466 



A. Rice stated that a neighboring bee- 

 keeper had a wingless queen which be- 

 came fertilized in some manner, but in 

 what way he did not know. 



Several questions relating to winter- 

 ing being propounded by different per- 

 sons, the President submitted a test 

 vote, in order to get an expression of 

 preference between the cellar and out- 

 of-doors. The vote was about equally 

 divided, 



E. J. Oatman, Dundee, 111., being 

 called up, said they had tried several 

 plans. Their first experience was under 

 the rules as laid down by N. C. Mitchell 

 in his circulars ; they had labored under 

 the impression that a warm, close, quiet 

 and absolutely dark cellar, were neces- 

 sary essentials in successful wintering; 

 but they had found that with healthy 

 bees light was essential to safe winter- 

 ing. They had tried feeding in the cel- 

 lar in February, and lost nearly all their 

 beeB. Of late years they have tried sev- 

 eral styles of wintering, both in cellar 

 and out ; last winter they packed mostly 

 on the summer stands ; those packed 

 warmly and fed in February, bred up 

 too soon, and spring dwindling largely 

 prevailed ; but those not fed done nicely, 

 and had the season been propitious, 

 would have given a large serplus. This 

 winter their bees will all be packed out 

 of doors, in tenement packing- boxes. 

 These tenements are so constructed as 

 to hold 4 hives each, 2 facing one way and 

 2 at their rear facing the other, with 

 straw or chaff packing in and around 

 them. This season the white clover and 

 other honey plants have failed in their 

 secretion, and he could not report one 

 pound of surplus honey. 



C. W. Naftzger inquired if they had 

 stimulated moderately, Mr. Oatman did 

 not think they would have clone much 

 better. 



Mr. Oatman replied he did not; they 

 have abandoned spring feeding entirely, 

 and he thought they had lost more bees 

 from that cause than in any other 

 way, 



A. J. Hatfield tried both plans of win- 

 tering ; part in the cellar, and part out- 

 doors packed around with hay. Those 

 put in the cellar came out strongest in 

 the spring, but dwindled away very bad 

 in the earlier part of the season, while 

 those packed on the summer stands 

 built up rapidly, and have given much 

 more surplus honey. 



T. S. Minier, Oak Park, 111., practiced 

 out-door wintering, and had lost only 2 

 out of 44 colonies ; he had observed that 

 those colonies put away without pollen 

 in the brood frames did not build up so 

 rapidly in spring as those with a plenti- 

 ful supply. 



I. R. Good wintered 67 colonies out- 

 doors in chaff-packed hives, and had 

 lost none ; he should continue to winter 

 in the same manner, and did not antici- 

 pate any loss this winter among more 

 than 100 colonies. 



T. S. Bull had always been successful 

 in cellar wintering. 



A. Rice recommended the following 

 as the cheapest, most successful and 

 easiest constructed winter protection : 

 Select a wall or plank fence that will 

 give the hives a southern or southeast- 

 ern exposure, then place the hives about 

 one foot distant ; pack behind and over 

 with hay or straw, letting the packing 

 come down well in front to completely 

 shade the entrance, so the bees will not 

 be enticed out to destruction by the 

 sunshine in winter ; when all are neatly 

 and snugly packed away, cover over 

 with a shed roof, with the ends of the 

 boards projecting beyond the fronts of 

 the hives, to prevent the snow and rain 

 from beating in. 



0. B. Fisk Bangs said Mr. Rice had 

 exactly described his method of winter- 

 ing. He had lost only when wintering 

 in the cellar. 



George Thompson wintered success- 

 fully in the cellar, and had no desire to 

 change. 



President Miller impressed upon all, 

 whether wintering in celler or packed 

 in chaff, the necessity of good ventila- 

 tion and plenty of fresh air. 



On motion, T. G. Newman was ap- 

 pointed a committee to collect statistics 

 of number of colonies represented, sur- 

 plus honey produced, amount of in- 

 crease, manner of wintering and per 

 cent, of loss. 



II. W. Funk inquired, " How do we 

 know that it takes from 15 to 20 lbs. of 

 honey to build 1 lb. of comb?" Con- 

 siderable discussion was indulged in 

 without eliciting anything definite. 



E. J. Oatman said he had experi- 

 mented by feeding sugar, and ascer- 

 tained he could have combs built out 

 and filled with brood at a cost of 123^ 

 cents each. 



A. J. Hatfield asked if straight combs 

 could be obtained in surplus boxes with- 

 out the use of separators V 



II. D. Burrell could not get straight 

 combs without using separators. He 

 did not think tin separators any impedi- 

 ment to the bees. 



C. W. Naftzger has had no difficulty 

 in obtaining straight combs without the 

 use of separators ; lie regards them as 

 wholly unnecessary in producing honey 

 for the market. 



Considerable discussion was indulged 

 in, and opinion was divided about equal- 

 ly in regard to their use. 



