1907 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



1559 



ONTARIO BEE KEEPERS CONVENTION. 



The history of the O. B. K. A. during the 

 past year has been one of progress. Its 

 membership has been increased, its influence 

 is greater, its ideas have been more progres- 

 sive, and its aims and purposes for the fu- 

 ture are more along the lines of agricultural 

 societies which have advanced in their meth- 

 ods of production and marketing. 



Outwardly, at least, the action of its mem- 

 bers has been harmonious, and there is very 

 strong evidence that personal interests have 

 been sunk for the welfare of the body at 

 large. If any Canadian readers of Glean- 

 ings are not members of the Ontario Bee- 

 keepers' Association I would urge them to 

 send their membership fee of one dollar per 

 annum to the Secretarv, Mr. T. W. Hodgetts, 

 Department of Agriculture, Toronto. 



The Vice-president, F. J. Miller, London, 

 Ont., opened the late Toronto Convention, 

 Nov. 13. In his opening address he spoke 

 of the past two unfavorable years, and the 

 great decrease of colonies of bees; of the much 

 greater prevalence of foul brood in the prov- 

 ince than members had been led to believe; 

 yet out of it all he thought good would come. 



Second Vice-president, Wm. Couse, Streets- 

 ville, Ont., in his remarks mentioned the 

 very great development known to him and 

 many others in the production and demand 

 for fruits. He felt that the increased pro- 

 duction and demand for honey might be 

 equally great. Honey had even a greater 

 advantage than fruit, as it will not spoil as 

 readily as fruit, and can pass through the 

 various stages of marketing with less risk of 

 loss. 



W. A. Chrysler, Chatham, Ont., in his ad- 

 dress entitled the "Distribution of Honey," 

 appeared to strike a responsive chord when 

 he advocated cooperation in marketing hon- 

 ey. He advocated selling at fair prices in 

 the local market, and then cooperating in 

 selling in distant markets. 



R. F. Hoi term ann stated that a label and 

 seal upon a package guaranteeing purity and 

 prime quality would get the preference in 

 the market over the individual product. A 

 committee consisting of Mr. Chrysler and 

 the executive of the Ontario Bee-keepers' As- 

 sociation was appointed which shall formu- 

 late a scheme to be given to county associa- 

 tions by the spring, with the idea that county 

 associations rather than the large Ontario 

 association shall do the cooperative market- 

 ing. 



E. W. Alexander, Delanson, N. Y., sent a 

 paper advocating keeping the brood-chamber 

 of the hive clear of capped honey by extract- 



ing during the late spring and early summer, 

 giving the queen greater room to lay. 



A pretty lively time followed, showing that 

 all were opposed to extracting from combs 

 containing brood. Some, however, favored 

 extracting any combs with only honey in 

 about fruit bloom time. Many thought it 

 unwise to feed honey back to the bees; some 

 opposed stimulative feeding — among them 

 Jas. Armstrong and H. G. Sibbald. Those 

 favorable— McEvoy, Dickinson, and Holter- 

 mann. 



Mr. Robinson, in reply to a question, gave 

 as the best method for cleaning pollen-clog- 

 ged combs to soak the combs in water for 

 twelve days and then extract. 



Miss M. Trevarrow, Meadowvale. Ont., 

 under the subject "Foul Brood," advocated 

 as a preventive the frequent changing of 

 combs. With the present excellent methods 

 of rendering wax this can be done at a prof- 

 it. Keep scrong colonies, feed only sugar 

 syrup to the bees, and never feed back hon- 

 ey, and have colonies open for easy inspec- 

 tion. She stated that, during the past year, 

 660 apiaries had been inspected; of these, 396 

 apiaries had been found free from disease, 

 and 364 diseased. 



The reports of the six inspectors and the 

 Secretary, which followed, confirmed Miss 

 Trevarrow's work. The inspectors were al- 

 so unanimous in their statement that about 

 75 per cent of the bees in Ontario had per- 

 ished from one cause and another during the 

 last year or two. 



J. L. Byer reported having had to deal 

 with a genuine case of European foul brood, 

 and he stated that it was very dangerous. 

 Mr. S. D. House, New York, made the as- 

 sertion that, from various remarks made 

 since he had come to the convention, he be- 

 lieved that there were moi'e cases of Europe- 

 an foul brood in Ontario. 



Jas. Armstrong, Cheapside, who had visit- 

 ed not only every suspected apiary but every 

 apiary in a large area, found, out of 312 api- 

 aries, that 103 were diseased He advocated 

 a law that no one in Ontario should, under 

 existing conditions, be allowed to have the 

 old box hive. 



While, earlier in the season, some inspect- 

 ors had found two-thirds of the apiaries dis- 

 eased, fortunately the later records had been 

 more favorable; but members expressed sur- 

 prise that so much disease had been found 

 by the inspectors. 



A vote of thanks was unanimously passed, 

 thanking Hon. Nelson Monteith, Minister of 

 Agriculture, for his kindness and yet justice 

 in dealing with the stamping-out of the dis- 

 ease. The sum of $3285 had been expended 

 during the past year, and even then the de- 

 mand for in.xpection had not been fatisfied, 

 and much more required to be done. 



S. D. House, Camillus, N. Y., gave an ad- 

 dress which created a great deal of interest. 

 His address, "Comb- honey Production," will 

 be dealt with at a later date. I understand 

 that Mr. House was besieged by individual 

 bee-keepers until the early hours next day. 

 I suppose this was the reward for well doing. 



