287 



ing. Queen-cells may have to be in- 

 serted, or a young queen introduced. If 

 you come across the passage of a moth- 

 worm under the capping of your brood 

 combs, and pull him out, you have done 

 something which paid you well for the 

 trouble of opening your hive. If a party 

 tells you that bees get hurt when opened 

 you may depend on it that he is a poor 

 bee-keeper, or that he, at least, does not 

 understand how to open a hive of bees. 

 I had frequently a comb in my hands 

 with the queen quietly keeping on de- 

 positing her eggs. A good bee-keeper 

 should always be acquainted with the 

 state of every one of his colonies, that 

 he may know what to expect when the 

 honey season comes. 



There is, in my estimation, no hive 

 which combines so many advantages 

 and has less objectionable points than 

 the Langstroth. The only objection 

 made to it has been that the frames are 

 too shallow for successful wintering ; 

 an objection which hundreds of us, for 

 years past, have proved to be none at 

 all. We winter bees in Langstroth hives 

 as successfully as bees are wintered at 

 all, and Langstroth's disciples are 

 counted among the most successful bee- 

 keepers in the country. The shallow- 

 ness of the brood frame with the honey 

 chamber immediately above imitates 

 nature closely, and is apt to give us the 

 best results; consequently, we must 

 keep in view that not wintering alone 

 is our object, but a full honey harvest. 

 Give me, therefore, a shallow frame, 

 just deep enough to insure successful 

 wintering. 



From the above we have seen that 

 bees, if left to themselves, keep their 

 brood close together and store their 

 honey above. It should be our aim in 

 early spring to get those 10 frames com- 

 posing our brood chamber filled with 

 brood. By the aid of division boards 

 we can give our bees just as many 

 combs as they can well cover. They can 

 control their temperature better in a 

 smaller apartment, and breeding is pro- 

 moted. Their frames will be filled from 

 end to end and from top to bottom, 

 when, without division boards, we find 

 small patches of brood in twice the 

 number of combs, but amounting to 

 not half the quantity of brood. We 

 should at no time allow a vacancy in any 

 one of our hives, if we care for the wel- 

 fare of that colony. 



"When using division boards we must 

 examine about once a week and add an 

 empty comb as the number of bees in- 

 crease. Division boards should not 

 touch the bottom by % inch, as bees will 

 help themselves lively from combs of 

 honey hung on the other side. 



Our 10 frames being filled with brood 

 at about the beginning of the honey 

 harvest, we mayput our sectional boxes 

 on (1 at a time is perhaps best). and add 

 another just as soon as a lively progress 

 is noticed. We have then large colo- 

 nies, and may not only expect large re- 

 turns, but, as there arc s<> many young 

 bees hatching all the time, the queen is 

 kept busy refilling with eggs those cells 

 just vacated, that no swarming fever 

 may arise, if the necessary room to 

 store honey is given above. 



When the queen has the necessary 

 room to deposit eggs, and the bees have 

 the necessary room to deposit honey, no' 

 swarming will take place. This wemaj 

 set down as a rule, but there is no rule 

 without an exception. A queen may 

 be crowded for room, when a comb filled 

 with honey hangs on each side of the 

 brood. No difference how many empty 

 combs hang on the other side. So many 

 bees, especially Italians, will be 

 crow r ded for store room if we do not 

 give 1 full comb above, serving them as 

 a ladder to run up on. 



The Secretary 1 said he was glad to see 

 Dr. K. L. Spurr present, an extensive 

 bee-keeper, and Vice President of the 

 Kentucky Agricultural and Mechanical 

 Association, the gentleman who is en- 

 titled to all the credit of any and all 

 recognition the bee-keepers of Ken- 

 tucky have received at the hands of the 

 Association, of which he is an excellent 

 officer. 



Dr. Spurr answered that, as a member 

 and officer of the Kentucky Agricultural 

 and Mechanical Association, he took 

 great interest in the encouragement of 

 bee culture ; in fact, is a warm advocate 

 of bee-keeping interests, and feels sure 

 the Association of which he is an officer 

 will meet the wishes of the bee-keepers 

 in a liberal spirit, and, as we arc intend- 

 ing to build a large hall in which we can 

 give you ample accommodations, I hope 

 to see a grand and lull display, not only 

 of honey, but of every implement and 

 hive in use; also bees in observation 

 hives; in fact, everything that will 

 tend to dispel the too prevalent idea 

 that bee culture, bee-keeping and bees 

 are insignificant : for there is not a no- 

 bler occupation I know of. and no study. 

 no history I have ever took more inter- 

 est in than bee culture. Although I 

 have never had the time to attend your 

 conventions my best wishes were with 

 you. I have been a student of bee cul- 

 ture these many years, as these gray 

 locks will attest. 



On motion, Dr. Spurr was unani- 

 mously elected an honorary member of 

 this Association. Dr. Spurr thanked 

 the Societv for the compliment, and 



