230 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



March 23, 1905. 



came. To hive each first or prime swarm that comes gen- 

 erally allows of very nearly doubling the number of colonies 

 in the apiary each year ; and unless winter losses are great 

 this would build up an apiary as fast as the experience of a 

 novice would warrant did he expect to become the most suc- 

 cessful apiarist. Then, again, the amount of surplus honey 

 obtained from the parent colony from which no af terswarms 

 are allowed to issue would, as a rule, sell for more than 

 enough to buy good full colonies to take the place of the 

 afterswarms, and thus all fussing with them will be saved. 

 Of all the annoyances and nuisances in the apiary, with 

 me, afterswarms are the worst. Many the bee-keeper in 

 the past who would give ten times as much to know how to 

 be_ entirely rid of afterswarms as he would to know how to 

 build them up to good colonies for wintering. 



But as all are not of this turn of mind, it is well to 

 know how to prevent afterswarms and how to build them 

 up where any one wishes so to do. Many articles have been 

 written on how to prevent afterswarms, but articles on how 

 to manage them and build them up so as to be in good shape 

 for wintering, are very few indeed. I can conceive how 

 one might wish to save afterswarms after such a loss in 

 bees as was experienced a year ago, so that the combs from 

 which the bees died might be saved and again occupied with 

 bees, and so I am going to do my best to tell the questioner 

 and the readers of the American Bee Journal how I used to 

 do this when I was more anxious for bees than I was for 

 honey, as well as some of my experience since. 



The very first requisite toward a successful start for an 

 af terswarm is ^ frame of brood in all stages, to be placed in 

 the hive at the time of hiving them. As the queen with an 

 afterswarm is never fertilized when the swarm issues, and 

 seldom sooner than from one to three days later, and many 

 times for a longer period, if the weather proves unfavorable 

 from clouds and rains, it is all the way from two to ten days 

 before she commences to lay, so that it is nearly a month 

 from the time of hiving before any young bees emerge from 

 their cells from this queen, by which time the bees going 

 with the swarm are the larger part dead, dying of old age, 

 which makes and keeps the colony weak as to numbers from 

 the beginning till entering winter quarters. By giving a 

 frame of brood this weak part is very materially helped, for, 

 as fast as the bees die of old age young bees are emerging 

 from this frame to take their places ; and thus the queen, 

 when she gets to laying, has suitable bees to mature the 

 eggs which she lays, so that by the end of six weeks from 

 the time the afterswarm was hived, we have a good, popu- 

 lous colony instead of a weakling. 



This frame of brood is also of the greatest value should 

 this afterswarm lose its queen when she goes out to be fer- 

 tilized, by being caught by birds or otherwise. This is 

 something which quite often happens, and when it does, 

 where no brood is given, the fate of that colony is sealed, 

 unless the bee-keeper is on hand to remedy the matter by 

 giving a queen or some brood. By giving this brood when 

 the swarm is hived, we are safe along all lines, for if the 

 queen becomes lost, they have the material from which to 

 rear another. 



Then, if in addition to the frame of brood we can fill 

 out the remainder of the hive with empty combs at time of 

 hiving, or, better still, combs having some honey in them, 

 we shall have a colony in the afterswarm at the beginning 

 of the winter more valuable than are those from prime 

 swarms, inasmuch as the queen will be at her best the next 

 year, while the queens in prime swarms, where more than 

 two years old, often begin to weaken and fail before the 

 honey harvest of the next year. 



In the absence of combs, more than the one containing 

 brood, I would certainly use foundation for all afterswarms, 

 even had I to pay 75 cents per pound for it, did I intend to 

 winter the afterswarms. I am aware that such afterswarms 

 will build almost exclusively worker-comb, and I have often 

 used them up in such comb building, and used to think that 

 there was profit in so doing, but if I wished them to be- 

 come strong for wintering I would give them every advan- 

 tage possible, and comb foundation is one of those advan- 

 tages where we do not have the empty comb to give them. 

 _ Having them fixed as above, they are now in good con- 

 dition except, perhaps, stores for winter ; and if stores are 

 lacking they must be fed, the same as any other colony 

 which is short of stores when winter approaches. And if 

 thus short, don't delay the feeding till cold weather, but do 

 it just as soon as you reasonably expect that the honey har- 

 vest is over for the year. 



" How much shall I feed ?" Well, that depends where 

 you are to winter your bees, whether in the cellar or out- 

 doors. For outdoor wintering make sure that each colony 



has at least 25 pounds of good stores. Frem more than 30 

 yeais' experience I have found that this amount is needed, 

 one year with another, to insure colonies wintered outside, 

 from the time of the failure of flowers in the fall till their 

 opening again in the spring. But where wintered indoors 

 the above amount can be shaded by from 5 to 10 pounds. 

 Yet, with the average bee-keeper, I should not advise the 

 going into winter quarters, where bees are wintered in the 

 cellar, with less than 20 pounds to the colony. 



Onondaga Co., N. Y. 



(£onr>entton 

 Procecbtn(35 



=\ 



J 



Report of the Wisconsin Convention. 



BY HARRY LATHROP. 



The Wisconsin Bee-Keepers' Association met in con- 

 vention at Madison, Feb. 1 and 2, 1905. The meeting was 

 called to order at 2 o'clock p.m., Feb. 1, by Pres. N. E. 

 France. Notwithstanding the very severe cold there was 

 an attendance of about 40 bee keepers, including Editor 

 York of the American Bee Journal and Editor Putnam of 

 the Rural Bee-Keeper. There were a few ladies, including 

 the eminent writer on bees, Mrs. Millie Honaker, and Miss 

 Candler, the successful owner and operator of 200 colonies. 

 The bee-supply business was represented by Gus Dittmer, 

 and G. E. Bacon of the G. B. Lewis Co. The others were 

 mostly practical bee-keepers, some of whom own extensive 

 apiaries. 



Pres. France said that he had been unable to provide 

 for a regular shorthand report of the session, and the edi- 

 tors present might take notes for publication if they wished. 



The Secretary, Mr. Dittmer, was called on for his an- 

 nual report, and said that his records had been destroyed in 

 the fire that occurred at his place last year, in which his 

 shop and all his office records had perished. A part of our 

 book of records had been saved, and was presented in a 

 damaged condition. This was the 21st annual meeting, 

 and that book contained an interesting history of the work 

 and growth of our Association. We all regret its loss, but 

 no one attaches any blame to Mr. Dittmer. 



Pres. France spoke of having local associations in the 

 State afiBliate with the State Association, and mentioned 

 several ways in which this could be done. In New York 

 State they have county organizations in which two members 

 of each are accredited as delegates to the State convention, 

 and have a part in all the deliberations of that body ; the 

 county associations paying a fee of $2.00 annually to the 

 State Association, which entitled them to this representa- 

 tion. 



Mr. Hufi^man called attention to the fact that it was 

 very desirable that all local associations should be affiliated 

 in order to aid the State organization in holding all valuable 

 laws that we now have, and procuring other needed legisla- 

 tion for our industry. 



Pres. France said he favored the New York plan of two 

 delegates from each local. It was voted to have a commit- 

 tee appointed by the President to consider the question of 

 affiliation, and report at a future session. Mr. Putnam and 

 another member were appointed to act with Mr. France on 

 this committee. 



Pres. France said he believed there would be a large 

 number of local societies organized in the near future. 



In regard to our present meeting, it had been decided to 

 follow the plan of the Chicago-Northwestern convention, 

 and use the question-box instead of a regular program, 

 allowing the meeting to develop the scope of its own dis- 

 cussions as it proceeded. 



Before taking up the regular question-box, Pres. France 

 read the questions that were asked of all candidates for the 

 office of foul-brood inspector in the State of New York. 



Pres. France explained how he had made the honey- 

 map of the United States at the World's Fair in St. Louis, 

 by procuring samples of honey from the different States. 

 From these he had prepared smaller samples which he had 

 brought along and presented for the inspection of the mem- 

 bers. It was noticeable that the whitest honeys came from 

 the North and West, while the samples from the Southern 

 States were mostly dark. 



The question-box was taken up at this point. 



