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l<ee>Keeping: in Qu«-fiiMlan<I, 



Australia, is thus described l)y Mr, D. R. 

 McConiiel.ot Brisbane, in the Australasian 

 Bee Journal : 



I may safely say that, whatever was the 

 condition of bee-lieepinz in (Jneensland 

 four years ago, it is on the hi«h roail to "the 

 most scientific Americau method " now. 

 " Modern " bee-keepiua is practiced by 

 more than one can count on one's fingers, 

 and yet there are not many bee-keeners in 

 Queensland. We formed a Bee-Keepers' 

 Association last Aiinust, 1886, at the annual 

 Aericultural Exhibition in Brisbane, which 

 numbers overoO members. We liave month- 

 ly meetings, to which some of us travel 

 over 60 miles, when papers are read, new 

 and old methods discussed, and much busi- 

 ness arranged. We have induced the Na- 

 tional Association to multiply by four their 

 entries for exhibits under Honey, Bees and 

 Bee-Keeping materials ; and we appoint one 

 of the judges for the show. Our improve- 

 ments, to be fallen in hand at once, are the 

 commencement of a museum and a library. 

 We intend also to ask the Government to 

 make arrangements for sending bees by 

 post, which is now impossible. So you see 

 we have not "died ere scarcely born." 



It has been remarkable that while you 

 were complaining of the drouth, we had our 

 season almost spoilt by wet. We had had a 

 drouth before that for four or five years ; 

 and the rain will have done good for the 

 next season. I am not sure how much of 

 our crop, mostly from eucalypti, depends 

 on the rainfall. Clover, of course, fails 

 certainly wiihout rain ; but these gum trees 

 of ours do not seem to mind how dry the 

 ground is. Indeed, some varieties never 

 bloomed at all last year, apparently because 

 the rain came when their flowers should 

 have opened. 



Now that we can organize our work and 

 obser\ation throuiih the Queensland Bee- 

 Keepers' Association, we nope to be able 

 by and by to present a complete report of 

 the different times of flowering, and the 

 value of our honey trees. 



Robl>iBig.— Many inquire as to how to 

 know when bees are robbing, and how to 

 prevent it. The Rural Canadian says it 

 knows it in this way : 



When robbing is going on in the yard I 

 generally know it without going into the 

 apiary. An occasional stray bee will come 

 into the office where I am writing. The 

 hive attacked is closed with a wire screen, 

 to give ample ventilation. If but few bees 

 have got at it, I manage to kill them with a 

 piece of tliiu, wide board. 



After the bees once become engaged in 

 robbing, they are of no use in the apiary, 

 as they will continue to steal during the 

 rest of their lives, and the sooner they are 

 disposed of the better. If much robbing Is 

 goi[ig on in the apiary, the thieving colo- 

 nies sh(mld be found and removed to a new 

 location, at least a mile away. By sprink- 

 ling Hour on the robber bees as they leave 

 the hive being robbed, they can be easily 

 traced to the stand where they belong. I 

 have often broken up a colony which were 

 robljing by blowing tobacco smoke in their 

 hive. When this is done, care nnist be 

 taken tliat the other colonies do not turn to 

 and rob the one that has been doing the 

 robbing. 



The American AptcuHurist remarks as 

 follows as to the danger and the remedy : 



Care should be taken in season to prevent 

 robbing in the apiary. The most danger is 

 during the first few days after the lioney- 

 flow ceases. The bees at once commence 

 to look around for the weak colonies, or any 

 exposed sweets. Keep all honey out of 



reach and smell of the bees. Should the 

 bees get into the beehouse, the best plan is 

 to fasten them in. Let out just before it is 

 too dark for them to find the hive. This 

 will do more towards breaking up robbing 

 than any other plan I know of. A few bees 

 will return in the morning, but they will 

 soou become discouraged and give it up. 



Uiickwlieat Honey.— On page 563 

 Mr. S. J. Youngman asks these questions : 

 "1 have observed that the buckwheat bloom 

 yields no nectar in the afternoon in this 

 vicinity. Is tliis a characteristic of the 

 plant throughont the United States ? Are 

 some varieties better than others to yield 

 honey ?" 



Several have replied already, stating that 

 they never have seen bees working on buck- 

 wheat later in the day than noon. Mr. H. 

 M. Seely, on page 629, says : " When we 

 have a hot, damp and cloudy day, it yields 

 nectar all day ; all other times only in the 

 morning. It lias not yielded very much this 

 season." 



Now the editor of the Canadian Honey 

 Producer gives a plausible reason for its 

 non-yielding of honey, in these words : 



Honey is secured from buclfwheat gen- 

 erally until about 10 or U o'clock. The rea- 

 son is that it requires moisture and secures 

 it from the dew. If there is no dew, there 

 will be but little honey in the buckwiieat. 

 Again, if we have a cloudy day and light 

 showers, there will be buckwheat honey in 

 the blossoms all day. Such a day we had 

 lately, and one colony gained 10 pounds 

 that day. 



Honey at Fairs. — Concerning the 

 awards made by judges at Fairs, Mrs. L. 

 Harrison makes these comments in the 

 Prairie Farmer : 



State, district and county fairs are great 

 educators of the people, and whether it pays 

 financially or otherwise, bee-keepers should 

 make an. exhibit of honey, wax and bees. 1 

 am sorry to say it, but I could not make a 

 creditable exhibit this fall— no, not even 

 buy it, in Peoria. Some exhibitors make a 

 great mistake in exhibiting only white 

 honey. Fair exhibits should embrace all 

 the honeys of the locality.from apple bloom 

 to fall flowers, whether it is white, yellow 

 or brown, both in comb and extracted, and 

 in marketable shape. 



Committees at Fairs many times have a 

 mistaken idea of what constitutes excel- 

 lence in honey, wax and supplies. It is not 

 possible for them to be posted on all com- 

 modities upon winch they must pass judg- 

 ment. At one of the Illinois State Fairs 

 held at Peoria, a large glass vessel, filled 

 with comb honey, which took the bees two 

 seasons to fill, and was consequently much 

 travel-stained by the bees, was awarded the 

 "blue," while rich, white honey, in good 

 marketable shape, was unnoticed. This 

 dripping, daubing mess was a curiosity, and 

 consequently was awarded the " blue." 



The second premium on honey at the 

 same Fair was given to a confectioner's jar 

 of " strained " honey. The second award 

 was to be given to extracted. The lady who 

 exhibited it, said : " It was nice honey 

 when 1 strained it, and I do not know what 

 makes it so cloudy." Tliere was on exhi- 

 bition at the same time a gross of nice,white 

 extracted in Moth's honey-jars, tin-foiled 

 and labeled. Honey-dealers ordisinterested 

 bee-keepers should be excellent persons to 

 have on an awarding committee ot honey. 



Candied Cunib Honey.— The ques- 

 tion is often asked, " What can I do with 

 honey candied in the comb ?" Mr. Will M. 

 Kellogg, in the Bee-Keepers' Magazine, 

 describes his plan thus : 



I had about 20 cases of 6 inch extracting 

 combs that 1 had to leave for some time for 

 laok of time and storage room, and when I 

 came to extract it, I found it candied solid. 

 It was fine, clean white comb, filled with 

 clover honey, and I hated to lose it. I cut 

 tlie combs out of the frames, laid one at a 

 time on a clean, smooth board, and cut it up 

 fine with a chopping knife, then placed it in 

 a large tin can over a slow fire, and care- 

 fully melted comb, honey and all. 



When it was thoroughly melted I set the 

 can to one side until cold ; then the wax 

 having risen to the top, 1 peeled it off of the 

 honey and threw it into the wax extractor ; 

 rewarmed and strained the honey, and I had 

 several pounds of nice wax, and over 300 

 pounds of as fine, thick honey as an expert 

 ever smacked Ills lips over. .So I received 

 over $50 for my batch of caudied comb 

 honey. 



Never Strike at. a Bee.— A good 

 illustration of the correctness of this ad- 

 vice is shown by Mr. E. S. Arwine, in the 

 Pacific Farmer, who gave his experience as 

 follows : 



About 38 or 40 years ago, when 1 was 8 to 

 10 years old (I have been used to bees from 

 childhood), I held up a leafy bush for the 

 swarm to cluster on, while tin pans, bells, 

 and two .sea shell horns were making the 

 sweet music of bytione days, to induce the 

 bees to cluster. After circling around about 

 the usual time, a prime swarm began to 

 aliglit on the stern of my bush, on a level 

 with my liead ; and as the cluster-call 

 sounded, the bees poured in all over my 

 shoulders ; then my hat brim dropped down 

 over my face. I dropi)ed my bush, took off 

 my hat and laid it on the bush, and moved 

 out pretty quickly, witli a pint or so of bees 

 on my arms and shoulders. I do not think 

 I got a sting, but the swarm clustered on 

 my old hat. Moral : Never strike a bee. 



"We Want 30,000 subscribers. Out of 

 the 300,000 beekeepers in America, certainly 

 this is not an extravagant desire ! It is 

 only one out of every fifteen! We confi- 

 dently ask those who appreciate the AiiErti- 

 CAN Bee Journal, to show it by sending 

 us one or more new subscribers. We will 

 give them full value for their money. 



Convention I^otices. 



ZW The Nebraska State Bee-Keepers' Association 

 will convene at Lincoln, Nebr.. on Jan. 9. in ami 1 1, 

 lgg9. J. N. Ueatek. Sec. 



r^~ Tliere will bearaeetlnKOf the Susquehanna 

 County Bet^Keepers' Association at the Oiurl House 

 in Montrose, Pa., on Saturday. May 4. ixxii, at lo a.m. 

 H. M. SeelEY, S«c. 



r^- The Pan-Handle Bee - Keepers' Association 

 will bold its next meetlnK in the K. of P. Hall on 

 Main St.. between llth & Lith Streets, in WheellnK, 

 W Va on Nov. :il and ;:2, ISSS. All bee-keepers are 

 cordially invited, W. L, Kinsev. Sec, 



t^- The Marshall County Bee-Keepers' Associa- 

 tion will meet at the Court House In MarshaMtown. 

 Iowa on Friday. Nov. It!. IHMS, at 10 a.m. All bee- 

 keepers are conlially invited to meet with us. and 

 brinu alonK aiiythinK that they may have that will 

 interest or benclit apiarists. J. W. SANDEliS, Sec. 



t^" The Alabama State Bee-Keepers' Association 

 will meet at lo a.m. <m Wednesday, Nov. u, ihsh. at 

 the office of the Secretary of the state Fair On the 

 Fair Building.'), in Montgomery. Ala. Members are 

 urged to attend .and all persons interested in bees 

 and honey are cordially Invited. 



J. M. JENKINS, Sec. 



