ILLINOIS STATE BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION 



145 



-Stand a couple of weeks, you wiW find 

 ihe bees will gather quite a little honey 

 from it. 



Mr. Holtermann — Don't you think 

 the season imiakes a great difference? 



Mr. Huffman — I do. 



Mr. Holtermann — With us, in On- 

 tario, they worked on it this year 

 quite a dittle, and I think about four 

 or five years ago, they were on it 

 quite conspicuously, and the other 

 years you could scarcely see a bee on 

 it; so I am satisfied it is probably the 

 same here as with us. Once in a wQidle 

 the 'bees will work on it, but with us 

 it is only now and then — scattering 

 seasons — where they work on it. 



Mr. Trickey — I live in an alfalfa 

 region, and have for twenty-odd years 

 Ijeen in the bee-business. I have seen 

 alfalfa fields, with bees very thick on 

 it, the first crop, and just across the 

 wire fence you could not find a bee 

 in tihe next field; maybe, on the second 

 crop, the bees would be busy in the 

 other field, and there would be none 

 on this one; so, as to whether alfalfa 

 will furnish honey or not, I think it 

 depends a great deal upon the condi- 

 tion of the soil, weather conditions, 

 etc.; moisture, and other things, all 

 combined. 



"Mr. Kannenberg — I knew Of tibe 

 time when it was stated here in this 

 convention, that alfalfa w^ould not have 

 any nectar on this side of the Missis- 

 sippi. 



President York — I remember that. 



Late Re-Queening of Colonies. 



"Is it advisable to renew queens in 

 Septeonber, October or Novemiber, 

 when queenless, or wait until spring?" 



Mr. Wilcox — ^If they are queenless in 

 SeptemlDer, I should give them a queen. 

 I would not in November, because it 

 is too cold and too late. 



Producing Honey Without Separators. 



"Has any one present any experience 

 dispensing with separators when run- 

 ning for comb honey?" 



President York — How many produce 

 comb honey without separators? Raise 

 your hands. (Three.) 



Mr. Whitney — I have not very much 

 to say; I have S'aid, tw^o or three times, 

 through the papers wlhiat I have to say 

 on this subject. I see in the American 

 Bee Journal, Mr. Morrison is quoted as 

 having stated that good section honey 

 can be produced without separators. I 



read a paper here last meeting on that 

 subject, and I quoted Mr. Morrison, 

 and I see he has' stated it again, that 

 it can be done. I know it oan be done. 

 I have sold thiousands of pounds of It, 

 produced -without separators; but you 

 can't do it with 1%-inch or 2-inch 

 wide section; the thinner sections will 

 do it, if you have a good, strong col- 

 ony of ibees, and a proper honey-flow, 

 and your supers are protected from the 

 weather. Some times we have chilly 

 nights in June, and the bees will 

 dhirlnk away from the outside sections 

 to the center in single-board hives; 

 but if you will put protection around 

 those supers, they will work right up 

 and ibuild the combs straight. 



Mr. Holtermann — Would you recom- 

 mend that? 



Mr. Whitney — I don't say I would for 

 the average bee-keeper, Ijut it can be 

 done all right. 



Mr. Holtermann — If it depends on 

 the weather, the (hioney-fiow, and so 

 on, over which you have no control, is 

 it worth while to take the risk? 



Mr. Whitney — If the bees build the> 

 combs straight down from side to side, 

 and the flow stops, the sections on tfti© 

 outside will be just as good as the 

 center ones; of course, if you have a 

 poor honey-flow, you would not be very 

 likely to get good, straight comb 

 honey, anyhow. 



Mr. Holtermann^ — The' greatest factor 

 in it is the narrow section. 



Mr. Whitney — Yes, a section that 

 will produce a cell just about deep 

 enough for the bees to rear their 

 brood; tih/en they will .T>uild up straight 

 every time. It can be done all right. 



Mr. Wilcox — I want to say I have 

 tried' it pretty thoroughly, but I would 

 not recomimend anybody else to do it, 

 I don't think it advisable for a con- 

 vention to go on record as favoring the 

 production of comb honey without sep- 

 arators. It can be done in a good 

 honey- flow, with strong colonies, but 

 that does not continue always; strong 

 colonies are not always strong, and 

 you 'have got to be very careful if 

 you try it, or you will have a good 

 many imperfect sections. 



Mr. Cavanagh — Will some one please 

 tell us what tfhie comparative yield is 

 between having comb honey produced 

 with separators and without separa- 

 torsi, and what the effect upon sw^arm- 

 ing is of the two different plans; if 



