998 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Aug. 15 



BEE-KEEPING IN AUSTRALIA. 



An Intervie-w with the President of the 

 Victoria Apicultural Association. 



[Our readers will remember that Mr. F. R. Buehne, of Toobo- 

 rac, Victoria, Australia, came to the United States in May to in- 

 troduce his new cap-melting device — a machine that he claims 

 not only melts the cappings as fast as they leave the uncapping- 

 knife, but delivers the melted wax and honey in two separate re- 

 ceptacles before they actually cool. On this trip he called on 

 the publishers of this journal, and during the course of our con- 

 versation with him we found him to be an exceptionally well- 

 posted bee-keeper. When it comes to practical stunts in the 

 handling of bees he probably has few if any superiors. As an 

 indication of how well he is regarded in Australia we will say 

 that he is President of the Victoria Apicultural Association, and 

 Bee Expert of the Department of Agriculture for his State. 

 While here showing his machine and explaining its merits it 

 occurred to us that it would be very interesting as well as profit- 

 able to put him on the witness-stand and make him answer 

 questions. We accordingly arranged for an interview, with a 

 stenographer present. In that which follows we believe that our 

 readers will acknowledge with us that he is a Gamaliel at whose 

 feet we may profitably sit and listen, for he has had a varied and 

 ripe experience that will be worth something, even to us Yan- 

 kees who are supposed to beat the world in the production of 

 honey. We are glad, therefore, to introduce Mr. Buehne, and 

 will now ply him with questions to answer. — Ed.] 



BEE PARALYSIS. 



"How do the climatic conditions of Tooborac, 

 Victoria, differ from those in Germany, Mr. 

 Buehne.? " 



"Those in Germany are much the same as in 

 the Eastern States of this country. My present 

 locality is similar to that of Southern California. 

 It is similar to California in climate if not in 

 flora." 



"What race or strain of bees do you find gives 

 the best results?" 



"The darker strains of Italians." 



"Why do you prefer them.? " 



"Because of their greater immunity from bee 

 paralysis." 



"Do you find the yellow Italians as free from 

 that disease as the darker strains.? " 



"No, decidedly not." 



"Do you find that your strains of Italians re- 

 sist foul brood better than black bees.? " 



"I do. On one occasion five cases of foul 

 brood occurred in an apiary of 250 colonies, and 

 four out of those five were in colonies of black 

 bees, of which there were only five in the whole 

 apiary." 



"Do you find that bee paralysis is more preva- 

 lent in some parts of Australia than others.?" 



"Yes, that is generally acknowledged by our 

 bee-keepers." 



"What constitutes the difference in these lo- 

 calities.?" 



"The dry inland districts are favorable to the 

 development of paralysis, while in the cooler 

 coast regions it is almost unknown." 



"Did you ever attempt to introduce any other 

 strain in your locality to improve your bees.?" 



"Yes. On many occasions I found that, with 

 new blood, came a predisposition to bee paraly- 

 sis. On one occasion I bred over ninety queens 

 from two specially yellow breeders, and intro- 

 duced them with the view of improving my own 

 strain. The result was that both breeders, with 

 all their bees, succumbed to paralysis the follow- 

 ing spring, and every one of the colonies of their 

 queen progeny was more or less affected — so much 

 so that I requeened the whole of them as fast as 



I could from queens of my own original strain, 

 keeping them going with brood of the same in 

 the meantime. I thus lost the entire season in 

 keeping up my colonies." 



"How much did that loss amount to.?" 



"At least $500." 



"In a general way, do you find the extra-yel- 

 low strains as hardy as your ordinary regular 

 leather-colored stock.? " 



"No. They are much more influenced by 

 changes of temperature, being easily chilled in 

 cold weather." 



"Are the yellow strains used very much in lo- 

 calities on the coast.?" 



"No. The yellow bees are kept principally 

 by beginners." 



"What cure, if any, have you for bee paraly- 

 sis.? " 



"The only cure I know of is to requeen with 

 a different strain. A temporary cure may be ef- 

 fected by feeding honey without any drugs." 



"Why do you say without any drugs?" 



"I have on several occasions eliminated the 

 disease for the time being by feeding thin honey 

 continuously for several months." 



"Why do you feed honey rather than sugar 

 syrup.?" 



"Because I am of the opinion that the diges- 

 tive organs, being affected by paralysis, sugar 

 which would have to be inverted would tax the 

 digestion more than honey that is already invert- 

 ed, or partially digested." 



"Do you find that some individual colonies 

 are immune to the disease, even when surround- 

 ed by other infected colonies.?" 



"Yes, I do; and it is such that I choose to 

 breed from, with the view of creating a strain of 

 bees immune to paralysis." 



"Can you put combs from colonies affected 

 with bee paralysis into healthy ones without car- 

 rying the disease.? " 



"Yes; in fact, it is a practice with me to put 

 combs purposely from the infected colonies into 

 such colonies as I esteem are immune, for the 

 purpose of testing their assumed immunity." 



"Will combs from such affected colonies carry 

 the disease to colonies that are not hardy or im- 

 mune.? " 



"I do not think so." 



"What does carry disease from colony to col- 

 ony.? " 



"Assuming paralysis to be a germ disease, once 

 a locality has been infected, germs would be 

 present everywhere, but would cause an outbreak 

 only among bees possessing a predisposed con- 

 stitutional weakness. " 



"If you were starting anew, would you begin 

 with stock from a locality where bee paralysis 

 was unknown.? " 



"No. I should prefer stock from an apiary 

 from which it has been bred out by selection, as 

 I have explained." 



"Can you recall instances bearing on this 

 point.? " 



"Yes. Fifty colonies which were sent to me 

 from an apiary quite free from paralysis develop- 

 ed this disease in a most virulent form within a 

 few days after being placed in my apiary, my 

 own colonies showing no sign of paralysis, even 

 when the new arrivals had become almost ex- 

 tinct. To be continued. 



