266 



TnE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



[June, 



placed, smear the Italian queen with honey, 

 and drop her into the top of the hive. 



Mr. Koot thought we could not afford to 

 squander so much time in the swarming season. 

 A stock deprived of its queen often loses in a 

 lew days an amount of brood equivalent to a 

 swarm. It' queens can be introduced immedi- 

 ately, he believes we could afford to lose one out 

 of every five, rather than wait a number of 

 days. 



Mr. Van Alstine had paralyzed bees with puff- 

 ball, and after hunting out the black queen, had 

 put the Italian queen among them. By this 

 means queens are easily introduced tobox Jiives. 

 lie also united weak stocks by paralyzing the 

 bees. 



Mr. Van Deusen had introduced queens in 

 another maimer. Take thin sugar syrup and 

 scent it with anise oil, in the proportion of five 

 or six drops of oil to a pint of syrup. Remove 

 the black queen and sprinkle the bees well with 

 the syrup, when the Italian queen will be kindly 

 reccnved. 



Adjourned to meet at 8^ o'clock to-morrow 

 morning. 



MORNING SESSION. — Marcli IG. 



The association met promptly at time spe- 

 cified. Minutes of the last session read and 

 approved. 



The following question was proposed and dis- 

 cussed : — Will the general use of suitable em.pty 

 comb, prove advantageous to bee-keeping? 



Mr. Hazen was called upon to give his experi- 

 ence, lie said he had not given this matter 

 inucli attention. He once had a stock standing 

 in his apiary, which must have lo.st its queen, for 

 when the swarming season came the bees were 

 nearly all gone. For two or three daj's he noticed 

 an unusual stir about the hive, at the expiration 

 of which time a large swarm came from an un- 

 known source, and took possession of the hive. 

 These strange bees were evidently cleaning house, 

 prepar.itory to moving in. Although the hive 

 was filled with combs, this swarm did not store 

 as much surplus honey as many swarms placed 

 in empty hives. 



Mr. Quinby wished to know if the hive was 

 not infested with worms. 



Mr. Hazen thought not. 



Mr. Quinby. — Was not the comb filled with 

 bee-bread ? 



Mr. Hazen did not know. His experience 

 with empty combs had not been of a favorable 

 nature. 



Mr. Stanton thought it profitable to give empty 

 combs to swarms — especially large ones, as they 

 are apt to build too much drone comb. 



Mr. Hetherington said he found first swarms of 

 moderate size built more drone comb than very 

 large ones. He thought the case cited by Mr. 

 Hazen was a very unfavorable one, as the hive 

 was probably filled wilh old bee-bread and dirt. 



Mr. Quinby said the secret of making empty 

 comb a source of great profit, consisted in using 

 the honey-emptying machine. When fiowers 

 yield honey abundantly, if swarms are supplied 

 with comb, they fill it before the queen can de- 

 posit many eggs, and at the end of the season 



the hives are crowded with honey ; and although 

 the stocks appear strong in numbers, they are 

 com] aratively weak. Honey should frequently 

 be taken from the centre of the hive, thereby 

 giving the queen many opportunities of starting 

 brood. Stocks storing in boxes, should also be 

 treated in this manner, as it docs not retard the 

 filling of the boxes, and insures their strength. 



Mr. Root said hives containing 2,000 cubic 

 inches were large enough for the absolute wants 

 of the colonies ; but when the honey season 

 arrives, the bees should be largely supplied with 

 empty combs. He ventured the assertion that 

 five hundred (."iOO) poundsof liquid surplushoney 

 can be taken from a stock in one season, if 

 carefully and promptly managed. 



Mr. Xellis agreed with Mr. Root's assertion 

 and said he would try to obtain that amount. 



Mr. Van Deusen said that on the 25th of May 

 he hived a very small swarm Avith three empty 

 combs. When partly filled with brood, he 

 separated them and placed two empty combs 

 between them. Shortly after this he gave them 

 three frames of brood taken from other stocks. 

 This stock soon became very strong, and gave 

 liim seventy-six pounds of white clover box 

 honey. 



Mr. Vrooman said swarms hived with empty 

 combs should be supplied with boxes im- 

 mediately. 



Mr. .Nellis favored this idea, but thought the 

 bees would fill the body of the hive before comb 

 could be built in boxes. 



Mr. Hetherington said one fact had been estab- 

 lished — Great quantities of honey are used in 

 elaborating wax ; for this reason all clean comb 

 should be saved. He thought empty comb could 

 be used with peculiar advantage, twice in a sea- 

 son ; first, to secure brood in spring ; and 

 second, to derive the benefits of the honey har- 

 vest, by using the mel-extractor. 



The following resolutions were offered and 

 adopted : 



By Mr. Hetherington. — Resolwd, That the 

 Executive Committee of this association consti- 

 tute a committee on publication, and be vested 

 with discretionary power. 



By Mr. Vrooman. — Whereas, More rules seem 

 to be necessary to the proper government of 

 this association, therefore 



Resolved. That the President be authorized to 

 appoint a committee of three, to draft by-laws 

 to be presented at the semi-annual meeting. 



The President appointed as such Committee, 

 Messrs. Hetherington, Vrooman and Nellis. 



By Ml'. Root. — Resolved, That the President, 

 Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer be 

 appointed and con,stitute a committee to name 

 the points worthy of consideration in awarding 

 premiums for surj^lus honey, at the next State 

 Fair ; and furthermore, that they confer with 

 the Executive Committee of the Agricultural 

 Society in reference to the same. 



By Mr. Hetherington. — Whereas, The object of 

 this association— the advancement of scientific 

 bee-culture— has been in a great measure 

 defeated by neglect to give sufficient notice of 

 the time and place of this meeting, therefore 



R solved, That the Secretary be requested to 



