82 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



Jan. 25, 1906 



best interests of bee-keepers — in fact, to be impracticable, 

 there are few counties baving well-organized associations 

 that could carry on the work; others would suffer. Again, 

 this Association would find it very difficult — 1 may say, 

 impossible — to control the work through so many in- 

 spectors. The funds at their disposal would not warrant 

 opening the way for so many leakages as would occur. 



Therefore, 1 am of the opinion that three inspectors, 

 each responsible direct to this Association for the work 

 to be accomplished, would give better results than eithei 

 the present system, or the one of the County inspection, 

 bringing greater harmony into the work of the Associa- 

 tion ____ F. J. Miller. 



Prof. Harrison — These are the two possible extremes. 

 The one which we now have of only one inspector for 

 the Province — a system entirely inadequate to the require- 

 ments of the case; and the other of County inspectors, 

 which is at present altogether too much to expect. The 

 counties have not organizations, nor competent men, nor 

 sufficient funds, nor would the Government grant the 

 mi mey at present. 



One thing Prof. Harrison emphasized: That is, when 

 an association is shown to be using to the best advantage 

 the funds it has, the Government is more than willing to 

 increase its grant. There is an impression in the depart- 

 ment that this Association is not doing all it should do 

 for the country. So we must go slowly in our requests 

 until we are doing better work. Personally, he thought 

 a well-organized county could help defray the expenses 

 and have its own inspectors, in time; but for the present 

 the three Provincial inspectors would be better. This was 

 a step in the right direction, as the work would be done 

 more reasonably than at present. 



J. D. Evans— In order to get rid of the disease every 

 hive in the Province should be inspected. At present it 

 costs seven or eight dollars per apiary. With local in- 

 spectors much of the traveling expenses could be saved. 

 It is a serious matter, as judging by the inspector's annual 

 report there is no decrease in the number of infected 

 apiaries. 



Prof. Harrison proposed, and after long discussion the 

 convention adopted, amendments to the Foul Brood Act, 

 by which the Province should be divided into three dis- 

 tricts, with a competent inspector of apiaries for each. 



Sec. W. Couse, and others, thought each of the twelve 

 districts should organize, and each have an inspector, and 

 that twelve inspectors could inspect much more thor- 

 oughly, and would save expense by working near home, 

 and doing the work in fruit-bloom, when colonies of bees 

 are not populous and are easily inspected. However, as 

 Prof. Harrison pointed out, we could not hope to jump 

 from the extreme of having one inspector, to the other 

 extreme of having twelve inspectors. That might come 

 later. 



EXPER1HENTS AT CENTRAL EXPERIHENT FARM, 

 OTTAWA. 



Mr. Sibbald's Plan of Preventing Swarming. 



For the test 6 colonies of bees in 8-frame Langstroth 

 hives were selected, weighing on an average 4& J /> pounds 

 each. All were examined for swarming. June 10 there 

 was no sign of swarming. At that date each colony had 

 abundance of brood and a considerable amount of new 

 honey. June 15 they were again examined; 3 colonies 

 were found preparing to swarm. Those 3 colonies were 

 set off their old stands a little to one side, and new hives 

 were placed on the old stands thus left vacant. The new 

 hives each contained 2 empty combs and 5 empty frames 

 with 2-inch starters of foundation. 



The next operation, one frame of brood with queen- 

 cells on it. is taken from the old colony that had been set 

 to one side (making sure that we did not get the queen), 

 and placed witli the adhering bees in the hive between 

 the 2 empty combs. The extracting supers that had 

 previously been removed from the old colony is placed, 

 with all the bees it contains, on the new hive. 



June 19 a second examination was made. One more 

 colonj was preparing to swarm; this one was treated the 

 same as the former. The old colonies that had been 

 manipulated were examined, and all queen-cells were found 

 t,. be destroyed. The old colonies were then placed on 

 their original stands, removing the one frame of brood 

 from the new hive, destroying all queen-cells on it, and 

 placing it in the old colony. Any bees that remained on 



the starters were transferred to the old colony. The ex- 

 tracting super was then taken off, and the new hive was 

 again placed on the old colony along with the bees it con- 

 tained, making one very strong colony. 



The fourth colony that was found preparing to swarm 

 was treated after 4 days the same as the 3 former colonies. 

 The 2 other colonies did not swarm during the season. At 

 the close of the season we had 6 very strong colonies, 

 with plenty of stores for winter, and 468 pounds of ex- 

 tracted honey. 



Forced or Shaken Swarms — Mr. Pettit's Plan. 



For this test 6 colonies of bees in 8-frame Langstroth 

 hives were selected, weighing 49^4 pounds each. Examined 

 on June 10, they showed no sign of swarming; there was 

 abundance of brood and considerable new honey. June 

 15 a second examination was made; 4 colonies in this row 

 were preparing to swarm. 



Hives previously prepared for swarms each contained 

 in the order named — 2 dummies, one starter, one worker, 

 2 starters and 2 dummies — 8 in all. One of these brought 

 and set on a stand directly behind the hive to be treated. 

 The operator removes the 2 dummies from the right or 

 further side of the new hive, and shoves over the remain- 

 ing contents so as to leave the empty space next to the 

 hive. The combs nearest to the operator are lifted from 

 the brood-chamber, and shaken almost free of bees, and 

 placed in the new hive next the left wall. The next comb 

 has a double space for shaking off in the old hive. It 

 takes its place beside the first, and the return motion of 

 the hand carries the dummy from the new hive to the 

 old one. 



Comb Xo. 3 is shaken, carried to the new hive, and 

 dummy No. 2 is brought back. The fourth comb ex- 

 changes with the first starter, and so on. When the 8th 

 comb has been shaken in its own hive and transferred to 

 the new, the old hive is filled out with the remaining 

 dummies. We then put supers on again, close the hive, 

 and the bees have been "swarmed." The 2 remaining 

 colonies did not swarm during the season. 



On the 7th day after shaking, the 4 old colonies were 

 removed to another location. Most of the bees that were 

 flying went with the "shook" swarm, leaving the old 

 colony so weak that it did not have any inclination to 

 swarm, and only stored sufficient hone}' to carry them over 

 winter. 



At the close of the season, from this test we had 10 

 colonies and 432 pounds of extracted hone}'. 



John Fixter. 



W. A. Chrysler said he had tried Mr. Sibbald's plan, 

 and found it all right, if no increase is desired. He con- 

 sidered Canada should have a text-book of bee-keeping, 

 that the results of Mr. Fixter's experiments, along with 

 the other useful information on bees, should be collected 

 and bound. 



Morley Pettit considered he had outgrown the system 

 described by Mr. Fixter. He would not use "shook" 

 swarming for extracted honey at all, but by a system of 

 prevention rather than cure hold the colonies together so 

 they would not swarm but devote their energies to the 

 production of honey. 



R H. Smith, from 167 colonies, spring count, took 

 25,000 sections of honey, and increased to 185 colonies. 



Ed Dickenson — Put empty combs, one comb with 

 queen-cell and brood, in the new hive on the old stand, 

 and set the old hive to one side. Then in a few days set 

 the old hive to the other side, and all the cells will be 

 destroyed. Then set the old hive back on the old stand 

 and raise the honey stored in the new hive to the super. 

 This gives no increase, and swarming is broken up. 



WHAT CAN BE DONE TO HAKE THE ASSOCIATION 

 MORE USEFUL TO BEE-KEEPERS. 



Our Secretary has given me rather a difficult and 

 delicate mission in asking me to take the pulse and tem- 

 perature, as it were, and prescribe for this august Associa- 

 tion. Xo doubt the patient will take the medicine kindly, 

 and the members will suggest main other remedies which 

 have not occurred to me. 



In forming and carrying on an association the first 

 thing to consider is the aim of the association — its excuse 

 for existence. While 1 have not seen in the by-laws the 

 object of the Ontario Bee-Keepers' Association, I consider 

 it is, or should be, broadly, "the advancement of the bee- 



