114 



THE AMEBIC AN APICULTURIST. 



ance with the wishes of the majority 

 as expressed Thursday evening. 



Art. I. This association shall be 

 known as the New York State Bee 

 keepers' Association (founded by 

 Moses Quinby in 1868). Carried. 



BEST INIANAGEMENT OF THE APIARY 

 FOR COMB HONEY. 



Secretary Benedict then read a 

 paper on the above topic. 



Mr. President, 



Ladies and Gentlemen 

 and Fellow Beekeepers : 



The question that has been as- 

 signed me, if I shall speak upon it, 

 in the full meaning of the topic as it 

 is given in our programme, I shall 

 have to assume myself as having a 

 better method than any that has 

 been given, by any of our honored 

 leaders in Bee Culture. And when 

 I think of such men as the lamented 

 Quinby, Rev. L. L. Langstroth, 

 Capt. Hetherington, Elwood, Doo- 

 little, Heddon, Betsinger and many 

 others, it little becomes me to as- 

 sume that I can give to this honora- 

 ble body of beekeepers " The Best 

 Management of the Apiary for Comb 

 Honey !" I hardly think when the 

 committee gave me the question, 

 they took into consideration the 

 varied climate and the different 

 sources from which we procure our 

 surplus honey ; that the manage- 

 ment in one section of the country 

 would not bring like results in an- 

 other of a different surplus source. 



So I shall confine what I have to 

 offer, to a section in a latitude where 

 clover and basswood are the prin- 

 cipal sources of surplus. 



We shall have to start in early 

 spring, perhaps, before the first nat- 

 ural pollen is gathered, when we are 

 letting our bees work upon rye or 

 Graham flour, as this should be given 

 to supply until natural pollen comes. 

 Now, when natural pollen appears, 



or better before, on some warm, 

 pleasant day, look over each colony 

 and see that they have a good queen 

 and plenty of honey. And cover 

 them with enamel cloth or some 

 material that will keep in the heat 

 and moisture. In about ten days 

 look them over again, and you will 

 find colonies that cannot cover eight 

 frames, or the full number, to good 

 advantage. Contract these by using 

 the division board until they have no 

 more frames than they can cover 

 well. Be sure each time to leave 

 plenty of honey, uncapping a portion 

 that the bees may move it about in 

 the combs ; this will have a stimulat- 

 ing effect and cause the bees to lay 

 more rapidly. Some may ask, why 

 contract the brood chamber? For 

 the reason that one of the great re- 

 quirements of proHfic brood-rearing 

 is heat, and if your store is not large 

 enough to warm your room, then 

 contract your room to the size of 

 your store. 



Now let them rest about ten days 

 more, and by this time the young bees 

 in the hive will begin to be quite nu- 

 merous, and if you find the queen is 

 using all the room, add one frame 

 to the brood nest. But this time 

 make haste slowly, as you are liable 

 to sudden changes, and you have 

 many old bees that have nearly done 

 their work, whose places will soon 

 be filled by young bees. Now begin 

 to feed and stimulate to brood-rearing 

 as you have a good quantity of young 

 bees to care for the larvse and gen- 

 eral work of the hive. This feeding 

 may be done in the hive from a top 

 feeder, or from a feeder placed at 

 the entrance, or any way that you 

 can easiest feed them a little every 

 day ; three or four tablespoonfuls is 

 plenty unless they are very sliort of 

 stores. 



At this season of the year they 

 use a large quantity of water in pre- 

 paring the food for the brood, and 

 if you will supply it by feeding one 

 part of sugar or honey to three of 



