148 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOLlRNALo 



March 10, 



"worms" last fall ; that Is, the honey and comb were eaten, 

 and the bees killed. Another neighbor who has had bees 

 more or less for 20 years or more refused the dovetailed hive 

 because it had no moth-trap attachment. It is needless to 

 say that the competition for the home market, or^ any other 

 market, does not come from such as these. 



Another neighbor, whom I was helping at threshing, a 

 couple of years since, wanted me to look at his bees. On rais- 

 ing the cap to the hive we saw the combs were attacht to the 

 cover, as there were no sections on, and they had begun at the 

 top and built their comb box-hive fashion. On seeing the 

 combs which were filled mostly with brood, the owner ex- 

 claimed, " There, they are at it again — rearing young ones. I 

 just tore the young ones out the other day, and now they are 

 at it again ! Whatever shall I do to make 'em quit rearing 

 young ones and go to storing honey ?" 



It was with difficulty I restrained him from tearing out 

 the combs of brood as he had done shortly before, as I saw 

 them lying around on the ground, for the " old " ones to " lick 

 up." 



COLONY ROARING OUT DOORS IN WINTER. 



I would like to ask Dr. Gallup if he hasn't made a mistake 

 about that colony in the crackt hive roaring so loud In such 

 cold weather. He referred to this in one of his recent articles. 

 I never heard of a colony of bees roaring in cold weather so as 

 to be heard a rod or more. I'll leave it to Dr. Miller if it is not 

 a good Indication of safe wintering, for bees to remain quiet. 

 Dr. G., I'll bet you've got that crackt hive, and that loud roar, 

 and one of those old-tlgie northern basswood honey-flows mixt 

 a little, somehow or another. 



I was puzzled when I first saw those drones. Has our 

 good old tested "queen" of apicultural journals turned drone- 

 layer ? Hardly ; she has just " boomed " the colony till they 

 are so strong and prosperous they must have a few drones, I 

 suppose. Now, If she doesn't " swarm," won't she make a 

 record ? I hope so. Crawford Co., Iowa, Jan. l-l. 



Report of the Michigan State Conventioa. 



BY W. Z. HUTCHINSON. 



The bee-keepers of Michigan met in Mt. Pleasant, Dec. 

 31 and Jan. 1. The meeting was called to order on the even- 

 ing of the 31st, with Pres. T. P. Kingham In the chair, who 

 addrest the convention briefly as follows : 



PRESIDENT BINGHAM'S ADDRESS. 



I trust I shall be pardoned for not occupying your time 

 with a lengthy address. It has been my pleasure to read the 

 addres-sesof other presidents during the past year, and I have 

 found them a pleasure and a profit. But in reviewing the 

 season's trend no markt improvements have been tested suffi- 

 ciently to merit especial attention except in foundation. The 

 so-called drawn foundation has not developt such qualities 

 and experiments as to exclude discussion of them In our con- 

 vention. The reports and experiments on the no-wall or 

 Michigan foundation I trust will be fully made and discust. 

 No other body has taken such a stand, and it is to be hoped 

 that doubts regarding it will be eliminated, and that it may 

 be reported as a positive success or failure. 



One danger threatens our industry, which it will be well 

 to consider, namely, foul brood. It has made its appearance 

 in the East as also in the West. To avoid it is most desirable, 

 and if already existing in this State, we need to know it that 

 we may all guard against its further diffusion. 



It would be desirable further to know how this peculiar 

 honey season has averaged In results. 



The supposed-to-be-new section without borders may 

 justly and profitably come under your special care. 



T. F. Bingham. 



H. S. Wheeler — I used a few oieces of the deep-cell foun- 

 dation, but saw nothing about It that was desirable. I think 

 that more tests are needed. 



Pres. Bingham — Bees are not satisfied with any founda- 

 tion that we can give them. The more walls that we give 

 them the more tinkering is needed to make it over to suit 



them. If we give them foundation with no walls, the^e is less 

 still of the tinkering. No one can make the cell-bottoms per- 

 fect, so that the bees will not change them over, but the less 

 change that is necessary to suit the bees the better. 



Mr. Bingham here showed a super of sections containing^ 

 partly-finlsht combs. One object of its exhibition was to show 

 how straight were the combs — no curlins — and the other was 

 to show that the foundation had been drawn out and utilized 

 as soon as a section of partlj-drawn comb that had been 

 placed in the super. 



W. Z. Hutchinson — Even with the no-wall foundation 

 the bees make a change in the base. First, they change it 

 over to a rounding base, then back to a lozenge-shape, as the 

 side-walls are started. 



Mr. Wheeler — Is it not true that the bees first make the 

 rounding shape to the base when building comb naturally? 



Mr. Hutchinson — I believe it is. I suppose that if we 

 wish to make foundation that will require the least change we 

 should make foundation with cells having a rounding base. 



Pres. Bingham — The flat-bottom foundation can be 

 changed to the natural-shaped base, and it is so changed, but 

 the deep-cell foundation cannot be so changed. The Dunham 

 foundation was fine for use in the brood-chamber. The cells 

 were soutd, and the bases very thin, but there was plenty of 

 wax in the side-walls. In the days of the Dunham, wax was 

 low in price and honey was high, and the saving of honey in 

 secreting wax for comb-building was of importance. Now the 

 reverse is true. But the Michigan, or no-wall, foundation 

 will not answer for brood-combs, as it Is too light. 



The Secretary now read a paper from Mr. L. A. Aspin- 

 wall, on the subject of 



Comb Foundation — Some AdvHnlagc§ and Disad- 

 vantages or the No-Wail Kind. 



The changed condition of wax after being subjected to a. 

 melting heat, rendering it tough and leathery, becomes an 

 objectional feature In comb foundation ; and only through 

 precaution in maintaining the limit of heat necessary in melt- 

 ing is the objection minimized. In addition to this objection, 

 and coupled with it, is impurity. This latter, however, is 

 chiefly propolis, and can be almost entirely eliminated in ren- 

 dering by using the solar extractor. 



Its being soluble in hot water at once commends to us the 

 superiority of sun-rendering over either water or steam ; the 

 latter, however, is less objectionable, altho the high tempera- 

 ture {212'^ at least), together with the attendant condensa- 

 tion, naturally tends to dissolve the propolis and contaminate 

 the wax. Being soluble in hot water, particles Infinitely 

 small become incorporated with the wax, the presence of 

 which may be recognized by the greenish shade, which also is 

 proportionate with the amount it contains. The contrast is 

 wonderful when compared with the beautiful yellow product 

 of the sun extractor, as Is also Its texture, which is rendered 

 hard and brittle In the same ratio. 



Inasmuch as wax melts at a temperature varying from 

 150°tol60-, according to its purity, I would caution all 

 against excessive heat, even in sun rendering. With a tem- 

 perature over 212^ the tendency to soften propolis whereby it 

 becomes more or less Incorporated with the wax is much in- 

 creast. Instead of painting the , extractor black, which is a 

 severe strain upon the wood, being subjected as it is to ex- 

 treme expansion and the consequent contraction, I use white 

 paint both inside and out, obtaining the most satisfactory 

 results. 



Altho other impurities, such as pollen and that which 

 naturally results from old brood-combs are found, their elimi- 

 nation is comparatively easy. However, in justice to the 

 manufacturers of comb foundation, I will state that the use of 

 sulphuric acid serves a useful purpose in separating the im- 

 purities from wax; still, a means of prevention is always 

 preferable to a cure. Then, again, cleanliness in all the 

 work of sun-rendering is a matter worthyof our consideration; 

 and, being done outside, saves much inconvenience to the in- 

 mates of our homes. 



The changed condition of wax, to say nothing of impuri- 

 ties, has necessitated much effort on the part of foundation- 

 makers, not only to restore its orlgnal color, but the softness 

 of its texture. While much progress has been made in this 

 respect, far more satisfactory results have been obtained by 

 reducing the quantity of wax in each lineal foot of foundation. 



Altho foundation as first made was heavy, with bui little 

 projection or cell-walls above the base, and, in many instances 

 none, Mr. T. F. Bingham suggested to the Michigan bee-keep- 

 ers. In session last year at Mt. Pleasant, the possibility of 

 producing a very light foundation without the cell-walls. Of 

 course, the changed condition of wax after being melted, 

 whereby it is rendered hard, was duly considered as being ob- 



