576 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



With how many colonies should a be- 

 ginner start? It was decided that 

 three are suiScient. 



Which is the best way, and when the 

 best time, to transfer bees from box- 

 hives to frame ones? Early Spring was 

 decided as the best time, and several 

 ways were presented for transferring 

 bees. 



What is the best way to rear queens ? 

 Mrs. Jennie Atchley, a thorough queen- 

 breeder, was present, and gave a very 

 interesting description of this branch of 

 bee-culture. The plan explained is the 

 " G. M. Doolittle plan." Much valuable 

 information was gathered from her 

 speech. 



On motion of Dr. Marshall, the present 

 officers of the Association were re-elected 

 for the ensuing year. 



Greenville was again selected as the 

 place for the next meeting, and the first 

 Wednesday and Thursday in April, 

 1893, as the time. 



The delegates then expressed them- 

 selves as to the enjoyment of the occa- 

 sion, and Dr. Marshall made a farewell 

 talk, and closing prayer, after which the 

 convention adjourned. 



A. H. Jones, Sec. 



WMKilMtlieBees? 



J. H. ANDRE. 



A few days ago I met an acquaintance 

 who lives on the hills some three miles 

 away. He told me that he had bad 

 luck in wintering his bees. Said he, " I 

 lost all of my new colonies (10 in num- 

 ber), and some besides." 



I learned that the new colonies were 

 put into new hives purchased at the 

 factory last season. With each hive 

 was a piece of oil-cloth, sent, no doubt, 

 for the special purpose of covering the 

 surplus in Summer to prevent the bees 

 from gnawing through. Instead of re- 

 moving them in the Fall, they were left 

 on during Winter. Probably the damp- 

 ness and frost accumulated until the 

 spaces, combs and all were nothing 

 more or less than one solid block of ice, 

 and honey combined. 



He told me that some colonies, with 

 no covering whatever, with holes in the 

 cloths, came through all right. 



The past four seasons I have wintered 

 my bees in single-walled hives with two 

 thicknesses of cloth on the frames, 

 which was covered with 4 inches of 

 buckwheat chaff, loosely packed. During 

 this time my loss has been nothing. 



The manufacturers of hives should 

 send printed directions for the workings 

 of their hives at all seasons. This might 

 save beginners much loss. 



Lockwood, N. Y., April 11, 1892. 



Wlien am Hoi lo Italianize Bees. 



MRS. L. HARRISON. 



Inquiries are being made about the 

 best time for Italianizing bees. The 

 best time for the bees, may not be the 

 best time, all things considered,Jor their 

 owner. I would not advise doing any- 

 thing to jeopardize a honey crop, and if 

 undertaken at the present time, a loss 

 of honey might follow. If a colony of 

 black bees is very strong, I would not 

 disturb them, but give them every in- 

 ducement to store honey. If they swarm 

 I would give them combs if I had them, 

 and put the swarm where the old colony 

 stood, removing the surplus from the 

 old one to the new. 



It would be better to move the old 

 colony to one side, facing a different 

 direction from what it did, so that all 

 the bees which were working in the 

 fields, would enter the hive of the new 

 colony. Gradually turn the old colony 

 around so that in eight or nine days the 

 hives would stand side by side, and then 

 carry away the old one to a new stand, 

 thus massing all the old bees in one hive 

 to store honey. 



The old colony which was carried 

 away would contain no bees that were 

 working in the fields, and if the queen- 

 cells were all removed, there would be 

 no eggs or young larvae from which a 

 queen could be reared, and the bees 

 would gladly accept an Italian queen. 

 This management would prevent all 

 after-swarming, and keep the colony 

 strong to work upon Autumn bloom. 



When the honey season has closed, 

 the queen in the new colony might be 

 removed, and an Italian introduced. 



The Spring following, both colonies 

 would be Italians, and no time would 

 have been lost by the change. When a 

 bee-keeper is Italianizing his apiary, he 

 shculd keep queens on hand, so as to 

 improve every opportunity for introduc- 

 ing them. I have known cases in which 

 queens were lost during swarming, and 

 the bees left running all over the hive, 

 mourning. When an Italian queen was 

 given them, they then turned their 

 mourning into joy. 



Is it best to buy or rear queens ? 

 Where a person has but a few colonies 



