i68 AUSTRALASIAN BEE MANUAL 



the bottom boards, and put in division boards where re- 

 quired. As breeding- will have commenced, care should be 

 taken to keep the interior of the hives warm. Remove any 

 combs that are mouldy. Place the hive on a stand along- 

 side while cleaning the bottom board. Unite weak and 

 queenless colonies, and stimulate those required for queen- 

 rearing purposes. Make up hives, frames, etc., and send 

 orders to the manufacturers for material required for the 

 coming season. Willows and early-flowering peach-trees 

 blossom at the end of the month. 



Sei^temher. — The food supply should be attended to as 

 advised last month. Brood-rearing should now go on 

 steadily. Should the weather be against the bees see that 

 they don't run short of food. Look out for symptoms of 

 foul-brood and deal with it at once. Queen-rearing may be 

 started at end of month if weather suitable. Swarming 

 commences to the North of Auckland, and also in many of 

 the warmer parts of Australia this month. 



October. — The honey season in districts North of Auck- 

 land and in Australia begins this month. Swarming be- 

 comes pretty general throughout New Zealand sooner or 

 later this month, according to the season. Put on top box( s 

 where swarms are not required. See to the ventilation as 

 the weather gets warmer. Unite small colonies. Trans- 

 ferring may be done. 



Noveviher. — The first batch of queens should be ready 

 this month, though in the warmer parts of Australasia they 

 would have been ready for distribution more than a month 

 ago. This is the best month for Italianising the apiarv. 

 Give plenty of working room for the bees, and remove 

 surplus honey as soon as it is ready. Look out for swarms. 



December. — Supersede all worthless queens, and keep 

 down swarming by affording sufficient working room. The 

 first of the clover honey is usually secured this month, and 

 everything should be done to assist in securing the largest 

 crop while the clover lasts. 



BEE-KEEPER'S AXIOMS. 



Mr. Langstroth, in his invaluable work so often 

 alluded to in these pages, has given the following 

 axioms as "a few of the first principles in bee-keeping," 

 which ought to be as familiar to the apiarian " as the 

 letters of his alphabet." They are so true, that they 



