242 AUSTRALIAN EEE LORE AND BEE CULTURE. 



CHAPTER XXXTI. 



WINTERING BEES. 



"While the earth remaineth, summer and winter shall not cease" 

 is a Divine promise; but, notwitstanding, New South Wales bee- 

 keepers find, as far as the honey flow is concerned, that, at least, 

 in some parts of this State we have no winter — that is, winter 

 such as necessitates the taking of extra precautions to guard against 

 the severity of the cold. W^ith the bees, "summer and winter" are 

 only relative terms, known to them by the extension or contraction 

 of light and darkness. That is the only sense in which that Scrip- 

 tural promise to them holds good. They do not know it by tue 

 abundance or cessation of the honey flow. Nay, if such were the 

 case, the bees' winter would be when the sunshine is most intense 

 and the days longest. Often in summer time, in this State of 

 floods and droughts, the little busy bee is put to her wit's end to 

 find the means of livelihood, to say nothing of a surplus for storage 

 on which to raise the ever-increasing brood. In some years, what 

 other countries would term the best for a honey flow, with us it is 

 the worst. Indeed, in some parts of this State, while some bee- 

 keepers are gloating over their great profits for the season others 

 are entertaining the thought of Jeremiah's wish, "Oh! that my 

 hoad were water and mine eyes a fountain of tears that I might 

 weep," because I have to feed back to my bees, this summer, the 

 profits of last. 



"Apiology,'' if I may be permitted to coin a word, because it 

 is more expressive for my purpose than apicxilture, in this country 

 requires the study of the laws of bee-life far more acutely than that 

 of any other bee-keeping country with which I am acquainted. 

 Other bee countries are not subjected to the great changes, in sea- 

 son and out of season, than we are here. The bee-keeping people 

 in Europe and America have their Spring, Summer, Autumn, and 

 Winter with utnaost regularity, the periods difi'ering but little year 

 after year. I do not mean to say that each year or season is equally 

 resultant, but I do mean to say that within a week or so they know 

 what will follow, and can prepare for it accordingly. I have known 

 a midwinter season when the honey-bearing flora were so advanced, 

 the honey flow so good, the brood so plentiful, and circiumstances, 



