412 



Mr. Hodgson has found from his own 

 experience and from many persons of 

 whom lie has inquired, that bees winter 

 best in cellars with merely the ground 

 instead of board floor or cement. 



Mr. Gibbon has wintered the best 

 with his bees set right on the ground 

 with a board between ; they were much 

 better than those set higher up. 



Mr. Sayles says he has tried wintering 

 nucleus colonies on Mr. Guenther's 

 plan ; feeding September 1st ; wool 

 cushion; and auger hole above entrance 

 with perfect success. 



Mrs. Dunham suggested that each 

 one tries 5 colonies on Mr. Gunthers 

 plan, and report the result. 



Mr. Moore says he built a new bee- 

 house of brick ; wood lined ; dead-air 

 space ; plastered and 4 ventilators ; also 

 ventilators to let out hot air ; keeps the 

 room 30° to 35° ; put in 6 colonies ; one 

 colony had a space for ventilation in 

 hive, which filled with ice ; took ice out 

 but the bees died. 



Mr. Place put 46 colonies in cellar in 

 November ; first tier 2 feet above the 

 floor ; had enameled cloth over frames 

 but found them very wet ; put on pieces 

 of heavy blanket and they became dry 

 and nice ; brought them all out splen- 

 didly but one which smothered ; has 

 lost some by dwindling and starving on 

 grape sugar ; has it planted all over his 

 garden, and even the neighbors' bees 

 will not touch it. 



Mr. Johnson says he has tried upward 

 ventilation with loss. He was success- 

 ful with no ventilation and dry earth 

 till a severe winter made a total loss ; 

 he then packed snow around and smoth- 

 ered them — they need some ventilation, 

 but not much. A direct draft he thinks 

 causes a loss of heat. On account of 

 bees visiting stores, in villages, and be- 

 ing killed there, he keeps them shut up 

 till late in the spring. When snow is 

 on the ground, he spreads straw around 

 before giving them a fly. 



Mr. Spear asks if bees can be win- 

 tered without pollen V 



Mr. McColm wintered 3 colonies with- 

 out pollen ; much brood-rearing requires 

 too much activity and too great a con- 

 sumption of honey : breeding in winter 

 is a great detriment; young bees must 

 fly to be healthy; in 1877 had 98 colonies, 

 lost 45, and every colony that died had 

 brood in every stage ; in 1878 had 65, 

 lost heavily again from extreme breed- 

 ing ; in 1879 became satisfied that breed- 

 ing was attended with loss, so deprived 

 3 colonies of pollen ; they done well. 



The Convention adjourned to meet at 

 Oshkosh, Winnebago county, Wis., the 

 third Tuesday in January, 1881. 



Frances Dunham, Sec. 



LaCrosse, Wis., Convention. 



The bee-keepers in the vicinity of 

 LaCrosse, held a preliminary meeting 

 at the City Hall the 10th of August. 

 John A. Zalser was chosen temporary 

 Chairman and L. H. Pammel, Sec- 

 retary pro tern. Mr. Pammel stated the 

 object of the meeting, and gave a brief 

 history of bee-keeping. Those present 

 then decided to make preparations for 

 an exhibition and meeting to be held at 

 the City Hall, on the 14th day of Sep- 

 tember. A programme was also com- 

 pleted including four essays which 

 several prominent bee-keepers have 

 decided to write for the Convention. 

 L. II. Pammel, Sec. pro tern. 



Northern Indiana Association. 



A number of the bee-keepers of Por- 

 ter county, Ind., met at the court house 

 in Valparaiso, July 31, 1880, and organ- 

 ized a bee-keepers' association, to be 

 known as the Northern Indiana Bee- 

 Keepers' Association, and elected J. L. 

 Harris, of Wheeler, President ; V. 

 Heineman, of Valparaiso, Vice Presi- 

 dent; J. B. Decrow, of Valparaiso, Sec- 

 retary; T. S. Bull, of Valparaiso, 

 Treasurer. Their first meeting is to be 

 held September 25, 1880, at 2 p.m., and 

 their regular meeting for the election of 

 officers, is to be held the first Thursday 

 in April, 1881, in Valparaiso, Ind. 



J. B. Decrow, Sec. 



N. W. 111. & S. W. Wis. Convention. 



The North-western Illinois and 

 South-western Wisconsin Bee-Keepers' 

 Association held its quarterly meeting 

 at Squire Whitlesey's, 2 miles south or 

 Pecatonica, May 4, 18S0. All the officers 

 being present the meeting was called to 

 order by President Lee. 



Many questions were presented and 

 discussed. 



Mr. H. W. Conklin presented an im- 

 plement for making a starter in section 

 boxes. It consists in placing a half- 

 cell in wax on the under-side of top of 

 section box. The invention was pre- 

 sented to the bee-keepers for which the 

 Association tendered its thanks to Mr. 

 Conklin. Thanks were also voted to 

 Squire Whitlesey for his hospitality. 

 The Association adjourned to meet at 

 Mr. Levi Ileister's, in Bock Grove, 

 Stephenson county, 111., on Tuesday 

 Sep. 7, 1880. 



The annual meeting will be held in 

 Freeport, 111., on the second Tuesday of 

 January, 1881. J. Stewart, Sec. 



