AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



189 



tion of queens need be apprehended, if 

 the queens are sent with food of sugar 

 stores ; and if those getting them will be 

 careful to destroy all the bees which ac- 

 company the queens. It was Mr. Adam 

 Grimm who gave this matter a thorough 

 test. He had 200 colonies, all more or 

 less affected with the disease, and the 

 queens in many of the colonies were 

 worth at that time from $10 to $15. He 

 did not wish to do away with his queens, 

 and he experimented and found that he 

 could put the queen in a clean colony 

 with no danger of giving it the disease. 

 It was here decided that any further 

 discussion on the subject should be held 

 over until after the reception of an essay 

 which would be read, and the Report 

 from the Foul-Brood Inspector. 



AFFILIATION WITH N. A. B. K. A. 



On motion of E,. McKnight, seconded 

 by S. K. Darling, and 



Resolved, That we continue in affilia- 

 tion with the North American Bee-Keep- 

 ers' Association. 



V^INTER PACKING. 



J.B.Hall asked, "What is the best 

 time to unpack bees, wintered outside ?" 



F. A. Gemmell — About June 1, or just 

 before the swarming fever. 



P. Bussey leaves packing on until 

 they hang out ; then he takes the pack- 

 ing off, down even with the top of the 

 brood-nest. 



R. McKnight — The question admits of 

 two answ^ers. If in single clamps — not 

 at all, if it is not inconvenient to work 

 with them. If packed in clamps (six or 

 eight, or more, together) whenever it 

 was found necessary to separate the 

 clustered bees, to prevent confusion. He 

 had 14 individual-cases, and he keeps 

 the bees packed in them until he wants 

 to get at the hives, readily, for manipu- 

 lation. He always leaves them packed 

 until the last minute. Considered the 

 individual-case best. 



Wm. McEvoy packs on the Summer 

 stands in single clamps. 



A. W. Humphries related the case of a 

 friend who never unpacked his bees at 

 all, and who always had success. He 

 kept them in a bee-shed, facing the east, 

 in three tiers, separated by divisions in 

 the front, and he manipulated them 

 from the back of the hives. In 1889, 

 he had 2-1 colonies, increased to 36, and 

 took 500 pounds of comb-honey, and 

 1,100 pounds of extracted-honey. In 

 1890, which was not so good a season, 

 he had 35 colonies, increased to 37, and 

 took 250 pounds of comb-honey, and 

 1,100 pounds of extracted-honey. As 



his colonies increased, he extended his 

 shed. 



P. Bussey — The hives should never be 

 more than 4 inches from the ground, in 

 the honey season. 



Some one then asked what was the 

 best packing. 



S. Cornell — In the language of a Scotch 

 bee-keeper, in the British Bee Journal, 

 " The best packing for bees, is bees "-r- 

 when the hive gets full, then unpack. 



W. A. Chrysler— In Kentcounty,chaff- 

 packed hives were considered the best — 

 the nights were cool, and the days raw 

 and windy, in early Spring and early 

 Summer. They kept the covering over 

 the top until June 10 or 15. 



D. Anguish used chaff-packed hives 

 right through the Summer, with 4 inches 

 of packing. 



S. Cornell considered it best to protect, 

 by means of permanently packed walls, 

 which will not make the hives unwieldy. 

 He believed he had the warmest hives in 

 Ontario. They were packed with cork- 

 dust ; were not more than 17 inches 

 square outside, and when filled with 

 combs, did not weigh more than 22 or 

 23 pounds. The outside walls were of 

 ^-inch lumber; then came l3>^-inch 

 cork-dust, then 3-ply of carpet, felt- 

 paper, and then the inner wall of 3^-inch 

 picture-frame backing. The entire wall 

 was but 2]4 inches thick. He was will- 

 ing to test them against any known hive 

 for heat-retaining qualities.. 



J. Myers used flax-chaff for packing, 

 but it drew dampness. 



R. McKnight was opposed to chaff- 

 packing. He believed that cork-dust 

 was the best ; and he believed also that 

 he was the first in the world to recom- 

 mend it. Chaff draws dampness, and it 

 becomes an absorbent, when used over 

 the frame. An absorbent was not what 

 was wanted, but something that would 

 transmit moisture. Cork was always 

 dry. Dry leaves were better than chaff, 

 but the cheapest was sawdust, taken 

 from thoroughly-dried lumber, such as 

 is usually ripped up in planing mills. 



D. Chalmers wintered his bees in three 

 different ways — in a house, large clamp, 

 and in an individual-clamp, on the Sum- 

 mer stands. He preferred the latter. 

 He was trying dry wood-ashes as a pack- 

 ing, and hoped it would turn out well. 



S. Cornell — If Mr. Chalmers would 

 look in the Encyclopedia Brittanica, he 

 would find that dry ashes was one of the 

 very good non-conductors, and will retain 

 heat. 



J. Myers had tried cork-dust, and 

 found it good. 



