American Bee Journal. 



EDITED AND PUBLISHED BY SAMUEL WAGNER, WASHINGTON, D. C. 



AT TWO DOLLARS PER ANNUM, PAYABLE IN ADVANCE. 



Vol. IV. 



JUIV^, 1869. 



No. 12. 



[For tbo American Bee Journal.] 



Michigan Beikeepers' Convention. 



In our last issue we noticed the organization 

 of this Convention, and gave a list of the offi- 

 cers elected. 



The next meeting is to be held at the time 

 and place of the next Michigan State Fair. 



The following is the official report, by the 

 Secretary, of the discussions : 



Why Do Bees Swarm ? 



Mr. Otis thought the primary instinct of 

 worker hees was to store honey, not to repro- 

 duce their kind. For want of honey cells, they 

 would destroy eggs and young in brood cells, 

 and form queen cells. Tuc queen is character- 

 ized hy implacable hatred to other queens, and 

 as these are hatched, if the worker bees would 

 not permit her to destroy them, she would form 

 a colony and swarm. He thought queen cells 

 were never built except when there was a full 

 store of honey, or when the old queen was 

 disabled from accident or age. 



Messrs. Baldridge, Moon, and Portman 

 thought that, as with all other animals, the 

 prime instinct of bees was increase of kind. 

 They had known swarming to take place in a 

 hive not more than half full of honey, and con- 

 taining a young fertile queen. They also thought 

 that a season rich in honey plants induced more 

 early and frequent swarming. 



Best Method op Wintering Bees. 



All thought there should be a dry uniform 

 temperature, from 32 to 45 degrees. Should be 

 kept in the dark, free from disturbance, and 

 whatever they were in should be mouse-tight. 



Messrs. Taylor, Baldiidge, Townley, Otis, 

 Conklin, and the President, argued strongly for 

 housing. If put in cellar, it should be dry and 

 quiet. Clay cellars were never good. If 

 houses were built, the ground should be hollow 

 and filled in with saw dust. Some advocated a 

 room within a room. The President said he 

 kept a snow bank near, and, to keep the tem- 

 perature sufficiently low, would throw in 



snow when necessary. To winter well, bees 

 should be numerous enough, have plenty of 

 food, and some empty cells in which to cluster, 

 to keep warm. Care should be taken not to 

 overheat, as the exercise would cause overfeed- 

 ing, which would fill their intestines with fasces 

 and cause disease. Bees should be taken out on 

 warm days, to extrude their excrement. Should 

 have empty comb for eggs in the spring. 

 Cloths and cobs should be placed in the space 

 for surplus honey boxes, to absorb moisture. 

 Good ventilation was urged by all the speakers. 

 All thought that keeping the bees thus warm, 

 or in uniform temperature, would save fifty per 

 cent, in honey. Some had known good sized 

 stands, when housed, to be kept on four pounds 

 of honey. 



Rev. Mr. Portman, with Metcalf hive, had 

 been more successful in keeping bees on sum- 

 mer stands, than his neighbors had been in 

 housing. He questioned very much if housing 

 paid for the extra expense and trouble. With 

 many others, he had known bees when buried 

 under straw and earth to winter well. 



Mr. Moon had experimented much. He 

 said on summer stands ice would sometimes 

 prevent good ventilation. Pure air was the 

 great desideratum. He thought out-door winter- 

 ing most safe . Bad air was the most fruitful 

 source of disease. 



Mr. Kent said if bees were thoroughly venti- 

 lated they would eat as much when housed as 

 they would on summer stands, and, if not well 

 ventilated, disease would settle among them. 



Mr. Cook thought the extra heat in housing, 

 without great vigilance, would sow the seeds of 

 disease, and that beginners would run less risk 

 by wintering on summer stands. 



Best Method op Artificial Swarming. 



Mr. Moon looked with little favor on artificial 

 swarming. He thought no stand should be di- 

 vided more than twice in the season; generally 

 once was better. He thought natural swarm- 

 ing the best. Never lost a swarm. He could 

 control the time of swarming as follows : 

 Raise queens artificially, and by putting one in 

 a large full stand, swarming immediately took 

 place. 



