To tell in detail the history of the National Organization of American Beekeepers since its beginning would require a good-sized volume. The details of many of the early conventions are recorded in the old bee magazines, even to the vitriolic arguments which took place concerning things of no importance.

An organization seldom flourishes for long unless it has a purpose and serves a definite need. Interest in the associations of beekeepers has been high at times and very low at others, depending upon the service rendered. That the present national organization is the natural successor of the one first started at Cleveland, Ohio, March 15, 1860, indicates that something definite has come from the efforts of the men who have given their time to its interests. The name has been changed on several occasions, and the constitution so often as to seem like a regular procedure at each annual meeting. Always there has been a striving to make the society more useful to its members, and much ill-advised effort has been given to the letter of its laws.

Those associations which have the least machinery in their makeup are most useful. Organizations of this kind depend entirely upon the spirit of the officers in charge. The more freedom of action given to such men, the greater the returns in service.

Constitutions have been drawn up at great length with specified regulations for every conceivable activity, and long hours of convention time have been wasted in discussing rules and by-laws.

Prior to the publication of the bee magazines, little is known as to meetings of beekeepers. It is assumed that no society of national extent existed prior to 1860, since there was no medium of contact. Michigan beemen held a meeting at Jackson in 1859, and at that time a national organization was proposed. Whether or not this meeting was responsible for the movement, a convention was held at Cleveland the following March (1860), with Prof. J. P. Kirtland presiding. Two meetings were held in the same city, one in March and the other in November.

The Civil War turned interest in another direction and conventions were interrupted until 1870 when interest was again revived. On February 10, Prof. A. J. Cook, secretary of the Michigan Beekeepers Association, sent out a letter calling a meeting in Lansing on March 21 to arrange for a national convention. This resulted in the calling of a convention in Indianapolis on December 21, at which beekeepers were present from Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Iowa, New York, Tennessee, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Utah, and Canada. A. F. Moon, president of the Michigan association, presided.

Out of this meeting came the North American Bee Association with Rev. L. L. Langstroth as president.

Soon after, a similar convention called by the Northeastern Beekeepers Association met at Cincinnati and organized the American Beekeepers Association. This society likewise elected Langstroth as president. At the time of adjournment it was decided to call the next convention at the same time and place as that of the other society, with a view of merging the two organizations.

On December 6, 1871, at Cleveland, it was voted to dissolve both societies and reorganize under the name of North American Beekeepers Society with Moses Quinby as president.

Since the reorganization in 1870, a convention has been held every year without a break. Nearly every well-known man in the industry has had a part in the affairs of the society under its various names, and the roster of its officers sounds like a who is who in beekeeping.

It is interesting to note that the constitution adopted in 1871 provided that ladies might be admitted to membership without charge, while the fee for men was one dollar each. Another interesting provision was that no member was entitled to the floor for discussion for more than five minutes without the consent of the society. This is an indication of strenuous arguments during the sessions when subjects were open to debate.

For several years, conventions followed each other with regularity, with little of importance to record which would be of interest to men of a later day. Discussions were largely devoted to such practical everyday problems as clipping queens, extracting honey, etc., until 1877, when the question arose concerning the admission of queen bees to the mails. A petition was started to secure a modification of the postal laws which would permit the shipping of queens by mail. This was a matter of great importance, since the development of the queen breeders' business at a later date was largely dependent upon this privilege.

Later, a petition bearing several thousand names was presented to Hon. G. B. Loring, a member of Congress, who reported that no congressional action was necessary, since the postmaster general had the authority to admit bees to the mails if he saw fit.

The same problem was presented at the Chicago convention in 1879, and a committee was again appointed to press the matter with the postal authorities.

By 1880 the agitation against adulteration, first started in the convention of the Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois Society, had reached the National convention and strong resolutions were passed. The importation of new races of bees also came in for attention at that time.

In 1885, a movement was launched to organize a society for the specific purpose of defending the legal rights of the beekeepers. It was known as the National Beekeepers' Union. For several years the Union held a large following and served a useful purpose. A Mr. Freeburn, of Wisconsin, was sued by a neighbor, who claimed that his sheep were annoyed by the defendant's bees. The Union defended the case and succeeded in having it thrown out of court.

After a time it was discovered that the work of the new Union could be as well done as an activity of the parent society, and the two were merged. For years after, however, the principal business appears to have been the settlement of disputes or the defending of the rights of the members.