ILLINOIS STATE BEE-KEEPERS ASSOCIATION 



39 



Mr. Stone — I was induced to give Mr. 

 Dadant this subject because of the ht- 

 tle experience many of us have had in 

 handhng queenless colonies with laying 

 workers, and the questions that arise in 

 regard to their management. 



Mr. Johnson said he believed there 

 were generally a good many laying 

 workers in the hive. He had never lost 

 queens, but united them by putting 

 smaller colonies on top. 



Mr. Black spoke of his method of 

 uniting colonies; that formerly he was 



to fig'ht than if they are not well satis- 

 fied in that respect. Colonies that have 

 drone-laying queens will be more suc- 

 cessfully handled in the spring, both in 

 the matter of uniting them and in the 

 introduction of a new queen. 



Pres. Smith — ^Reports of committees 

 are now in order. Is the auditing com- 

 mittee ready to report? 



Mr. Dadant, as chairman of the audit- 

 ing committee reported that the ac- 

 counts were found to be correct, but 

 made a suggestion as to the way the 



1st Vice-Prbsidknt J. B. Johnson. 



very careful about handling them gent- 

 ly, but experience has taught him it is 

 better to handle them more vigorously. 

 Mr. Dadant said that in the matter 

 of uniting a colony containing laying 

 workers he thought that the entire se- 

 cret was in what Mr. Black had said, 

 and in allowing the bees to feed be- 

 fore they were disturbed, in which case 

 they would be much more peaceable 

 wheii united. In certain seasons the 

 tendency among bees is to fight. When 

 you open a hive, if they are full of 

 honey there will be much less tendency 



statements might be presented so that 

 there would be less work for the com- 

 mittee in checking up the accounts. 



Mr. Becker — Do you mean that I 

 should keep just one account? I have 

 been keeping the two funds separate, 

 because one was money received from 

 the. State and the other comes through 

 the State associations. 



Mr. Dadant — Last year's report 

 showed so much money left in the 

 treasurer's hands; now the report 

 shows separate items, necessitating the 

 adding together of several accounts in 



:-;at' 



