THE AMEBIC AN BEE-KEEPER 



Jiiruiari/ 



number of cells started, for linishing 

 and then return the queen, fi-ames and 

 all, to the hive below and put on the 

 boxes if honey is coming in. 



If honey has not been coming all the 

 while feed liberally during the entire 

 time stated above and you should have 

 queens equal to the natural swarm 

 kind. 



Swarthmore, Pa. 



WHAT TO DO 



And Things to Think About During the 

 Winter. 



BY F. GKEINEU. 



THE months from December to 

 March are the months when we 

 may write about any subject on 

 bees or honey without any fear of being 

 ruled out by the editor. Anything will 

 be seasonable. 



Now, although th(U'e is scarcely any 

 work we may do in our apiaries, still 

 there is wori< that we can do. It i-s a 

 good plan to get ready for the coming 

 season. But ti)at is not all. Now is the 

 time for bee-lceepers' meejina:s, vis ting 

 neighbors or distant friends engaged in 

 the same pursuit; it is time for reading 

 and for study. 



lam acquainted with a numb3r of bee- 

 keepers living within few miles of where 

 we hold annual bee-keepers' gatherings, 

 who never attend or participate in any 

 way. I am sure it would be to their 

 interest to do so. Why are they so re- 

 luctant? A bee-keeper may post him- 

 self by reading the bee-journals and the 

 bee-books. He may be so well posted 

 that nobody could teach him any more. 

 He might not think it worth while to 

 spend his time attending such a meeting 

 or become a member of a Bee-keepers" 

 Association, which might cost him fifty 

 cents or possibly a dollar. To such a 

 brother I would say: If we all had felt 

 and acted like that for the years past, 

 would we have a foul brood law. an 

 anti-spray law, anti-adulteration laws, 

 etc.? No indeed! A singh; individual 



can effect but little; collectively, united, 

 we are a power that can make itself 

 felt. Men in other pursuits form unions 

 for the protection of their 7nutual 

 interests. It would be short sighted- 

 ness if the bee-keepers did not do like- 

 wise. The very name of belonging to a 

 "union'' has some influence and weight 

 sometimes. Two years ago I happened 

 to have some deal with a commission 

 man in Brooklyn. I discovered too late 

 that the man's reputation was not the 

 best and I began to fear I would not be 

 able to get my just dues. As a last re- 

 sort I threatened to put the matter into 

 the hands of a U. S. B. K. Union. A 

 sjDeedy settlement was then made. 



I never had to call on the National 

 Bee-keepers Association for any assist- 

 ance, but I cheerfully pay my mem heir- 

 ship fee annually as I pay my fire insur- 

 ance premium. I don't expect my 

 buildings will bui'n up, but they may. 



It costs one dollar annually to be a 

 member of the National Bee-keepers' 

 Association. Our local association 

 charges fifty cents for a similar privi- 

 lege. So for one dollar and fifty cents 

 paid annually I have been a member of 

 two associations for a number of years. 

 The constitution of the National Asso- 

 ciation is now so changed that for one 

 dollar any one may be a member of both 

 associations, providing the local asso- 

 ciation joins in a body and pays fifty 

 cents for each of their members into the 

 trea-jury of the National. It seems to 

 me that all local associations would take 

 advantage of this feature of tlie new 

 constitution. 



Members of any Bee-keepers' associa- 

 tion are also benefitted in otlier ways. 

 Nearly all publishers of bee-journals 

 grant them a discount of from twenty- 

 five to fifty per cent, on the regular sub- 

 scription price of their bee-papers. In 

 my own case, for instance, I save fully 

 the dollar membership fees in my sub- 

 scriptions alone. Practically, it costs 

 me nothing to be a member of the two 

 associations. 



