136 



NINTH ANNUAI^ REPORT OF THE 



Joining the Illinois Association. 



Mr. Baxter — Does this Association 

 want to affiliate with the Illinois State 

 Association? There is one advantage, 

 I think, in doing so; it is this: The 

 reports of this, the National, amd 

 the Illinois State Associations, are pub- 

 lished in a nice little book, bound in 

 cloth, and you can refer to it when- 

 ever you want to. I am bringing this 

 up now, as I am going soon. 



President York — You will get three 

 "■ reports in one, and they will take us in 

 as a body at twenty -five cents a piece; 

 that book alone is worth $1.00; a full 

 report of the Illinois^ State, of this con- 

 , vention, and of the National, all in one 

 book. If you are a member you can 

 get it. What will you do about it? 



Mr. Hortsmann — I move that we join 

 in a body, the Illinois State Associa- 

 tion, at twenty -five cents a member. 

 Have we money enough? 



President York — I think the Secre- 

 tary said we lacked about a dollar. 



Dr. Bohrer — ^I don't know that that 

 would strike me at all; I was down 

 tluere to the convention; I can pay a 

 quarter if they need it; but they said I 

 was made a member of that Associa- 

 tion, whether an honorary member or 

 . not I don't know. 



The motion was seconded and car- 

 ried. 



Cyprian Bees. 



"Has any one tried Cyprian bees, 

 ,- and how are they liked?" 



How many have tried Cyprian bees, 

 : raise your hands? (Four.) How do 

 you like them? 



Mr. Cavanagh — I like them pretty 

 well. We had some comb honey that 

 we didn't use; I left it stand in the 

 yard, forgot to bring it in. I was 

 working up things around the yard, 

 kind of lazily; was not paying very 

 much attention as to how I handled 

 - the bees, and they were very much • 

 more interested in that comb honey 

 than in me. I put the comb honey 

 away, and they got busy on me. I had 

 twenty-five stings, or thirty perhaps, 

 before I got the hive I was working on 

 under control. Usually they handle 

 very nicely. 



Dr. Bohrer — ^Did you ever get control 

 of them? 



Mr. Cavanagh — Yes, I did, most of 

 them. Some of them were firmly im- 

 bedded in my trousers. I got them 

 under control after a while. They were 



supposed to be Cyprians and Italians. 

 The original stock came from Texas; I 

 think from the Atchley's, I was told by 

 the man of whom I purchased the 

 bees, but as to which were Cyprians, 

 I could not tell by the markings. He 

 asured me that certain of them were 

 Cyprians. 



Mr. Baxter — ^They have some good 

 colonies and they have some pretty 

 poor colonies. I know mine were 

 Cyprians; they are very good. They 

 breed up fast — make good strong col- 

 onies. If you open a colony in the 

 morning, you have them following you 

 over the yard all day, I don't care how 

 long the day is; you can't get rid of 

 them until night comes. They are the 

 worst stingers I ever saw; I would 

 rather handle a hive of hornets, any 

 time, than Oyprians. I got rid of 

 them. 



There is no use to belong to a so- 

 ciety unless you get some good out of 

 it. I am in the market for some good 

 Italian queens. I would like to get in 

 touch with some breeder who can give 

 me the genuine leather-colored Italian. 

 I have bought some several times and 

 am satisfied I got Cypria'ns for Italians, 

 although the dealers I bought them of 

 are supposed to he honorable, straight- 

 forward, square men. I believe they 

 sold me Cyprians; they act the same 

 way; they breed up the same way. 

 They are fine bees, but I don't want 

 them on my place. I would rather 

 have lost a hundred dollar bill than to 

 have had that stock on my place. I 

 am in the market for some good Italian 

 queens;, the genuine characteristic of 

 the Italian is docility. 



Mr. Holtermann — ^I would agree with 

 all that Mr. Bsixter has said, though it 

 is not very often that we catch Dr. Mil- 

 ler making a mistake, but when I read? 

 in the American Bee Journal that 

 Cyprians and Italians were very much 

 the same, I think Dr. Miller made a 

 mistake. 



There are one or two other traits the 

 Cyprians have; they will keep breed- 

 ing long beyond the time that it is 

 really desirable that they should. The 

 Carolians will tide through periods 

 of no honey-flow and keep on breed- 

 ing, which is an advantage, but when 

 you get a bee that will keep on breed- 

 ing long after the flow season, it gets 

 to be a positive disadvantage. 



Another thing, with smoke, you can 

 handle the Cyprian bee if you are care- 





