ington's honey knife ; Crandall's frame ; 

 Sayles' No. I hive ; Sayles' cold-blast smo- 

 ker and extractor, and the Parker chaff 

 hive were worthy of recommendation. 



The convention adjourned to again meet 

 on Tuesday and Wednesday, Sept. 2d and 

 3d, 1879, at Whitewater, Wis. 



Frances Dunham, Sec. 



H. P. Sayles, Pres. 



[These proceedings will be published in 

 full, with the papers read and discussions, 

 in pamphlet form. Those wishing a copy 

 of the pamphlet can procure it of Mrs. F. 

 A. Dunham, Depere, Wis. — Ed.] 



Southeastern Iowa Convention. 



This convention was held at Mt. Pleasant, 

 Iowa, May 31st. 



The Secretary was directed to purchase a 

 book for his use in keeping the records. 

 Sixteen members having signed the consti- 

 tution and by-laws paid their yearly dues of 

 50c. each. 



A resolution was adopted, asking the 

 County Agricultural Society to give them a 

 special place to exhibit apiarian products 

 and machinery, and also hives of working 

 bees properly protected. They also adopted 

 the following as a premium list : 



Best box of honey, $5.00 ; 2d best, $2.50. 



Best show of beeswax, $1.50 ; 2d best, 50c. 



Best colony of Italian bees, $5.00 ; 2d best, $2.50. 



Best colony of native bees, $5.00 ; 2d best, $2.50. 



Best honey extractor, $2.00 ; 2d best, $1.00. 



Best bee smoker, 50c. 



Largest and best collection of bee implements, $5. 



Best bee hive, $2.00 : 2d best, $1.00. 



First question.—" The relative merits of 

 Italian and native bees ?" 



The discussion commenced as to the rela- 

 tive merits of Italian and native bees. It 

 was claimed for the Italian that they were 

 more docile than other bees ; that they were 

 healthier and stronger ; that they started 

 earlier in the morning and came home 

 later ; that they visited and extracted the 

 honey from flowers that the common black 

 bee were never seen upon, the reason being 

 that the Italian having a longer proboscis 

 could reach the honey in Mowers the black 

 bee could get nothing from. It was said the 

 black bee never visited the red clover while 

 that was one of the favorite resorts of the 

 Italian bees. The red clover being one of 

 the best secretors of honey. Most of the 

 speakers are keeping both kinds, and the 

 general opinion seemed to be that there 

 was very little difference as to the amount 

 of honey gathered. 



Mr. Thomas favored the Italian ; they 

 were very seldom troubled with moths. In 

 reference to the amount of honey, the place 

 where the hive stands has an influence on 

 the amount of honey gathered. It is desir- 

 able to place it so as to have the morning sun 

 strike it, and to have it protected from cold 

 winds. In such a place the bees start earlier 

 in the morning. 



Mr. Harris said that he did not find that 

 the most vigorous workers gathered the 

 most honey, and that view was generally 

 concurred in. The shape of the hive and 

 its condition often has more effect on the 

 amount of honey than the extreme working 



of the bees. The amount of honey gath- 

 ered depends on the condition the bees are 

 in when they begin work in the spring. 

 Many of the colonies come out in the spring 

 with only a small number, and those are 

 likely to be in a feeble condition, so it takes 

 them a long time before they have an 

 efficient working corps. The notion that 

 there is any difference as to size or vigor be- 

 tween the Italian and black bees is all a 

 myth. 



In response to a question, Mr. Dougherty 

 said he did not consider early and often 

 swarming any advantage, if the amount of 

 honey was the object ; bees never swarm so 

 long as they have room to work. 



Mr. Ghost inquired as to the cross or gray 

 bee, made by giving black bees an Italian 

 queen. These kind of bees had no friends 

 in the meeting. 



Second question.—" What killed the bees 

 last winter ? " 



One cause was the snow. In a sunny 

 day, where hives stand in a warm place, the 

 bees come out and fly till they get chilled, 

 then they fall into the snow and die ; a few 

 sunny days will so decimate a hive that the 

 few left do not generate heat enough to 

 keep them warm, and they die out. 



Another cause is imperfect ventilation. 

 Bees in the winter throw off a perspiration 

 which, if it has no chance to escape, wets 

 the bees; that being an unnatural condition 

 it weakens them, disarranges their diges- 

 tion and produces what is known as cholera. 

 In a natural, healthy condition the digestion 

 is so arranged that the matter excreted from 

 the bowels is of a dry powdery nature, de- 

 void of smell and not injurious to the bees 

 or honey. When distured by moisture or 

 any other cause, this instead of being dry 

 and inoffensive becomes watery and offen- 

 sive, and is poisonous to the bees. This 

 same effect is often produced by moving the 

 bees into cellars or other places where the 

 temperature is not even. When bees are 

 warm they overeat, and when cold suddenly 

 stop eating, and this disarranges the diges- 

 tion. 



Mr. Dougherty said that the hives of bees, 

 when they are housed either in cellars or 

 houses made for the purpose, should be car- 

 ried out at least once, on favorable days, 

 during the winter, so that they can fly out 

 and clear themselves. Bees have been kept 

 5 months in rooms that have a cool tempera- 

 ture, and came out all right. 



Mr. Prince said his method of ventilation 

 was to till his small boxes with dry hay and 

 set them over the holes in the top of the 

 hive — every few weeks during the winter he 

 changes the hay, always finding the hay 

 wet. The advantage of this is that the hay 

 keeps the hive warm as well as takes up the 

 moisture. 



To keep bees from flying out and dying on 

 the snow, Mr. Dougherty said he had suc- 

 ceeded best by raising the hive about an 

 inch, letting the cool air run through the 

 hive. This also ventilates the hive and 

 bees nicely. 



After some desultory conversation among 

 those present, it was decided to adjourn to 

 meet again in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, on Satur- 

 day, June 14th. 1879. 



H. D. Walker. Sec. 



