476 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Topics ol Interest. 



OMo State Bee-Keepers' Convention. 



MISS DEMA BENNETT. 



SECOND DAY— FEBRUARY 11. 



AFTERNOON SESSION. 



The subject of "Moving bees to catch 

 the honey-flow " was to have led with an 

 essay by H. R. Boardman, of East Town- 

 send, O., but as neither Mr. Boardman 

 nor his essay were present, the time was 

 taken up in an informal discussion, no 

 one present having had much experience 

 in that line. 



Dr. Mason said that he once moved 75 

 colonies to poor advantage. 



E. R. Root — Moving bees is practiced 

 in Germany to a considerable extent, by 

 having house-apiaries on wheels. 



The next on the programme was 

 "Perforated zinc in extracting," by vol- 

 unteers. 



J. B. Hains — I run most of my bees 

 for extracting, and I do not want any. I 

 do not think that the bees work through 

 it nearly as well. 



E. E. Hasty — I would not like to try 

 extracting honey in the upper story 

 without zinc honey-boards, on account 

 of brood. 



J. B. Hains — I do not extract frames 

 containing brood ; leave the brood in the 

 hive, and the last time around, exchange 

 it for a frame below with honey only. 



E. R. Root — I think that extracted- 

 honey producers — especially large pro- 

 ducers in California — are using it largely 

 to great advantage. I do not think it 

 any advantage in comb-honey. 



W. Z. Hutchinson — What do you say 

 to 5/32 all-wood honey-boards ? I 

 think the only objection is that the bees 

 will go to plugging up the holes with 

 hard wax. I often think I will have it 

 chamfered down to a thin edge so that 

 they will not chock them full of wax. 



Dr. Mason — I shall use the wood-zinc 

 honey-board next season. I know that 

 it is a* good thing. 



D. B. Lovett — I have had some wood- 

 zinc honey-boards pretty well filled with 

 propolis. 



Under the head of unfinished business 

 the Secretary read a printed communica- 

 tion from the Secretary of the Missouri 

 State Bee-Keepers' Association, asking us 

 to take action in regard to adulterated 

 honey. 



F. A. Eaton — Do not keep agitating, 

 or the public will think that there is a 

 great deal on the market. 



E. R. Root — 1 agree with Mr. Eaton on 

 the subject. 



Mr. Morris — What harm to the gen- 

 uine bee-keeper would the report do that 

 there was adulterated honey ? That 

 very idea gives me an opportunity to 

 dispose of my honey. 



Dr. Mason — The Secretary ought to be 

 instructed to write to our Senators and 

 Representatives in Congress, requesting 

 them to use their influence in securing 

 the passage of a bill preventing food 

 adulteration, honey to be included in the 

 bill. 



The motion prevailed that the Secre- 

 tary should write as recommended by the 

 President. 



In the matter of appointing delegates 

 to the North American Bee-Keepers' 

 Association, to be held in Albany, it was 

 decided that those members present 

 should be considered as delegates. If 

 more than three, let them cast lots to see 

 whom it should be. 



The President named- Chas. F. Muth, 

 of Cincinnati, who is the President-elect, 

 and J. B. Hains, of Bedford, to act in 

 conjunction with himself as Legislative 

 Committee. 



H. H. Overmyer, Chairman of Com- 

 mittee on Statistics, reported : 



Number of colonies, Spring- of 1890 2,714 



Number of colonies. Fall of 1890 3,127 



Number of pounds of comb-honey 23,253 



Number of pounds of extracted-honey. .32,902 

 Nummber of pounds of beeswax 905 



The Question Box was then taken up, 

 and some one wished to hear reports 

 from those who have tried wide and 

 thick top-bars to prevent brace-combs 

 between top-bars and supers, or honey- 

 board. 



Dr. Mason — I have used a few to good 

 advantage. 



" What can be done with bees who kill 

 their drones the first of June ? 



W. Z. Hutchinson — Feed them, if you 

 want them. 



"Give the best method of preventing 

 swarms." 



W. Z. Hutchinson — Give plenty of 

 room, and extract the honey. 



Mr. Morris— Catch the queen and cage 

 her from 2 to 3 days, on top of the 

 frames, and then return to the bees. 



"Does the fertilization of the queen 

 effect her drone progeny?" 



H. H. Overmyer — Yes. 



Dr. Mason — I think it does, or how do 

 you get your hybrids ? 



E. E. Hasty— Birds show previous 

 mating, sometimes, several years after. 



