456 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



Gov. Gray. From the remarks just made, I may have been misunderstood. I 

 did not intend to infer that any farmer or other person keeping bees adulterate 

 honey. I think this is not done. This adulteration is done by persons who do not 

 have bees. 



INCREASE OF BEES. 



Mr. Anderso7}. Was not this year poor for swarming? 



Mr. Leming. The fore part of the season was good ; up to the 5th of July, I 

 took 140 pounds of honey from one colony. The honey crop was good up to that 

 date, but after that it was not so good. Our bees extracted a great deal of honey 

 from boneset and red clover; they work on red clover well, notwithstanding some 

 think they won't. The Italian can perhaps extract from the red clover better than 

 some other race. We have also considerable smartweed which yields some honey. 



Mr. Scholl. Mr. Leming's idea is to place sealed brood in the surplus chamber 

 so as to draw the bees up there to work ; but the majority will not go, the queen 

 would follow as fast as the bees came out. 



Mr. Muth. I have been successful in controlling swarming; my plan is to in- 

 crease the swarm by the division board as friend Leming related. 



Mr. Leming, This thing originated with the Quinby hive. I am satisfied that 

 swarming can be controlled. 



Mr. Muth.. I have had no swarms for fourteen years, and you might think I can 

 control swarming. 



Mr. Leming. There are certain things which govern the strength of the colony 

 and queen. I have been puzzled sometimes how to control swarming when the bees 

 were ready ; I have went so far as to jerk the lid off and taken the water can and 

 sprinkle on the top to cool the heat down. 



Mr. Bull. I have been successful in swarming. If my bees get too strong I 

 give them plenty of room, and have no trouble in that respect. 



Mr. Scholl. Do you practice clipping queens ? 



3fr. Bull. No, I do not. 



Mr. Leming, There are natural causes for swarming. Where the hives are in 

 the open sun it will help swarming, but if kept cool eventually the heat will pass 

 out above. I think it can be prevented to considerable certainty. 



Mr. Davis, I would like to know what is meant by the swarming fever. I& 

 there anything of that kind ? Is it contagious ? 



3fr. Daugherty, It is impossible to prevent swarming. I had few swarms last 

 year, and none the year before, but it is not because I can control swarming. I can 

 not control it. When they have a disposition to swarm, it is called swarming 

 fever. When I find that, I know if I don't have a remedy they are going to go out. 

 It is their nature to swarm, and when they get so far as to produce that fever they 

 are going to swarm. The principal cause of swarming is the lack of room for 

 storing honey and for the queen to lay. When one colony starts, it will cause 

 others. Bees will swarm without the sign of a queon cell, sometimes 



Mr, FuUmi. Some are worse than others. I would like to know if this has been 

 the observation of others. Some will swarm three or four times, when others will 

 swarm only once. 



