THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



239 



Los Angeles B. K. Meeting. 



The Bee-Koopers' Association met at the 

 ranch of Mr. A. J. Davidson on July 15. 



President Brack called the meeting to 

 order. 



The minutes of the last meeting were 

 read and aiiproved. 



Mr. Davidson read a report from the com- 

 mittee on sale of honey. Also a letter from 

 J. S. Ilarhison in regard to the same matter 

 in San Diego. He stated that he had letters 

 trom the principal bee-keepers in San Ber- 

 nardino and Ventura counties, who ex- 

 pressed themselves willing to co-operate 

 with us. 



REPORT OF SPECIAL, COMMITTEE. 

 Davidsons AriAUY, July 15, 1S76. 

 Mr. President, and Members of Los Angeles B. 



K. Association. 



Ladies and Gentlemen : —In pursuance of 

 a motion passed by our honorable body, ap- 

 pointing a committee to confer with bee- 

 keepers in this and adjoining counties, for 

 the purpose of securing a fair price for our 

 products, we report the following: 



We have received favorable answers to 

 letters written to some of the principal pro- 

 ducers of honey in San Bernardino and Ven- 

 tura counties, in which they promise co-oper- 

 ation, as individuals, and would try to etlect 

 an associated action. All. as far as heard 

 from, including representative men in this 

 and San Diego counties, realize the justice 

 and importance of our movement, as it will 

 protect not only the producing class, but also 

 the dealers in honey. We are advised by San 

 Francisco dealers, that producers are very 

 much to blanie in our present demoralized 

 market In that city, by ordering forced sales 

 while it is out of season for its sale; and also 

 by sending to parties who. by inexperience, 

 are not informed as to this fact, and have con- 

 sequently saciiticed their consignments. Our 

 local home markets have been effected in a 

 similar way to that of San Francisco, and all 

 of these will act and react so that our Eastern 

 markets will be atTected in like manner, ac- 

 cording to the well-known laws of trade. 



We are also in possession of facts which 

 show clearly that the crop of this season is not 

 large, and if properly ottered for market and 

 in the right season, there will not be enough 

 to supply the markets that should depend 

 upon us for this useful article of food. These, 

 with many other reasons that could be ad- 

 duced, lead us to advise patient adherence to 

 plans that accord with the spirit of the resolu- 

 tion which called into existence this commit- 

 tee. L. S. Butler, Com. 



It was moved and adopted that the com- 

 mittee ascertain the charge for a store room 

 in Los Angeles, find a competent person to 

 take ciiarge of and grade honey, and ascer- 

 tain what his remuneration will be for gra- 

 ding and for selling and shipping honey 

 from this store room. 



It was moved and adopted that a compe- 

 tent person be appointed to proceed to San 

 Francisco to urge upon the honey dealers 

 the necessity of co-operating together, of 

 holding the honey until the demand is such 

 that a fair price can be obtained, and to in- 

 duce them to make advances to producers 

 who inav be in need thereof, without sacri- 

 ficing the honey at a low, non-paying 

 figure. 



Mr. A. J. Davidson was appointed agent, 

 and agreed to start as soon as he received 

 $2.5 to defray his traveling expenses. 



It was resolved that a collection be taken 

 of voluntary contributions for this purpose. 



Mrs. B. Richardson invited the Associa- 

 tion to meet at her place on the first Satur- 



day in September. The invitation was ac- 

 cepted. 



The Association tendered thanks to Mr. 

 Davidson for his hospitality. 



Four new members joined the Associa- 

 tion. 



The meeting then adjournc'd to meet at 

 Leek's hall on the third Satinday in Aug- 

 ust. W. Mutii-Kasjiussen, 



Secretary. 



— •■^•'^ 



For the American Bee .Journal. 



Introducing Queens. 



The killing of queens by introducing is a 

 curse as heavy to the buyer of queens as to 

 the seller. For this killing can happen 

 without the control of the bee-keeper, and^ 

 of course, he accuses the sender of having 

 furnished him with a black or hybrid queen 

 instead of the imported or tested one paid 

 for. 



I see in the American Bee Journal, 

 for July the directions given by Nellis Bros, 

 for introducing queens, and want to make a 

 few remarks on this question. 



The method proposed by Mr. Nellis will 

 do if the queen to be introduced is on hand. 

 But suppose she is ordered from a bee- 

 breeder, and that from some cause or other 

 she does not come when expected; or that 

 she arrives dead. Then this method is at 

 fault. Therefore it cannot be relied on in 

 every case. Especially this removing of 

 the queen, 7 or 9 days beforehand can not 

 do for us importers. Each invoice of bees 

 from Italy remain from 22 to 31 days en 

 route. We cannot tell in advance the pre- 

 cise time ot the arrival, and take out the 

 queens in advance; besides, some invoices 

 contain a good many live queens, while 

 others very few. The second and third in- 

 voices that we received from Italy this 

 season had only six queens alive out of 44; 

 the fourth and fifth had 43 out of 44. So it 

 would have been an impossibility to liave 

 taken out the queens to be replaced by the 

 imported ones, before knowing the number 

 of queens alive, and the imported queens 

 are tired when they arrive, so tired that a 

 delay of a day, sometimes of a few hours, 

 causes the death of one or two queens. 



But this is not all. By the method of Mr. 

 Nellis you have to cut all the queen cells 

 which have been made during the 7 or 9 

 daj's of the queenlessness of the colony. In 

 very strong colonies to find every queen cell 

 is very difficult. If you miss one your 

 queen will be killed. I know of several 

 bee-keepers who have had their queen su- 

 perseded in that way. While others were 

 not aware of the fact and accused their 

 senders of having sent a hybrid queen in- 

 stead of a pure or tested queen, when the 

 change had happened in their own apiary 

 without their knowledge of the fact. 



Is it not more expedient and more safe 

 not to remove the queen to be replaced, -be- 

 fore the queen to be introduced is on hand, 

 and to put in the hive the (jueen caged for 

 36 or 48 hours, taking care not to disturb the 

 bees and not to let any robber introduce it- 

 self in the hive when you liberate her? 



Out of 54 imported queens introduced this 

 spring in our apiary by this method, we 

 have lost but one, who was sick and died a 

 few days after her introduction. The only 

 bad chance that we have encountered with 

 this way of introducing, as is related in the 



