294 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



May 13, 



Mr. Canuteson thought it was poor policy to try to cure 

 foul brood, for, as a rule, the bees were not worth saving, as 

 they usually died in the winter. 



THE SPRATING OF FRUIT-TREES. 



The spraying question then camo up. Messrs. Faulkman, 

 Hanson, Sanberg, and several others spoke on it. The bees 

 are the fruit-growers' friends, and all were of the opinion 

 that to spray in the bloom after the proof and experience we 

 have had in the matter, was not only throwing money and 

 time away, but would be criminal. The belief was also en- 

 tertained that in Utah there would be no more serious trouble 

 on this subject, as past experience had proven the folly of 

 such a course. 



Mr. Lovesy said that the apple-trees came into bloom 

 about the latter part of April, and when the moth lay their 

 eggs they hatch out in about a week, and yet no moth-larvfe 

 are found in Utah prior to the first to the third week in June, 

 as a rule, thus proving that no eggs are laid until about a 

 month after the trees were in bloom ; and while spraying may 

 wash the pollen out of the blossom, and thus destroy the fruit, 

 it can do no possible good. 



Mr. Hawkins askt if It would be possible to organize a 

 Honey Exchange. Remarks were made on the subject by 

 Messrs. Fagg, Butler, Scott, and others, but no definife con- 

 clusion was reacht. 



HONEY- ADULTERATION AND FRAUDULENT DEALERS. 



The subjects of honey adulteration and fraudulent dealers 

 next came up. The bee-keepers were warned not to allow 

 themselves to be caught or robbed by the latter class of people. 



Messrs. Hone, Fagg, Scott, Stuart, and others showed 

 conclusively that glucose was one of the main causes of the 

 ruinously low price of pure honey. Incidentally it was exprest 

 that if sufficient capital could be raised to organize a Honey 

 Exchange it might be productive of much good to the industry. 



Mr. McRay gave a long and interesting address on those 

 subjects. He said that adulteration was practiced in the East 

 to such an extent that the people could not tell what they 

 were buying— honey or something else. It is disgusting to • 

 the bee-keepers and to the general public, and it works a 

 serious injury to the bee-industry. 



It was decided that a general movement should be made 

 by all bee-keepers in the United States, to petition the General 

 Government to pass a law against the adulteration of honey ; 

 and a resolution was past by the convention asking the co- 

 operation of the bee-keepers of the country in this matter. 



The above report was compiled from notes taken by Sec- 

 retaries Fagg and Garrett. E. S. L. 



CONDDCIED BY 



DR. O. O. 3iILLER. MARBNGO, ILL, 



[Questions may be mailed to the Bee Journal, or to Dr. Miller dlrect.l 



Increasins; the Number of Colonics. 



1. What is the best way to increase my colonies? Could 

 I put on queen-eijcluding honey-boards and put one queen in 

 the top story, one in the bottom, and get them both to lay ? 

 or would they Increase Just as fast if they were divided ? 



2. What is the best way to divide colonies? How many 

 times can they be divided In one season. If working mainly for 

 Increase of bees, and the honey crop is fairly good, the bees 

 being In good condition ? Audrain Co., Mo. 



Answers.— 1. It's somewhat dillicult to say just what 

 would be the best way for you to increase. You ought to 

 have a good text-book and study up general principles, then 

 you will be In better position to know Just what will suit your 

 case. For many persons, nothing is better than to Increase 

 by natural swarming. For some, artlflcial increase is better, 

 especially when one is anxious for increase, and the bees re- 

 fuse to swarm. The plan you have in mind, separating the 

 colony Into two parts by a queen-excluder, and putting a 



queen in each may work well, but there are exceptions. You 

 say, " put one queen in the top story, one in the bottom," Now 

 if you mean that literally, having both queens of the same 

 kind, then you might about as well have the two In separate 

 hives from the start. 



Perhaps what you mean is, having the old laying queen In 

 one story and letting the other story rear a queen. If you 

 can make a succes of this latter plan there maybe quite an 

 advantage in It. But they'll not always rear a queen in the 

 queenless story. The more separation there is between the 

 two parts, the greater likelihood of success. It will help mat- 

 ters if you put a sheet of tin or thin boards over the larger 

 part of the queen-excluder. All may be covered except a row 

 or two of cells around the outside. Leave the old queen in 

 the lower story, and have a small entrance to the upper hive. 

 Two or three days after making the division you may expedite 

 matters by putting a sealed queen-cell in the upper story, or 

 better still, a young queen Just out of the cell. When the 

 queen is laying in the upper story, all you have to do Is to set 

 It on a new stand, and your doubling is complete. 



If you can get the bees to rear a queen In this way. It Is 

 better than dividing from the start, for the old queen can go 

 right on laying her full quota, whereas if the colony Is weak- 

 ened by division, the queen's laying will be lessened. 



If you are working for extracted honey, you may find it a 

 good plan to put a story of extracting-combs over the lower 

 story, then a third story above containing brood-combs. In 

 this third or upper story the bees will be pretty sure to rear 

 a queen if you give them eggs or young larvaj. Of course 

 there must be an upper entrance. 



2. The previous answer tells something as to the best way 

 to divide ; and as to the number of times, you can keep on 

 starting a new colony every time you remove the upper story 

 with a laying queen. 



Sowing for Bee-Pasturage. 



I have about li of an acre of spare ground which I do not 

 want to plant with vegetables. I have just bought four more 

 tolonies, and would like to plant something for the bees to 

 work oa. What is best to sow ? There is very little for bees 

 around here. J. H. D. 



Answer. — Perhaps you can sow nothing that will give 

 more nectar for the amount of ground than sweet clover. But 

 J^ of an acre of ground cannot be expected to do a great deal, 

 no matter what it contains. 



Black and Shiny Bees. 



1. The bees are carrying black, shiny-looking bees ou tof 

 the hives. What is the cause of their turning black ? 



2. What shall 1 do to prevent it ? 



Linn Grove, N. J. 



Answers. — 1. Bees become black and shiny when they 

 lose their " feathers." ' A very few such bees may be seen In 

 almost any apiary, but they will be seen in greater numbers 

 when a colony is attackt with bee-paralysis. If they have 

 paralysis, you will notice that they have a peculiar trembling, 

 and their bodies become swollen. 



2. Probably there is nothing you can do. Many cures for 

 bee-paralysis have been proposed, but it is doubtful whether 

 any of them do much good. In the South, colonies suffer 

 severely from paralysis, but as far north as New Jersey the 

 loss seldom amounts to much. 



An Experience with a Laying-Worker Colony. 



As to-day was quite warm and pleasant after a long, cold, 

 rainy spell, I went out to my bee-yard to see how many of my 

 nine colonies of bees were bringing In pollen, and I saw that 

 eight of them were coming in loaded. While watching the 

 other one I saw drones in front of the hive. This colony has 

 been carrying out dead bees every warm day during the past 

 winter, and I have scraped out large quantities of them with a 

 stick. When I discovered those drones I immediately un- 

 packtthem and opened them up for investigation, and found a 

 good double handful of drones and about twice as many 

 workers, and the two center frames with patches of drone- 

 brood, larval, and eggs, some cells containing as many as 

 three eggs. I immediately said, " How do you do, Mrs. Lay- 

 ing-Worker ?" and resolved to adopt heroic treatment at once. 



I took each frame and examined it carefully, and placed 

 It in another hive, but of course I found no queen or laying- 



