432 



THE AMERICAISI BEE JOURNAL. 



Jones. This, with us, is considered 

 an extraordinary large yield from 

 one colony, as we depend alone on 

 wtiite clover for surplus. 



Members reported their bees in 

 good condition, enough honey coming 

 HI each morning to keep up breeding, 

 wliich will keep the workers in good 

 trim for the fall harvest, if we are 

 blessed with a How of nectar. 



Christiansburg, Ky. 



so that bees may store sufficient 

 honey above the brood nest for their 

 winter's consumption. 



Ohio State Bee-Keepers' Convention. 



Lewiston Journal. 



Where do Bees Cluster in Winter. 



w. M. r. 



I have had occasion to inspect 

 nearly 50 hives where bees have died 

 during the past winter and spring, in 

 this and adjoining towns. I have 

 also observed the nature and habits 

 of the honey bee for the last 30 years, 

 and hence 1 may be allowed to speak 

 somewhat authoritatively on the 

 above subject. In nine-tenths of 

 those colonies which died the past 

 winter, I have found them clustering 

 close together at the top of the frames, 

 with honey at one or both ends of the 

 hive. I refer to bees wintered on the 

 summer stands, with chaff protection 

 above and around them. In a few 

 instances I have found some honey at 

 the lower part of the frames, and the 

 reason is obvious. I would inform 

 Mr. Churchill, that bees do not clus- 

 ter, in late fall at the top of the hive, 

 unless the colony is quite large and 

 fills the whole space of the frame ; 

 but, on the contrary, where they 

 reared their brood, ' on fhe empty 

 comb of the brood nest, let it be where 

 it will, but usually in the centre of 

 the hive below and between the cap- 

 ped honey. Usually when the brood 

 comes out late in autumn, there is 

 stored some honey below the brood 

 nest, if there has been no place to 

 store it elsewhere ; when it is stored 

 below and they have clustered where 

 the brood was last reared, instead of 

 going down to eat it, they invariably 

 crawl upward, until the top is reached. 

 When tlie hive is shallow, or the col- 

 ony fills the frame, they will cross 

 over the frames towards one end, if it 

 is warm enough in the hive for them 

 to do so, but if it is too cold, then they 

 remain and starve. Sometimes they 

 traverse to one end, but woe to ttem, 

 they cannot live to return to the other 

 end on account of the frost, or frigid 

 temperature within. But, says one, 

 the heat generated by the bees, as- 

 cends, strikes the top of the hive, 

 spreads out horizontally, warms the 

 honey at the ends, and thus invites 

 the bees to follow in this direction. 

 Why, friends, how far do you suppose 

 heat of the bees extends horizontally, 

 when it is so cold in the hives as to 

 freeze the slightest vapor— when the 

 temperature outside of the one inch 

 board hive is 25'^ below zero? Not 

 much heat outside the immediate 

 bodies of bees, surely, unless it be 

 directly above the space of a bee's 

 probosis. Hence, we must devise 

 some plan to keep the interior of the 

 hive in an even temperature of 4.5'^ 

 through the winter, or build our hives 



The Ohio State Bee-Keepers' Asso- 

 ciation will hold a convention during 

 State Fair week, at Columbus, O., 

 commencing on Tuesday evening. 

 The following programme has been 

 arranged : 



Tuesday Evening,Sept.4.— 1. Greet- 

 ings and organization. 2, Annual re- 

 port of Secretary and Treasurer. 3. 

 Election of officers. 4. Annual ad- 

 dress of the President. 5. General 

 discussion of topics presented by 

 members present. 



Wednesday Evening, Sept. 5.— 1. 

 Address by S. D. Riegel on improve- 

 ment in bee-culture as deduced from 

 the season's operations, followed by 

 discussion on the same. 2. Question 

 drawer and discussion on topics pre- 

 sented. 



Thursday Evening, Sept. 6.— 1. Ad- 

 dress or general talk by Vice-Presi- 

 dent Aaron Benedict, on the rearing 

 and management of queens, followed 

 by discussions of the same. 2. Ques- 

 tion drawer and discussion of topics 

 presented. 



Conference meetings of bee-keepers 

 and those interested will also be held 

 each atternoon at 1 o'clock in Apiar- 

 ian Hall, on Fair grounds. 



The place of meeting of the conven- 

 tion to be decided at time of the Fair, 

 probably in the upper room of Apiar- 

 ian Hall. 



Everybody who is at all interested 

 in bees is invited to meet with the 

 Association, and all who can bring 

 articles for exhibition, as efforts are 

 being made to render tiiis department 

 a grand success. 



The State Board of Agriculture 

 has furnished the bee-keepers a sep- 

 arate hall for their exhibits at the 

 State Fair, with an upper room in 

 which to hold meetings. Ample room 

 will be furnished for all exhibits. 



Dr. H. Besse, Pres. 



D. Spear, Sec. 



Aaron Benedict, 



Supt. Apiary Hall. 



To the Bee-Keepers of California. 



State, but unless I get satisfactory 

 reports from the principle honey- 

 producing counties (San Diego, Los 

 Angeles, San Bernardino, Ventura, 

 and Santa Barbara), and within the 

 specitied time, I shall send nothing 

 to the convention. The former an- 

 nual reports, as well as that of Dr. 

 Miller, who, in respimse to a call for 

 statistics, received only five answers 

 from this State, where there is said to 

 be bOO bee-keepers, have been a mere 

 farce, unsatisfactory to those who 

 undertook the work, and of no prac- 

 tical information to anvbody else, and 

 I have no desire to make a repetition 

 in that line. Our object is not to 

 present figures that will astonish the 

 world, but to obtain facts, such as 

 they are, that we may get a clearer 

 insight into the true status of the bee- 

 business at the present day. I can 

 see no good reason for withholding 

 the truth, be it flattering or not, and 

 I hope that each individual bee- 

 keeper will aid the secretaries in their 

 work, by giving or forwarding to 

 them the desired information. 



WM. MUTH-RaS3IUSSEN, 



Vice-Pres.for CaUfornia N.A.B.K.S. 

 Independence, Inyo Co., Cal. 



The National Convention has been 

 appointed to be held at Toronto on 

 Sept. 18, 19 and 20. I now call upon 

 the secretaries of the various county 

 associations of this State, and for 

 counties having no association, on 

 any enterprising bee-keeper who will 

 undertake the work, to collect and 

 make out reports for their respective 

 localities of the number of bee-keep- 

 ers, number of colonies in the spring 

 and on hand, and amount of comb, 

 extracted and strained honey, and of 

 beeswax taken, or estimated to be 

 taken during the season, and to for- 

 ward them to me liy the 6lh of Sep- 

 tember. Send no individual reports 

 except from counties having no asso- 

 ciation and but few scattered apiaries. 

 I hope to hear from all parts of the 



Ontario Convention. 



The third annual general meeting 

 of the Ontario Bee- Keepers' Associa- 

 tion will meet in the City Hall, 

 Toronto, on Tuesday, the 20th day of 

 September next, during the second 

 week of the Industrial Exhibition. 

 As the North American Bee-Keepers' 

 Covention meets at the same time and 

 place, it has been arranged that the 

 two bodies hold joint meetings in 

 discussing matters pertaining to our 

 common interests, as the leading bee- 

 keepers of America are to be present. 

 This will, undoubtedly, be the most 

 interesting meeting of apiarists ever 

 assembled in Canada. The venerable 

 Mr. Langstroth antl all the prominent 

 bee-men of the United States are ex- 

 pected to be present. A profitable 

 time is anticipated, and a good turn- 

 out requested. The convention will 

 last three days. A meeting for the 

 purely business work of our associa- 

 tion will be held sometime during the 

 convention, of which due notice will 

 be given. 



R. McKnight, 

 Pres. Ontario Bee Association. 



^- The S. W. Iowa Bee-Keepers' 

 Association will meet at Red Oak, 

 Iowa, Aug. 29. Members of the 

 society are requested to bring their 

 apiarian implements and put them on 

 exhibition at the fair. Our society is 

 in a flourishing condition, having a 

 membership of 64, and more being 

 added to our number at every meet- 

 ing. Auxiliary associations are being 

 formed in all our counties, and south- 

 western Iowa will soon be one of the 

 foremost sections of our country in 

 apiculture. In our report will be 

 given the number of co'onies owned 

 in the society, produce, etc 



W. J. Oliver, Sec. 



L. E. Mercer, Pres. 



