ILLINOIS STATE BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION 



127 



two seasons be affected in keeping, and 

 by the moth miller? Also, would bees 

 accept those combs after having combs 

 once well aired, and would honey 

 placed in them afterwards be impaired 

 by the odor of the moth ball?" 



N. E. France: Before you discuss 

 that, you can see a tendenicy, which 

 I find too common, to save old combs 

 and honey from the sarne, where there 

 is disease or the suspicion of it, wfhich 

 may be to the sorrow of the bee-keep- 

 er, and which, in my opinion, is 

 not desirable. It is false economy. 

 I believe we can to some extent save 

 infected combs by certain kinds of 

 treatment, but with the average bee- 

 keeper, it would not be thoroughly 

 enough done, and it would be a fail- . 

 ure and the system would be con- 

 demned. I was pleased to be at one 

 of the New York Annual Conventions 

 when Mr. Alexander was there and 

 heard him give his description of the 

 formaldehide treatment for infected 

 combs. If any of us have diseased 

 combs and we give them the care 

 and treatment he gave those no live 

 germ could exist. On the other hand 

 I have seen places where a box was 

 used — well, it would hold shell corn — 

 and that was used to fumigate combs 

 with fojrmaldehide and failed. Some- 

 times I tried this experiment, after 

 trying to influence the man that he 

 could not afford to save those combs, 

 and he insisting upon the combs as 

 being valuable, although there was 

 disease in them. I said, "If there are 

 cells capped over, I question, under 

 ordinary conditions, that formaldehide 

 gas will penetrate through the wax 

 upon those cappings sufHciently to de- 

 stroy the germs underneath;" and in 

 the middle of that box I placed a piece 

 of brood almost at the point of hatch- 

 ing with live bees underneath. The en- 

 tire box was fumigated and aired, and 

 this little piece of brood was taken out 

 with hatching brood from a healthy 

 colony that was put in there, and near- 

 ly all of those bees under the cappings 

 had life sufficient when I pulled the 

 capping off that they could crawl of 

 their own accord. I said. "If it has 

 not killed those bees it has not killed 

 the germs of the disease." Neither has 

 it killed germs of disease where there 

 was honey stored in on top of the dis- 

 ease that was in there before the 

 honey was put in. The combs were put 

 back into clean hives, the bees shaken 

 upon them two days befpre I started 



for our National Convention trip to 

 California, and the next day after my 

 return from California, I hastened back 

 into the other part of the state and 

 found those same combs had brood 

 and had foul brood in them, too. 



Mr. Darby: I find too often that 

 people are inclined to want to save 

 honey from diseased colonies, and they 

 are inclined to use those cheaper disin- 

 fectants. I have several times this 

 season found where they tried to pro- 

 tect and save honey from diseased col- 

 onies just by these moth balls in some 

 instances. They had taken some nice 

 honey from the super, and they thought 

 that surely would be all right if dis- 

 infected by those moth balls. The re- 

 sult was the honey was rendered unfit 

 for use. 



Mr. France: This last gentleman 

 upon the floor is the Inspector for 

 foul brood in Missouri. 



Mr. France: It has been my good 

 fortune to meet the members of our 

 Association in the different States with 

 pleasure. At times there has been a 

 little ripple, which quiets down, but in 

 connection with the occasion of last 

 evening, which was, as it were, like a 

 shot of surprise to me, from which I 

 have not fully recovered, I would like 

 a moment to give the last two verses 

 of a song which I have hummed on the 

 train over and over again, that is dear 

 to me. 



CONVENTION SONG. 



As year after year in convention we 

 meet. 

 And many new faces behold, 

 I miss the warm hand and the warmer 

 heart beat. 

 Of some who were with us of old. 

 But time nor its changes can never 

 efface 

 From memory's tablet so clear. 

 The sweet recollections, the hearty em- 

 brace. 

 Of brothers who cannot be here. 



CHORUS. 



'Tis friendship that binds. 



As brothers today, 

 We're kindred by labor — our hearts and 

 our minds 



Shall echo the greetings we say. 



But old friends and new ones find 

 ever a place 

 In hearts that are tender and true. 

 If a tear be discovered for some ab- 

 sent face, 

 I think not less dearly of you. 

 Then while in reunion we meet as 

 of yore. 

 May harmony gladden our hall; 

 And when to our loved ones we hasten 

 once more. 

 May memories sweet cling to us all. 



