THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



151 



Michigan Bee-Keepers' Association. 



>SPKING iSEsSSION. 



Kalamazoo, Mich., May 6, 1874. 



Pursuant to a call for special session of 

 this association, a goodly number of bee- 

 keepers assembled at the Corporation Hall, 

 in this city, to-day. Convention called to 

 order at two o'clock P. M. In the absence 

 of the secretary — Frank Benton — II. A. 

 Burch was elected secretary pro tern. After 

 the usual reading of minutes of previous 

 meeting and the transaction of business 

 relative to the financial atfairs of the Asso- 

 ciation, the programme for the meeting 

 was taken up. Papers were presented and 

 read as follows : 



Standards of Excellence in Bee-Culture, 

 by Herbert A. Burch ; in which the writer 

 took occasion to demonstrate the necessity, 

 and urge the adoption of " standards of 

 excellence " by which veiy efficient aid 

 might be rendered the apicultural frater- 

 nity. 



Transferring, and Hurplus Honey, by C. 

 I. Balch ; delineating a simple and safe 

 plan for beginners in apiculture. 



Artifrial Swarminc/, by T. F. Bingham ; 

 a novel method, having much to recom- 

 mend it. 



Low Hives, by Julius Tomlinson ; in 

 which the writer portrayed the advantages 

 of shallow frames. 



Wintering, by Prof. A. J. Cook ; setting 

 forth in brief and concise form, the essen- 

 tials of success in wintering bees. 



The discussion of the topics embraced 

 in the foregoing essays, though somewhat 

 desultory, possessed much interest, being 

 instructive withal ; a brief epitome of 

 which, we give as follows. 



T. F. Bingham. — Can we rely upon ob- 

 taining drones from young queens ? 



C. I. Balch. — Yes, in abundance. 



A. C. Balch. — I have no difficulty in 

 inducing young queens to fill all the drone 

 comb I give them. Am troubled with 

 superabundance, rather than paucity of 

 numbers. 



Henry King. — Is it safe to open hives in 

 cold weather ? 



T. F. Bingham. — Yes at any time when 

 the bees will not freeze. Though the 

 books caution against chilling brood, ac- 

 tual experience has demonstrated that this 

 danger is wholly imaginary. The more 

 hives are opened, the belter for the bees. 



H. King. — Can we not ascertain the 

 presence or absence of the queens, without 

 the trouble of closely examining each hive, 

 separately V 



T. F. Bingham. — There is no more neces- 

 sity of opening hives to ascertain queenless- 

 ness, than there is of employing a micros- 

 cope for that purpose. Place your ear 



close to the hive and tap it sufficiently hard 

 to wake the bees ; if the response is ener- 

 getic and ceases almost instantaneously, 

 they have a queen ; but if the response; is 

 languid and dies out slowly, they :;re 

 queenless. I have found this rule so inv; r 

 iabaly correct, that I never oi)en liives to 

 ascertain queenlessness, even if examining 

 hundreds, and never make mistakes. 



Julius Tomlinson.— I have fully tested 

 Mr. Bingham's plan, and have found it 

 simple and perfectly reliable. 



Mr. Evarts. — Are there outside indica- 

 tions of a queen's presence in the hive ? 



T. F. Bingham. — If immature young 

 bees are seen in front of a hive, it is satis 

 factory evidence of the presence of a queen . 

 Queens, like some persons, are erratic in 

 their movements, eluding the most careful 

 search ; and to ascertain to a certainty 

 the presence of "her majesty" without 

 examining the combs, is a great saving ol' 

 time in managing a large apiary. 



Mr. Evarts. — Will queenless stocks gather 

 pollen ? 



Pres. A. C. Balch. — Not to any extent. 



T. F. Bingham.— They will in the fall. 



C. I. Balch. — Yes, if they have drone 

 layers. 



James Heddon. — Queenless colonies are 

 easily distinguished by the diminutive pel- 

 lets of pollen that the bees gather in spring. 



Dr. Southard. — Has any one experienced 

 difficulty in regard to queens dying the 

 present spring V 



T. F. Bingham. — I have lost a great 

 many, and had it not been for reserve 

 queens which I wintered, should not have 

 had a swarm left to-day. Have lost 160 

 stocks as it is. Two years ago, when I 

 lost heavily, the queens died from over 

 work ; but the present spring, there has 

 been but very little brood to be found even 

 in the strongest colonies. 



Pres. Balch.— Will Mr. Bingham tell us 

 the cause of his loss in wintering ? 



T. F. Bingham. — Special interposition of 

 Divine Providence through the hand of 

 man. 



C. I. Balch related instances of queens 

 deserting their hives. One queen that per 

 sisteutly refused to stay at home, deported 

 herself as " becometh " a queen, when 

 given to a queenless colony. 



Albert CanifF. — Why this loss of queens ? 

 My own theory is that the old bees die and 

 the hive becomes depopulated ; they swarm 

 out. 



T. F. Bingham. — My queens died ui 

 their hives. I experience little or no diffi 

 culty in wintering bees ; but how to 

 "spring " them ; that's the question. 



Pres. Balch. — My bees have become 

 very much reduced in numbers, by the 

 bees getting lost while " out a foraging," 

 on chilly spring days. 



