March 1, 19C6 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



197 



Mr. Stanley— Probably 1,200 to 1,500 the past season. 



Mr. McCain — I wish I had the experience and ability 

 to write a book entitled, "Forty Years Among the Bees." 

 I do not Lelieve this is right; I believe the system should 

 be condemned. I think it is all wrong. I think it is un- 

 natural, abnormal, forced from beginning to end. My 

 experience is limited, but that is the way it looks to me. 



Mr. Dadant — I do not believe we should condemn a 

 system because it is forced. There are a great many 

 things done by domesticating. We have changed the na- 

 ture of a good many animals. I think the argument that 

 the thing is not right because it is forced has no weight. 

 I can see no reason why the queen should suffer, and I can 

 see a saving in expense to the bee-keeper. I believe the 

 boxes should be made so that none of the bees need be 

 lost. 



Mr. Root — Perhaps I can harmonize the differences 

 of opinion. I do believe they are all right so far as mating 

 the queens is concerned. We were moving on wrong lines. 

 We had too few bees. It was said 100 would be enough. 

 I believe it was wrong there. After we had prepared the 

 article, in order to make the thing work, we went to 400. 

 When we had about 400 it worked. Putting the frames 

 further anart commends itself as being very good. When 

 you get a ball of bees, it will be just as warm, whether 

 large or small, up to a certain extent. The Pratt baby 

 nucleus is, perhaps, no larger than those two boxes there. 

 We can make it work by having one comb and putting 

 more bees in it. I think if we should try it over again, we 

 could do it. It is my belief that with a tin box, the results 

 would be all right. I believe cells are liable to be chilled 

 out in a box where a pasteboard cover is used. We make 

 it just as warm as we can. The baby nucleus Pratt rec- 

 ommended had 8 frames to the Langstroth frame. That 

 makes it too small. The frames we are now using give 

 better results with 3 to the Langstroth frame. The virgin 

 queens themselves should be reared in strong colonies, 

 then when they have arrived at the right age we introduce 

 them. We have to modify some of the th"ngs we thought 

 we knew last year. 



The new President of the National Bee-Keepers' Asso- 

 ciation, Mr. C. P. Dadant, was introduced to the conven- 

 tion, and responded. 



Mr. Dadant — Mr. President, I will have to make an 

 extempore speech, but I have not prepared it! I simply 

 wish to thank the bee-keepers for my election. I am afraid 

 I will turn out to be a very poor presiding officer, but I 

 will do the best I can. I am not a speaker, therefore, you 

 will not expect a speech from me. I leave speaking to 

 better men than myself. 



Mr. George E. Hilton, the newly elected Vice-Presi- 

 dent of the National Association, was called for, but had 

 left the hall. 



Mr. W. Z. Hutchinson, Secretary of the National, was 

 introduced to the convention and responded: 



Mr. President, there seems to be a lot of poor talkers. 

 I can only say as my brother has said, I thank the bee- 

 keepers for the honor. 



The General Manager, Mr. N. E. France, was also 

 introduced. 



Mr. France — As Mr. Dadant has said, I thank the 

 bee-keepers for the honor. I have tried to do what is 

 right for them, and hope to continue so doing. There are 

 some things connected with the work that are pleasant. 

 Again, there are some parts of it that I wish somebody 

 else had. But put it all together, we are progressing, and 

 we are accomplishing much of good. I hope you will all 

 feel it is your part to help. One officer cannot do it alone. 



Pres. York — We have with us Dr. Eaton, analyst of 

 the Illinois State Food Commission. 



Dr. Eaton — As I expect to read a paper before the 

 National Association, I will not have anything to say at 

 the present time, except to congratulate the bee-keepers 

 on the market for honey as regards adulteration; especially 

 as regards extracted honey, because we have hardly found 

 a sample of adulterated honey in Illinois this year. 



Pres. York — I have not succeeded in getting anyone 

 to talk very much, and so will call on Dr. Miller. 



Dr. Miller — I am not an officer, and I can talk. 



Pres. York — You are still a Director of the National, 

 and will be until January 1st. 



Dr. Miller — Well, I can talk until January 1st, then. 



The convention then adjourned to meet at the call of 

 the Executive Committee. 



=% 



Southern 

 * 23eebom * 



j 



Conducted by Louis H. Scholw New Braunlels, Tex. 

 Early Spring Work in the Apiary 



It is not too early in the South to begin our spring work 

 in the apiary in February if sufficiently warm weather ob- 

 tains. Our seasons differ very much in different years, 

 however, sometimes being a whole month earlier, and again 

 a whole month later, than in ordinary years. With an 

 early season brood-rearing begins well in January, and 

 swarming may be expected in the month of February. In 

 a late season these periods may come fully two months 

 later, but ordinarily February is our opening month. Brood- 

 rearing begins, and new pollen and some honey from the 

 early willows, water-elm, and our very early spring flowers 

 stimulate the bees to activity, in which they soon build up 

 to rousing colonies. 



Our First Work. 



It is at this time that our first inspection of the colonies 

 for the year should be made. We should see that all colo- 

 nies are well supplied with stores. Bees short of honey in 

 early spring will not breed up and become strong in num- 

 bers as will those well supplied with honey. Such colonies 

 will " hang back " throughout the entire season; having 

 had a " bad start," it is impossible f them to keep up the 

 race. . 



It is surprising, also, how fast the bees use up their 

 stores when brood-rearing has begun in earnest, and all 

 colonies not well supplied with sufficient stores are likely 

 to run out, and either starve outright or become so re- 

 duced in numbers that they will be worthless as a colony 

 the rest of the season. 



Record the Conditions. 



An examination of each colony should be made and the 

 exact condition of each noted. To do this it is not neces- 

 sary to spend much time on each colony, but the following 

 procedure is practised : 



Selecting the warmer part of the day, the hive is opened 

 and just enough smoke used to keep the bees from flying at 

 the operator, as they will be found to be quite cross yet. 

 Our object should be to disturb the colony as little as pos- 

 sible, and yet gain our purpose. The combs are now spread 

 apart at the center of the main cluster, and the center comb 

 from it is removed to note the egg-laying and condition of 

 the brood-nest. If eggs and brood are present, and in such 

 condition as, in your judgment, it should be, and a glance 

 and rough estimate shows at a guess about 15 to 20 pounds 

 of honey in the hive, then the colony is marked "O. K.," 

 whether the queen is seen or not. The eggs and brood, and 

 the condition of the brood-nest, are sure signs of the pres- 

 ence, and shows the prolificness, of the queen at this time of 

 the year. If no eggs or brood are found on the first comb, 

 it might be well to remove a second one. If no brood or 

 eggs are found, and the colony has sufficient stores, it is 

 marked " Doubtful," which is indicated by a simple cross 

 or X on the hive and in the record book, and the colony is 

 to be visited again two weeks later. 



All colonies short of stores are marked in some way on 

 top of the hive, simply by placing some object, stone, or 

 piece of wood upon the cover so it can be easily seen from 

 any part of the yard. The strong colonies with a surplus 

 amount of stores are marked in the same way, only that the 

 objects are placed in a different position from the " short" 

 colonies, to indicate which is which. 



Providing Stores for Weak Colonies. 



After the whole apiary has been examined, and all the 

 colonies short of stores, and those with a surplus, have been 

 marked, the next step will be to equalize the stores of these 

 colonies. A comb or two of honey is taken from the 

 " rich " colonies and given to the " poor," empty combs 

 from the poor colonies replacing those taken from the 

 strong ones.' This is undoubtedly the best, easiest, and 

 cheapest way to feed bees to supply necessary stores that I 

 have tried, but there is some danger connected with the 



