THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



227 



queen with honey, and send the bees back. By 

 tbe time they have taken the honey from her 

 they would surely be friendly. If honey was 

 plenty, he followed the plan recommended by 

 Mr. Portman. 



Mr. Baldridge said, to change queens, just kill 

 the old one, then throw her in the midst of the 

 bees, and in their grief they will gladly receive 

 the introduced queen. 



Mr. Balch said beginners had better use the 

 cage, as recommended by Mr. Langstroth. 



Proper Time to Introduce Honey Boxes. 



Rev. Mr. Portman said if the season is good 

 and the stock strong, put on the honey boxes 

 early. He would put two swarms together, if 

 young, and place the boxes in two or three days; 

 if sooner, the queen may lay eggs in the extra 

 honey comb. 



The President thought that honey boxes 

 should bo placed as soon as the bees drum on 

 the hive. 



Can Honey be Extracted from Comb that 

 Contains Uncapped Larvje without 

 Throwing out the Larvae ? 



Mr. Otis thought this matter of little import- 

 ance. 



Mr. Moon thought differently. He did not 

 wish an extracting machine if it destroyed the 

 larvse. 



Can Queens be Reared and Fertilized in 

 Winter ? 



No person present could answer affirmatively. 

 Why do Some Queens Lay Only Drone 

 Eggs ? 



Messrs. Otis and Cook she w r ed that it had been 

 fully demonstrated by scientists that this was 

 owing to the eggs being unfertilized. This is 

 one of the very few cases among animals, where 

 unfertilized eggs would develop. Unfertilized 

 queens would always lay drone eggs. Fertile 

 queens couid lay drone or worker eggs, by con- 

 trolling the seminal sac. 



Is There Such a Thing as a Fertile 

 W orker ? 



Several gentlemen said they had seen work- 

 ers laying eggs. 



Messrs. Otis and Cook took ground that these 

 were immature queens, nevertheless, which, so 

 soon as there Avas a necessity, would deposite 

 eggs. Mr. Cook showed analogous cases among 

 other animals. 



Movable Frames and Bee-Hives. 



Mr. Portman thought movable frames were 

 very desirable. No one could afford to do 

 without them. 



Mr. Otis thought we should have that perfect 

 control of the bees, which could only be gained 

 by using movable frames. 



A resolution was passed that all from other 

 States in attendance at our meetings be con- 

 sidered honorary membors. 



A resolution was passed that we support the 

 American Bee Journal, and request its pub- 

 lication semi-monthly. 



The Secretary invited the members to visit 

 the Agricultural College. Mr. Moon hoped 

 that all would accept the invitation, as he had 

 visited the institution and had never enjoyed a 

 visit more in his life. 



Mr. Baldridge presented an invitation to all 

 the members to visit the North American Bee. 

 keepers' Association at its next meeting. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Answer to the Question, How Can I 

 Winter My Bees Successfully? 



Almost every number of the Bee Journal at 

 this season contains articles on wintering bees, 

 and "legion" are the plans suggested. One 

 would winter on the stands; another would 

 winter in the house. One would bury; another 

 would put in the cellar. One ventilates at the 

 top; another at the bottom. One uses corncobs; 

 another uses straw mats. One would cover the 

 passage through the honey-board with wire 

 cloth; another w r ould not use the wire cloth at 

 all. I fancy a novice would be led to suppose 

 that it was extremely difficult to hit upon a pro- 

 per plan; and that, at best, there was a great 

 deal of trouble attending the wintering of bees. 

 Now I would say to my fellow beekeepers that 

 it is quite as easy to winter bees as to winter 

 horses, and far less trouble. All this talk about 

 corncobs, stiaw mats, wire cloth, and the va- 

 rious methods of ventilation, will do well 

 enough for those who have time to attend to it. 

 Practically, however, it is of no account. To 

 ■winter bees successfully one must first under- 

 stand what is the natural condition of bees dur- 

 ing the winter; then winter them so as to secure 

 that condition; and nothing further is required. 



It may be asked — what is the natural condi- 

 tion of bees during winter ? I answer, it is a 

 semi-dormant state — a sleepy, stupid condition. 

 The reason why such a state is the natural one, 

 may be given as follows: First, it is a state or 

 condition in which the least amount of food is 

 required; hence the bodies are less distended un- 

 der this condition, and the excrements are more 

 easily retained. Secondly, a semi-dormant 

 state is secured at a temperature calculated to 

 carry off by evaporation the watery substances 

 from their bodies, thus securing a more healthy 

 condition of the stock. Thirdly, the tempera- 

 ture being always above the freezing point, the 

 bees are able to reach any part of their hive at 

 any time for food. Fourthly, bees wintered in 

 a semi-dormant state always come out in the 

 spring healthy and vigorous. This fact alone 

 is sufficient to prove it to be a natural condition 

 for winter. How then can it be secured ? Says 

 one, if I have a room in which I put fifty stocks, 

 it is all right; but if I have only eight or ten in 

 it, it Is all wrong, for it is too cold. Says 

 another, I find the same difficulty in construct- 

 ing a place lo winter bees ; if I make it warm 

 enough for half a dozen stocks, it is too warm 

 for forty or fifty stocks. Allow me to say that 



