'ding to the 

 books," but it is what I practice in 

 this locality. 



In regard to ray bee-escape, illus- 

 trated on page 211. I will say that if a 

 one-inch hole through the tin at A A 

 (where the bees enter the escape) be 

 too small, tliis could be made any size ; 

 and should tliere be any oljjection to 

 the inner triangle being made of 

 wood (which I do not think there will 

 be), this could easily be made of a 

 strip of tinned wire-cloth, with a little 

 of its edge turned at riglit angles, to 

 be soldered to the tin before this is 

 nailed to the top of the escape-board. 



Conesville, N. Y. 



MICHIGAN. 



Report of tlie Ionia County Bee- 

 Keeperii' Convention. 



Twenty-five members of the Ionia 

 Count}' Bee-Keepers' Association were 

 present at the meeting held in Ionia, 

 Mich. The meeting was called to or- 

 der by Secretary Smith, and Geo. E. 

 Goodwin, was chosen Chairman. 



The Secretary's report was read and 

 approved. The report showed an ag- 

 gregate of 743 colonies owned by mem- 

 bers present, fall count, and 750, 

 spring count; comb honey produced 

 in 1889, 22,460 pounds; extracted 

 honey, 5.060 pounds; beeswax. 224 

 pounds. The present condition of bees 

 was reported the best for many years. 

 This showing comprises about one- 

 fourth of the bee-interests of Ionia 

 county, and shows it to be quite an 

 important indnstrj'. 



The following were elected oflicers 

 for the ensuing year: President, A. 

 N. Hall, of Ionia ; Vice-Presidents, G. 

 W. Stanton, of Sheridan, and Isaac 

 Badder, of Ionia ; Secretary and Treas- 

 urer, H. Sniitli, of Ionia. 



The " Size of sections and separa- 

 tors " was discussed ; also '-Restrain- 

 ing increase," and "Quality and kinds 

 of honey, and price and market." 



The convention adjourned to meet 

 on the second Wednesday of Septetu- 

 ber, 1890. The President and Secre- 

 tary, by request, will prepare a pro- 

 gramme for that occasion. 



H. Smith, Sec. 



IlaiiflliiiK Bees. — This is the title of 

 a nice pamphlet containing 28 pages and a 

 cover, published by Chas. Dadant & Son. 

 It is a chapter from their book, Langstroth 

 Revised, and is an excellent thing for be- 

 ginners. Price, 8 cts. For sale at this office 



