1870.] 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



123 



Mr. Rood would give his opinion in a few 

 words— keep the swarms as strong- as possible. 



Mr. Portman thought that few bee-keepers 

 know how to keep swarms strong, yet the 

 method was as simple as possible ; take tlie 

 queen from the swarm, and put the bees back 

 into the hive. All injurious insects are more or 

 less troubled with parasites. In examining one 

 of his hives he found that it was infested by 

 moths, and that the motlis were literally covered 

 with small worms which seemed to feed on 

 tliom. 



jVlr. Rood said there were several ways of 

 keeping swarms strong. For his part he thought 

 that the moth wns really an advantage. Sup- 

 pose there are two weak swarms, not sufficiently 

 strong to stand the winter ; now that is the very 

 condition which is favorable to the moth. It is 

 searching for a hive in which the bees are not 

 numerous enough to cover the combs. Now if 

 we put the two swarms together, we defeat the 

 moth, and at the same time make the swarm so 

 strong that it will keep warm and healthy dur- 

 ing the winter. 



Mr. Portman thought that hives in which 

 there are large quantities of drone-comb are 

 more liable to the attacks of the moth, than 

 those which contain much worker-cond>. He 

 experienced this frequently. When he finds 

 drone-comb much aftected by the moth, he cuts 

 it out and throws it away. 



Mr. Biel said that if tlie entrance to a hive is 

 so regulated that the bees can guard it, the 

 moth will be kept out. A queen left one of his 

 hives in the swarming season, with about forty 

 bees, and, for the sake of experiment, he i^ut the 

 little swarm into a hive and closed the entrance 

 in such a manner that the bees could protect it 

 from the moth. Tlie bees worked well, and 

 made honey enough to suj^iiort themselves dur- 

 ing the winter. 



ARTIFICIAL SWARMING. 



Mr. Portman thought that an experienced 

 bee-keeper may succeed in increasing his bees 

 by artificial swarming even in as unfavorable a 

 season as last year was. This year the dividing 

 of stocks might be safely carried on even up to 

 the 1st of August. The season was a very favor- 

 able one. He intends to experiment extensively 

 in artificial swarming ne.xt year ; in fact, he 

 Avill venture to sacrifice seven or eight colonies 

 in investigating and studying out that question, 

 A bee-keeper will find something ncAV to learn 

 every year. 



Mr. Rood said that it takes some little time 

 to learn all the facts about bees. Tliere are 

 facts that cannot be communicated, cannot be 

 explained in books, and must be learned by ex- 

 perience. A man has to be in the apiary, and 

 watch the bees, in order to gain a thorough 

 knowledge of their habits. 



Mr, Moon said that, as a general thing, 

 where there is a scarcity of honey he would al- 

 low the bees to swarm. He found that when 

 honey is scarce, bees seldom swarm. He had as 

 many as thirty swarms this year, and has not 

 lost one. All settled in places where they could 

 be hived. 



Mr. Portman said that sometimes iieople 

 look out in the fields and see an immense quan- 

 tity of white clover, and infer from this that the 

 season will be a first-class one for honey. Now 

 this is not always the case. Sometimes bees do 

 not work in white clover, because there is no 

 honey in it. There are seasons when there is no 

 honey at all in white clover. 



Mr. Rood said that bees seldom gather honey 

 from white clover after tlie loth and 20th of 

 July. After that date, although there may be 

 plenty of white clover, there is no honey in it. 



[From the Prairie Farmer] 



North- Western Bee-Keepers' Association. 



OFFICIAL REPORT. 



The fourth annual meeting of tliis Association 

 was held on Wednesday evening, Sept. 28, at the 

 Courthouse at Decatur, Illinois. The attend- 

 ance, considering the state of the weather and 

 other local causes, was very good. It was ar- 

 ranged to have only one session this year ; but 

 this, as events proved, was an oversight, for a 

 series of meetings might have been held with 

 profit. Hereafter matters will be so arranged, 

 we trust, that several meetings may be held, and 

 that a greater number of topics may be brought 

 before the society for discussion. When there is 

 but one session, and that a brief one, the time is 

 mainly taken up by reading tlie minutes of the 

 l^revious meeting, recording the names and ad- 

 dress of new members, electing officers, appoint- 

 ing committees, and transacting other legitimate 

 business. 



REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT. 



The President, M. L. Dunlap, called the meet- 

 ing to order at 7 o'clock, and briefly reviewed the 

 bee interests of the past season. In some repects 

 he regarded the season as a peculiar one. In 

 some sections of our country there has been a 

 remarkable yield of surplus honey secured, while 

 in other sections bees have barely stored enough 

 for their winter use. His own locality has been 

 visited by a severe drouth, on which account his 

 lioaey crop has been nearly destroyed. More 

 attention should be given to the cultivation of 

 honey-producing plants, and esjjecially those that 

 can be relied upon in seasons of drought. Before 

 we adjourned he hoped the subject of bee pas- 

 turage would be taken up and discussed. 



From what I see, hear, and read, it is evident 

 that we are making rapid strides in this branch 

 of rural economy. Men of intelligence and moral 

 wortli are at tlie helm. Quacks and charlatans, 

 with long-toed boots and clownish attire, with 

 mouth and hair full of bees, and vending that 

 miserable stutf called "bee charm," no longer 

 disgrace themselves and our fairs, and niisreiii-e- 

 sent our calling. On the conti'ary the ajjicul- 

 tural exhibitions at our fairs are now conducted 

 by intelligent practical bee-keepers, and in a 

 quiet and orderly manner. This certainly de- 

 notes progress and will command respect. 



