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THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Good air and protection from cold, 

 are requirements that should receive 

 a rigid attention from the bee-i<eeper, 

 if located in our Northern climate ; 

 especially in the Xew England States, 

 where one hour does not indicate what 

 the next may bring forth. 



Approximate localities differ. One 

 apiarist may suffer loss of bees, and 

 another a few miles distant may sur- 

 vive the winter in good condition ; 

 the colonies in both instances having 

 received the same care, or as nearly so 

 as is possible to give. 



A warm, damp atmosphere will not 

 kill a colony of bees in winter. It 

 may stimulate activity, and induce 

 brood-rearing ; but if brood-rearing is 

 not induced, tlie warmth generated by 

 the cluster cannot be harmful where 

 means are provided for a proper circu- 

 lation of fresh air inside of the hive. 



When in a semi-dormant state, the 

 denizens of the hive require but little 

 oxvgen to support life, or to neutralize 

 any harmful effects resulting from 

 the accumulation of carbonic-acid gas 

 in their surroundings. As this gas, 

 when occupying space in quantities 

 detrimental to animal life, moves 

 earthward, it is easy to comprehend 

 how readily the inside of a bee-hive 

 may be freed from its effects, by 

 proper downward ventilation, accom- 

 panied by an imperceptible "upward 

 ventilation ;" i. e., an " upward venti- 

 lation " not strong enough to produce 

 a rapid current of air through or 

 around the cluster. 



Again, where the life-supporting el- 

 ements: oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon, 

 are needed to maintain animal heat, 

 dampness in some form is an actual 

 necessity; for without these elements, 

 the combustion required for the pro- 

 pulsion of the animal mechanism, will 

 not be produced. 



Cumberland, Me. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Northern Ohio Convention. 



The Northern Ohio Bee-Keepers' 

 Association met in the City Council 

 Chamber at Norwalk, O.. April 24, at 

 10:30 a. m., with President Samuel 

 Fish, of Milan, O,, in the chair. The 

 Secretary's report of the last meeting 

 was read and approved. Seven new 

 members were enrolled. 



The election of officers was post- 

 poned until the afternoon, and the 

 forenoon was spent in receiving re- 

 ports from the members on " Winter- 

 ing. 



Pres. Fish : My Bees wintered suc- 

 cessfully in a bee-house; set them out 

 on April 14, after a confinement of 

 about five months: they might have 

 been profitably left in ten days longer. 

 They came out strong in bees, but with 

 very little brood; early brood rearing 

 having nearly ceased, but was rapidly 

 resumed on being set out. Wintered 6 

 colonies on the summer stands, in 

 chaff hives; lost one; I prefer indoor 

 wintering. 



H. R. Boardman winters bees suc- 

 cessfully in a bee-house, essentially 

 the same as Mr. Fish's, and in about 

 the same manner, except setting them 

 out nearly a month earlier. The old 



bees having died the colonies are light 

 but have an abundance of mature 

 brood. 



These two reports, so different in re- 

 sult, called forth a spirited discussion 

 upon the policy of setting out bees 

 early. The prevailing sentiment was 

 not favorable to setting out early, un- 

 less set back again until the cold winds 

 of Marcli were over. 



S. F. Xewman winters bees in the 

 cellar and on the summer-stands, in 

 chaff' hives. He prefers chaff hives 

 and out-door wintering. 



E. R. Gibbs wintered them suc- 

 cessfully in chaff hives out-doors. 



Mr. Darling: ]SIy wintering was 

 not successful; they wintered outdoors 

 on summer-stands"; I attribute my loss 

 to lack of ventilation, from defect in 

 the hive. 



Mr. Bartow wintered them on 

 summer-stands, witli very poor results. 



Dan White wintered them success- 

 fully on the summer-stands, in chaff 

 hives, without loss. 



Many other reports were received, 

 all showing that bees wintered mod- 

 erately well, but were much enfeebled 

 by the cold and unfavorable spring. 



Adjourned till 1:15 p. m. 



The afternoon meeting was called 

 to order at 1:30, by the President. The 

 following officers were elected for the 

 ensuing year: 



President, S. F. Newman, Norwalk. 



Vice President, Mrs. A. Bartow, N. 

 Milan. 



Secretaries, H. R. Boardman and E. 

 Townsend. 



Treasurer, E. R. Gibbs, Norwalk. 



Treas. Gibbs reports a balance in 

 the treasury of $6.20. 



Question—" Spring Management." 

 Dan White described, with much en- 

 thusiasm, how he builds up in the 

 spring even very light colonies, so that 

 they will be strong enough to swarm 

 in the swarming season, by using a 

 division board in the hive to crowd the 

 bees on as few combs as possible, and 

 feeds, back of the division-board, 

 either reserved stores or granulated 

 sugar syrup. 



Pres. S. F. Newman adopts atout 

 the same course as that practiced by 

 Mr. White, except that he would not 

 stimulate the lightest colonies by feed; 

 but build tiiem up from the stronger 

 ones later in the season, by giving 

 cards of brood. 



Samuel Fish keeps his bees in late 

 in the spring; discourages early brood- 

 rearing, gives plenty of stores, uses 

 the division-board sometimes, but does 

 not attach as much importance to its 

 use as manv bee keepers do. 



Mr. Albright builds up light colonies 

 in tlie spring bv feeding sugar-syrup, 

 which he pours' into combs, and sets 

 in the hive next to the bees; succeeds 

 well in this way. 



A warm discussion then arose upon 

 the use of the division-board for build- 

 ing up colonies in the spring. Some 

 advocated its use, and others would 

 dispense with it as useless and unnec- 

 essary. 



Mr. H. R. Boardman read a very 

 interesting essay on Feeding Bees in 

 the Spring, which will appear in the 

 Bee J(^urnal soon. [Ed.] 



Question — •' Swarming, and the 

 Production of Comb Honey " — which 

 was very thoroughly discussed. 



Mr. Fish adopts the plan practiced 

 by James Heddon, of Michigan. Mr. 

 White thinks shade plays an impor- 

 tant part in preventing bees' swarm- 

 ing. 



Pres. Newman gives the swarm 

 some of the combs and brood from the 

 colony from whicli it issued, and also 

 the unfinished surplus of the colony 

 is given to the swarm to finish. 



Mr. Boardman has long ago given up 

 trying to prevent swarming while pro- 

 ducing comb honey, 



Mrs. Allen Bartow made a few very 

 sensible remarks on " Planting for 

 Bee Forage." She also read the fol- 

 lowing report by her husband, Mr. 

 Allen I?artow, of his observations in 

 Southern Texas, during the last win- 

 ter- 

 Bee-keeping in Texas is more profit- 

 able, as a whole, than it is in the 

 North. Wintering is not a problem, 

 as they do not perish with cold as 

 many have done in Ohio during the 

 last "and many preceding winters. 

 The Texan bee-keeper winters his bees 

 out-of-doors without any protection 

 other than their summer hives, thus 

 saving the cost of building expensive 

 bee-houses. 1. They have short win- 

 ters and consequently the bees do not 

 consume so much of their stores as 

 ours do. 3. The long summers afford 

 more time for gathering honey, and 

 the great variety and abundance of 

 flowers furnish an almost inexhausti- 

 ble supply. 



Besides the small flowers which 

 clothe all the plains and valleys with 

 beauty.tliereisa great variety of trees 

 whose blossoms afford honey; a few 

 are: Linden, live-oak, black-jack, 

 box-elder, sumac and agaretta. 



They do not have the advantage of 

 fruit blossoms, except the wild fruits, 

 as there are but few orchards. Apples 

 do not do well in that climate, and 

 probably never will, and the same 

 may be said of cherries. Peaches do 

 better but they do not afford much 

 honey. The cotton plant, however, 

 affords considerable honey and of good 

 quality. Buckwheat is raised with 

 tolerable success and is another re- 

 source; but last though not least, is 

 the " honev-dew," which, I was told 

 by Mr. Sufber and others, giving such 

 large quantities when it occurs that 

 the amount gathered is often surpris- 

 ing to the bee-keeper who is unpre- 

 pared. The Texans use hives of vari- 

 ous kinds, from the box to the latest 

 improved frame-hive. 



At Camp Verde I ate lioney of good 

 quality. The product per colony is 

 90 lbs. comb, and often it is 100 lbs. 

 Last season was a poor one owing to 

 the long drouth, and no doubt was an 

 exception to the average season, as 

 Mr. Surber told me his yield was about 

 the same, and he is an intelligent man 

 and a good apiarist. 



In Texas the bee-keeper's enemies 

 are the bee-martin and the moth. The 

 careless lose largely by the latter. I 

 visited one apiary, the owner of which 

 had lost fully one-half of his bees by 

 the moth. Tliis was evidently the re- 

 sult of neglect, as he had too much 



