S2 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



■containing no drone cells she ^U lay 

 only worker eggs, and that if a drone 

 comb only be given her she will lay 

 drone eggs in the cells. They hold that 

 a queen can be made to lay drone eggs 

 early in the spring by giving her some 

 drone comb in the middle of the brood 

 chamber, but that she will la}^ drone eggs 

 only when she cannot do otherwise. 



This discussion was brought before the 

 Society of JBee Culture of La Oironde, 

 and a commission of three members was 

 elected by tlie society to make experi- 

 ments on this subject. An empty hive 

 was furnished with five combs containing 

 drone cells only, one of which was full of 

 iioney. A colony was placed in it with a 

 queen newl^^ fertilized. The queen was 

 very prolific. The hive was put in the 

 cellar on the 7th of September, and left 

 there ten days. The queen had not yet 

 laid any eggs. On the 24th of Septem- 

 ber, i. e., one week after, she had laid 

 about 100 eggs in a part of the hive where 

 there were about twenty worker cells. 

 On Oct. 1st the hive was opened again, 

 and it was ascertained that the brood was 

 partly sealed, and that all of the caps 

 were flat. Several of the drone cells were 

 then opened, and it was ascertained that 

 thejr contained worker chrysalis; that 

 .these workers were well formed ; that they 

 had all the characteristics of worker bees; 

 that these bees did not occupy all of the 

 space in the cells, and that in none of the 

 cells had the walls been thickened or the 

 cell made narrower. On Oct. 8th the hive 

 was opened again, and it was found that 

 a certain number of bees had hatched; 

 that they were all worker bees ; that the 

 bees, when hatching, made an opening in 

 the cell of the exact size of their body, 

 and that the remnant of the cap remains 

 around the rim of the cell. No chrysalis 

 of drone was found. 



This seems quite conclusive. Still Mr. 

 Dadant says, that as the drone comb was 

 dark and old, he would like to see the ex- 

 periment tried again with new combs. 

 He thinks that the drone cell may have 

 become narrow from age and use. 



We will keep our readers informed of 

 the future experiments of this commis- 

 sion. C. P. Dadant. 



Hamilton, 111. 



The Michigan Bee-Keepers' Associa- 

 tion. 



Kalamazoo, Mich., Dec. 1, 1875. 

 The Ninth Annual Session of the Mich- 

 igan Bee-Keepers' Association convened 

 in Corporation Hall, at 2 P. M., Vice- 

 President A. C. Balch in the chair. A 

 large number of the leading apiarists of 

 this and adjoining states were present; 

 and but for untoward circumstances, the 

 number would have been much greater. 



The annual session of the National So- 

 ciety at Toledo, O., which commenced to- 

 day, prevented many from meeting with 

 us, while business engagements com- 

 pelled the absence of several of our most 

 active workers, among the number being 

 President Bidwell, Prof. Cook and Mr. 

 F. F. Bingham. But the enthusiasm of 

 those present compensated for the lack of 

 numbers, resulting in one of the most val- 

 uable gatherings we ever held. 



President Balch stated that as this 

 was an annual meeting, the regular busi- 

 ness of the Association would be trans- 

 acted before taking up the programme of 

 the convention. The Secretary read the 

 minutes of the May convention, which 

 were approved. The Treasurer's report 

 exhibited a handsome balance in the 

 treasury, evidencing a healthful monetary 

 condition. The Secretary then read a 

 detailed report of his work for the Asso- 

 ciation for the past year. He stated that 

 our Association enjoyed the reputation of 

 being the oldest existing organization in 

 America, and that he had received evi- 

 dence from various sections of the coun- 

 try that our proceedings were looked for 

 with even greater interest hy the masses of 

 apiculturists, than those of the National 

 Society. 



Notices of the meeting were widely cir- 

 culated, and an extensive correspondence 

 instituted with a view of obtaining as 

 many essays on practical and scientific 

 topics of interest to bee-culturists as pos- 

 sible ; many good promises were obtained, 

 but very few papers were received. He 

 also stated that many complaints had 

 been received because the convention was 

 held at the same time as the Toledo meet- 

 ing. In explanation he cited the conven- 

 tion to the fact that when we adjourned 

 last May, it was the general impression of 

 those in attendance that the Toledo meet- 

 ing would occur the week previous to our 

 own, as their reports stated it would be 

 held in November. From this it would 

 readily be seen that we entertained no de- 

 sire to interfere with that body, and that if 

 any charge of interference was to be sus- 

 tained, it lay at the door of the manage- 

 ment of the National SocietJ^ After the 

 transaction of other business, the pro- 

 gramme of the convention was taken up 

 by the reading of a paper by J. P. Moore, 

 Binghamton, N. Y., entitled "The House 

 Apiary," by the Secretary; in introducing 

 the first topic: "Will the introduction and 

 general use of the ' House Apiary' be ad- 

 visable?" 



Mr. MoouE stated that after three years 

 experience with the House Apiary he 

 could say but little in its praise ; that it 

 gave no better results in honey ; the bees 

 would swarm even worse than out of 

 doors ; and that it was ever so much more 

 work to manage bees in the House Apiary 

 than out of it. 



