102 



SEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE 



neighbors and say, "Now, I don't know 

 when we are going to have a day like 

 this again and it means a good deal for 

 me; but I have no right to have my 

 bees spoil your clothing. If you could 

 make it convenient to do your washing 

 or hang your clothes out the week or so 

 after the bees had had their flight, it 

 would accommodate me very much." 

 By doing that I have yet to come across 

 a single instance where the people were 

 not willing to accommodate under these 

 conditions. I will tell you what will 

 happen: You set your bees out and 

 then they are in for several weeks 

 again, and perhaps when they fly the 

 next. time they spot the clothing aagin. 

 The President: I have practiced just 

 what you have stated. 



Mr. Green: I think the advice of Mr. 

 Holterman is very good. It is identi- 

 cally what I would advise doing, but I 

 would go a step further than that. 

 Along in the fall of the year when I 

 take off my honey I am careful to see 

 that my neighbors who are within 

 reach of my bees have some of the 

 nicest honey I produce. They appre- 

 ciate it; it is a delicacy; it is fresh 

 honey. The result is I pave the way 

 for any little discrepancies or any oc- 

 currences of this kind and even though 

 my bees do get out after a short con- 

 finement, even though it is not the first 

 time that they have spotted my neigh- 

 bor's clothes, and they say something 

 to me about it, I explain to them how 

 the bees will fly, and the day came 

 around and it was a mishap that the 

 two things came together, and if there 

 is anything I can do to make it right, 

 I will gladly do it; and I have neigh- 

 bors that won't tolerate a chicken; they 

 will kill a chicken that comes in their 

 yard, and they hate to think of getting 

 stung with the bees. I would suggest 

 that the first step our bee-keepers take 

 is to distribute a little honey. 



On motion of Mr. Moe the convention 

 adjourned until 7 o'clock p. m. 



EVENING SESSION. 



At seven o'clock the President called 

 the Convention to order and stated 

 that Mr. Fra'nce would proceed with 

 the reading of the questions which had 

 been asked, and the answers he had re- 

 ceived to them. 



Mr. France: I confess I have some- 

 times been busy; at least I have not 

 had the time to read the replies to 

 many of the questions which were sent 



me. Immediately upon receipt of the 

 questions from members I forwarded 

 them at once to the persons they had 

 selected to answer them. In some of 

 those cases, in the early stages, it was 

 requested that the answers be sent to 

 my home, and later, that they be for- 

 warded to me here; and then still later, 

 when it looked as if my chances of 

 coming to the Convention were doubt- 

 ful, I was expecting those people would 

 be here. For instance, take the topic 

 which we had up this afternoon, the 

 Plurality of Queens. I received from 

 postoflice while waiting for supper to- 

 night, Mr. Alexander's reply to several 

 questions right on that line, and I did 

 not know until then that I had it. Per- 

 haps it would be well to take Mr. Alex- 

 ander's views on that subject; and as a 

 further explanation of one whose heart 

 and soul is with the National, I will 

 read the preface to Mr. Alexander's re- 

 ply: 



Delanson, Oct. 7, 1907. 

 Friend France: 



Tours of October 2d received, and 

 while my health is such that it will be 

 impossible for me to attend the Con- 

 ventio.n at Harrisburg, it is with pleas- 

 ure that I attempt to answer the ques- 

 tions that you so kindly sent me for 

 consideration. 



Question 1 — By Richard Simmons. 

 Will E. W. Alexander tell us how he 

 manages multiple queen scheme to se- 

 cure big swarms for the harvest? 



Answer: The same as you would 

 manage a colony containing only one 

 queen, which should be fed a little thin, 

 warm honey or sugar syrup, daily for 

 about five or six weeks previous to the 

 harvest, allowing both queens full lib- 

 erty through the hive. 



Question 2 — By Frank Petefish: 

 What appliances would you recommend 

 in view of some day I wish to produce 

 both comb and extracted honey? 



Answer: If the hive I used was of 

 the proper size and shape to be a good 

 hive for the production of comb honey, 

 then all I should do to produce ex- 

 tracted honey would be to put another 

 hive the same as the former on top 

 with a queen excluder between, and 

 extract from the upper hive. Under all 

 circumstances I should have all combs 

 in the apiary of the same size, and al- 

 ways use the same number In a hive 

 except when forming nuclei. 



Question 3: What are the conditions 

 that permit plurality of fertile queens 

 in terms of peace in same hive? 



