Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1872-03-01
---------U o---
Iowa Bec-Kcepers' Association.

AO~u SSC.11cepeTS xASSOC1AClOU.
AT this Convention, held at Des
Moines, Jan. 10, Mrs. Upper said:
1t is more important that the be-
ginner in bee culture should first
make himself familiar with the
principles underlying the art, rath-
er than with specific Methods
Bees and a queen, or the workers,
will build drone comb. Iftoo many
bees are left in q hive, they will
store too much honey. Honey is a
good thing, but sometimes we may
have it in such abundance that the
queen has no place in which to de-
post her eggs.
The honey extractor was consid-
cred valuable, 4 member stating
that the extracted, or fluid honey,
at ten cents per pound, was more
profitable than comb honey at TWEEN
ty-five cents per pound. The Ital-
ian bee was considered superior to
the common black bee, being more
hardy, and getting more honey in
the same time.
In relation to artificial swarming,
MIR. Furman says:
'For rapid increase l take five
swarms numbered from ! to 5, and
take out Of Nos. l, 2, 3 and 4, two
cards from each, and place them in
new hive. Then take a queen,
and about quart of bees out Of
No. 5, and put into the new hive
containing the cards removed from
the old hives, thus making hive No.
6. Now put No. 6 in the place for
mcrly occupied by No. 5, and set
the latter in q new place. In re-
moving cards as above, replace
them by empty frames. AS often
as one or more of the frames are
filled the same process can be re-
peated."
Regarding the dronc offspring of
Italian queens tertilized by black
drones, Mrs. Upper from her own
experience, had no doubt but that
an Italian queen, fertilizcd by 4
black drone would produce as pure
drones as when fertilized by an Ital-
ian drone. A pure queen, either
Italian or black, will always pro-
duce pure drones. Hybrid queens
will produce impure droncs.
The best plan for wintering bees
was conceded to be to keep them in
a cool, dry, dark cellar, where the
temperature will range from thirty
five to forty-fve degrees, and that
sudden changes of temperature were
to be avoided as especially dctri-
mental.
The Hosmer method of wintering
only small colonies containing a
pint or SO Of bees, was discussed
lie makes many small swarms in
the latter part of the season by di-
yiding the larger ones. These
small swarms consume less honey
and will, in the spring, it is claimed
by Mr.. Hosmer, increase with 4 snf-
ficient rapidity to produce large
quantities of honey. This method
was considered worthy the attcn-
ton O. bee keepers, and it was
earnestly desired that careful bee
managers make experiments the
coming season, and report upon the
matter at some future meeting of
the Association.
| Buckwhcat, corn tasscls, sumach
blossoms and alsike were mentioned
as among the best honey plants,
the latter being estimated rs good
rs white clover.
Upon the topic regarding fertile
workers, Mr.. Cox said one could al
ways tell their presence by the ir-
regularity with which they lay their
eggs, placing them anywhere in the
comb, instead of near the center, as
the queen does. He recommended
taking out the frames, SHAKING off
the bees into the old hive, putting
these frames then into new hive,
and setting this new hive III the
place of the old one, always taking
the old hive away.
70 get rid of red ants it was rec
commended to sprinkle their nests
with solution Of carbolic acid in
water. Various other remedies for
driving them from hives were rec
commended, as tansy, ashes, oil, etc,
but it was argued that they do no
harm if the swarms are strong
enough.
Among the statistics relating to
the increase of swarms and the
production of honey were the fol-
lowing:
Mr.. Furman, of Cedar Rapids,
began in the spring with 100
swarms and increased to about 800,
producing at the same time about
$4,000 pounds Of honey.
Mr.. Cox began with forty and in
creased to sixty, producing 1920
pounds.
Miss Hendricks began with fifteen
and increased to thirty-three, pro-
ducing LOGS pounds.