, 1872-12-09
NORTH AMERICAN BEE-KEEPERs'
SOCIETY,

Objects OF These meetings-The Caus
OF the Fatality of the Past Winter
italian rs. Black Rces-Tf1e Boilin,
OF ERoney-A Blanket for the Rees.
From Our 0wn Correspondent
| INDIANAPOLIS, Ind, Dec. g. 1877
The telegraph has given the main feature
presented BY the Society but there are fax
points Of interest that need q fuller e1ncida
ton.
Two years ago, when this Society was formed
it WAS almost exclusively in the interest of tbos
having patent hives, Or italian queens, or stock.
1or Bale; and one sale Of q thousand stocks O.
bees was made by one man; Mr. Grim, of Wiscon
SIN, to go to Utah. Sales of patents, the appoint
ment Of agents, and other business arrangements
| we're made on a large scale. No small pari
OF the time was occupied in the discus
slon and advertising of these men
and the meeting might be called business meet
1ng or, rather, as some facetiously called it, IN
ax-grinding association. Thenoxt annual meeting
was held at Cleveland, at which there came o
slight change, and the Society Was placed on a
better basis as regards the interests of the great
mass Of bee-keepers.
Then followed the disaster Of the past winter,
which gave bee-keeping blow that will be felt
for some years to come. While this great loss
seriously affected those whose object was honey,
it was most crushing one to tho patent-hiyo
man and those engaged in the selling of queens
ana stocks OF Italian bees. In some cases Of 3
story Of the loss; and those who
saved one swarm in ten considered themselves
fortunate. During the season, the recovery has
been slow, as drouth has prevailed in many
fringes of timber and streams where bee
Keeping has had sort Of paradise, the changes
Of culture the grazing Of stock, and the cut
ting down 10 OF Eastwood and poplar, have short
ened up the honey-harvest:: These conditions
have awakened new inquiry, and hence this
gathering has been Of class OF hee-kcopers
anxious to study the situation in order to meet
these new conditions, and, if possible, make tho
business one OF moro uniform results. Hence
the patent-right man and the dealor in queens
took little interest on this occasion, for their
occupation was gone.
THE CAUSE OF THE FATALITY
OF Last winter was largely discussed, but go np-
parently contradictory we're the conditions and
the theories presented, that the better-informei
members inclined to the opinion that the disease
was an epidemic, like the epidemics that At
tunes prove SO fatal to the human family, and
The discussion led to no small amount Of infor-
nation II regard to the management of tho bee,
md, 80 far, is of interest to all bee-keepers.
;, It Is well known that bees close every opening !
tnat 1t is possible for them to do; and hence wo |
very little air to tho hive. i've
either in summer or winter. and
though bees do i've and sometimes show O gur,
Plus Of honey when exposed to currents Of air
treatment was not a safe one, and tho advocates
of Tree ventilation found no great favor at this
meeting. Ibis is point quite we'll settled at
; nus meeting. 1t was also shown, by the Presi-
1ent, hlr- Clark, and others, that
A BLANKET FOB TEE BEES
desirable. This may be of pieces of old car
'et1ng, old coats, pants, or other woo11en goods.
,laced Immediately on the frames that contain
ne money and the bees. The object OF this is
wo-fold: one, to keep them warm; and the
ther, to absorb and carry off the moisture.
ve can see this illustrated in the case of put-
ING Woouen blanket on horse that has been |
risky driven; the side OF the blanket next to
he horse is apparently dry, while the moisture |
asses through, and is condensed on the outside
the blanket, thus carrying of the accumulated I
1o1sture without reducing the temperature, In !
he case of the wild beo in the hollow tree. tic !
ecaylng wood above the swarm acts in the !
ame manner as an absorbent Of moisture, md
1us We see that the disposing of the moisture
! OF more Importance than the free admission :
cir.
VENTILATION AND BAD HONEY, =
Mr. Mitchell took decided ground that the '
ause Of the epidemic was too much ventilation,
; all such sWarms, he concluded had been lost: c
Ut numerous instances we're cited to show that c
lch was not the case. t
@AANoAA
ID or poisonous honey; but it was shown that !
le honey from the dead swarmB had bean LARGELY t
q to the live swarms without injury. =
Mrs. Upper had seen hundreds of hives that +
1e attributed it to tie want of room for new b
:ood. Then it was shown that under all con- Il
tions presented, the disease, proved fatal.
ID ne may safely. come to the conclusion
at the cause is yet shrouded in mystery as b
ep as that OF the horse disease the cholera, or 81
her epidemic diseases. There is no doubt | il
1T 1t Will recur at long periods and that.
len 1t comes, the lesson Of the past will be of "
tle OF no avail. I an aware that few wiso Il
.chers will not agree with me in these conclu d
ms, which believe to be those Of the greater Y
IT of the members in attendance at this ci
'eting. e,
THE VALUE OF TIE ITALIAN BEE "
8, IN many respects considered to be superior cr
that Of the black bee; but, from the cost Of st
anging, the irascible disposition Of some COL gu
les Of hybrids, the disposition to rob- and the 10
3 e g"armlng, had somewhat checked the fever; su
I tne introduction Of the new race was, at TO
IT, at the time of tie Introduction Of the tn
iana, our stock Of the common black bee had | Ii
'n so closely bred that new infusion of dis ali
Ct 1allies could not fail in improving their St
'slder that bee-keeping had received new
pulse from the teachings Of Langstroth. va
inby, and others, and that the people began
have more correct ideas Of the habits of this att
VI So~At A14otlts AA5 ENafmlnE and TIL
use OF the frames enable the bee-heeper to
tect his pets against the beo-1noth-miller, av
t had marched westward from the Atlantic
the far West, leaving disaster in cd
path. It was claimed by vii
le, and Mrs. Tupper in particular. an,
this miller never disturbed good fair stock ste
he Italians. While few were ready to con Br,
let this position, yet it was apparent that ne
74er observation ls required to settle this rig
IT. as it is well known that ali new things for de1
garden, the farm, or the apiary, have Better of
, than the old. As for myself, very much it 8
6t the correctness Of the position. When tru
ks OF :bees are strong. the millers are not shi
sent in nunbers, and the strength decreases Bra
Ii proportion to their presence. Thus the VIII
ement may be liable to 8 misconstruction, wild
would warn my readers to carefully guard VIII
1ta1ane, as they would their black bees, and
! Tue 1nloaas OF THIS 1nsldlous foe. his
SIZE OF HIVES. tho
4 tn1s sno]ect. considerable was said follow SAY
q paper on the same subject By General sur
+, Of Kentucky, who held that the size Of no
hive may be greatly enlarged. The common d
of the brood chamber is now 1000 cubic kno
es, ,n ana gooo swarm contains 20,0o0 bees. spe'