examination, I found they had a queen 

 to take her place. 



Let me close this imperfect report by, 

 expressing the hope that if friend Hed- 

 don ge ts the situation of Superintendent 

 of the .National Apiary, at $2,500 per 

 year, which he proposed to locate at 

 Petoskey, Northern Michigan, may be- 

 come famous for its apiculture, and if 

 this great project should fail, Mr. Hed- 

 don may be able to bear the disappoint- 

 ment, and this part of the State, after 

 years of recuperation from the misfor- 

 tune, prove that there is honey in the 

 carcass of the lion, if he did not find it 

 in Petoskey. 



A vote of thanks to the committee 

 was passed for their able report, and 

 the report was adopted. 



The following essay by Mr. A. E. 

 Wenzel was then read : 



Wintering Bees on the Snmmer Stand. 



We should ever feel under obligation 

 to do our utmost as progressive bee- 

 keepers, to advance our mutual inter- 

 ests, as in all other relations of life ; the 

 result of such unselfish labor to be de- 

 termined by the public whose interests 

 are intended to be subserved. I infer 

 that it is not your society's intention to 

 confine remarks to any particular sub- 

 ject, but to have each respective branch 

 of the apiarian industry, as one chooses 

 to select, brought out for its fuller de- 

 velopment. If so, I shall choose for my 

 subject the oft repeated theme, " Win- 

 tering Bees upon the Summer Stand," 

 which subject, though threadbare, is 

 still unintelligible to many. Assuming 

 that much has been said, too much has 

 been interpolated that has no bearing 

 directly upon the vital point at issue. 

 The errors have been errors of com- 

 mission rather than of omission, by gen- 

 eralizing upon the whole system, instead 

 of confining a subject to special treat- 

 ment, and which, otherwise, might 

 often deservedly be rebuked by saying 

 thereof, " It's talked to death." 



To winter bees successfully, it is of 

 prime necessity that they be in proper 

 condition in the fall, like other stock. 



To winter bees at all, we must assume 

 their condition as favorable to be opera- 

 ted upon ; their position and location to 

 be assumed also as the best (or should 

 be made so), as suited to one's necessity 

 and convenience; plenty of honey in 

 the hives ; bees numerous, which indi- 

 cates a prolific queen. Their dwindling 

 at times is, unfortunately, caused by 

 extraneous conditions, which may be 

 assigned to unseasonable molestation 

 and sudden unfavorable changes in the 

 weather. 



Some people would over-do their pack- 



ing or " stuffing;" stuff everything full 

 where empty space allows, on the top, 

 sides and bottom— their limit to the 

 same being restricted only by the 

 amount of lumber at their disposal. 

 Too much packing over the frames, 

 without vent, absorbs and retains the 

 moisture exhaled from the bees, while 

 below the moisture is frequently drawn 

 in from without by capillary attraction, 

 which moisture in either case has a ten- 

 dency to decompose the saturated pack- 

 ing, thereby rendering it unfit for the 

 purposes designed, if it does not other- 

 wise become solid by frost, in which 

 state it becomes an element of cold. 



Another fruitful error (one which is a 

 crime of commission), is the robbing of 

 the bees of their necessary winter stores, 

 thereby putting them to the necessity of 

 seeing how little they can winter upon, 

 and consigning them to certain starva- 

 tion in case of a backward spring. 



Even molesting combs late in the sea- 

 son, for the purposes of examination or 

 for perforating holes through the same 

 for winter passage-ways to their stores, I 

 esteem as a fruitful source of disease, 

 by the brood becoming chilled by ex- 

 posure, and frequently disturbing other- 

 wise the normal condition of things by 

 breaking joints and combs, for which 

 the bees have no redress, it being too 

 unseasonable for them to make repairs, 

 besides it sometimes induces robbing, 

 thereby also causing decimation. 



A hive properly packed over the 

 brood chamber, I esteem as the only 

 essential to safe wintering on the sum- 

 mer stands. 



When the side of the hive permits of 

 a space by double walls (not particu- 

 larly in feet nor inches, as any practical 

 small air space that will allow of circu- 

 lation of air would appear beneficial), I 

 claim from my own long experience, 

 formerly with' the common box hive 

 and more recently with the American 

 frame hive, treated as I recommend, that 

 side packing is not really essential. 



The new comb-honey racks of the 

 period are an excellent arrangement for 

 properly packing above the bees, to wit : 

 after removing the section boxes, insert 

 wire-cloth in their place above and on 

 the bottom of the rack ; if such racks 

 be not used, then by sticks elevate the 

 wire-cloth enough to allow a passage for 

 the bees underneath it, upon the brood 

 frames (a temporary frame surrounding 

 the wire-cloth), then cover with a piece 

 of common muslin, say 2 feet square, 

 upon which chaff, buckwheat hulls, 

 wheat bran or sawdust, to the depth of 

 1% or 3 inches (with the edges of the 

 muslin projecting over the top to facili- 

 tate removal when desired in the spring), 



