708 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



handsome, and think I shall use quite a 

 number of them the coming season. Will 

 state at some future time just how I 

 succeed with them. 



Not a single case of foul-brood has 

 ever come to my notice in this locality, 

 and, to state the facts, will say that 

 I never saw a single colony effected with 

 it. My mind has been made up for a 

 long time just how to cure it if a case of 

 it should appear, and that is to burn 

 every particle of it — bees, hives, and all. 



Plattsmouth, Nebr., May 16, 1891. 



Ionia, fflicMgan, Bee-Keeners' Coiiyention. 



HAEMON SMITH. 



The Ionia Bee-Keepers' Association 

 met in Ionia, Mich., on Wednesday, May 

 6, 1891. 



The convention was called to order at 

 10 a.m., by President A. N. Hall. 



President Hall appointed Jacob Moore 

 and W. W. Penney a committee to ex- 

 amine and report on exhibits. 



The Secretary and Treasurer presented 

 his report, showing a balance of $2 in 

 the treasury. 



Adjourned until 1 p.m. 



AFTERNOOX SESSION. 



The convention was called to order at 

 1 p.m. 



Proceedings were opened with a song 

 by Mrs. Harmon Smith, accompanied by 

 Miss Josephine Pickett, on the organ, 

 and the convention was favored with 

 instrumental music by these ladies, at 

 intervals during the afternoon. 



Mr. W. Z. Hutchinson, editor of the 

 Bee-Keepers'' Review, of Flint, was intro- 

 duced and delivered an address on 



Increase, its Manageiueiit and Control. 



There are two classes of bee-keepers 

 who desire to prevent increase, in the 

 number of their colonies. The first, and 

 by far the larger class, own only large 

 home apiaries, and prefer surplus to 

 increase. This class can allow swarm- 

 ing if, by some simple manipulation, the 

 number of colonies can be kept the same, 

 and the bees induced to devote their 

 energies to the storing of honey. The 

 other class are possessors of out-api- 

 aries ; and they desire not only to pre- 

 vent increase, but to suppress swarming. 

 This accomplished, the apiaries can be 

 left alone, except at stated intervals. 



In reply to the question, "Why do 

 bees swarm ?" it has been replied that, 

 "It is natural," " It is their method of 



increase." This may be true in part, 

 but it is not a satisfactory answer. 



I have never known a season to pass 

 in which all of the colonies of my apiary 

 either .swarmed or did not swarm. One 

 year I had 75 colonies. They were 

 worked for comb-honey. Forty of them 

 swarmed ; 35 did not. It would have 

 been just as " natural," just as much 

 "according to nature," for one colony to 

 swarm as for another. 



In Oleanings for 1889, there was 

 quite a lengthy discussion in regard to 

 the causes that lead to swarming. The 

 gist of the discussion seemed to be that 

 an undue proportion of young or nurse 

 bees to the brood to be nursed was the 

 prime cause of swarming. 



If the brood-nest be well filled with 

 brood, then for lack of other room the 

 bees begin storing honey in the cells 

 from which the bees are hatching ; the 

 result is, that soon there is but little 

 brood to care for compared with the 

 number of nurses, or young bees. This 

 theory is strengthened by the fact that 

 when bees are given an abundance of 

 empty comb in which to store their 

 honey, swarming very seldom occurs. In 

 short, extracting the honey, or, to be 

 more exact, giving plenty of empty comb, 

 is the most successful, practical method 

 of controlling increase. 



In large apiaries, especially out-api- 

 aries, that can be visited only at inter- 

 vals, it is well-nigh impossible to keep 

 every colony always supplied with empty 

 combs, hence there will be occasional 

 swarms. If there is to be some one 

 present to hive what few swarms do 

 issue, and prevention of increase is 

 desired simply that the amount of the 

 surplus may be greater, and the surplus 

 is preferred in the extracted form, then 

 the man with these desires can have 

 them gratified. 



In the production of comb-honey, I 

 doubt if there is a profitable method of 

 preventing swarming. It may be dis- 

 couraged by giving as much surplus 

 room as possible ; but foundation does 

 not equal drawn comb as a discourage- 

 ment to swarming. The issuing of after- 

 swarms can be prevented, but the best 

 that can be done with first swarms is to 

 let them come, and then so manage as to 

 make the most of them. 



When the season for surplus honey 

 closes with clover or basswood, it is bet- 

 ter not to try to secure surplus from 

 both the parent colony and the swarm. 

 Hive the swarm upon the old stand, 

 transferring the supers from the old to 

 the new hive. If the brood-chamber of 



