Bee-keep'f'iJ in Victoria. 



25 



In the case of beginners both these factors are usually absent, with the re- 

 sult that the bees sooner than start work in the sections will repeatedly 

 swarm, and the season will be over before the swarms have become strong 

 enough to store any surplus of honey, whereas if frames had been used in 

 the super instead of sections swarming would have been prevented to a 

 great extent, and a fair amount of honey secured. With shallow unwired 

 frames the honey may be obtained by cutting out the comb, leaving about 

 % in. on the top bar to act as a guide for a new comb. The dimensions 

 of shallow frames are: — Top bar, 19 in. long, i in. wide, ya in. thick; 

 bottom bar, 17^8 in. long, i in. wide, Vs in. thick ; side bars, 334^ in. 

 long. i-)-6 in. wide, }i in. thick, nailed together as shown in Fig. 4. 



Locality. 

 It must be understood that although bees mav be kept almost anywhere, 

 e\en near cities, and when properly managed some return may be .secured, 



Fig. 4. 



no one should take up bee-keeping for profit or as a sole means of living 

 unless prepared to go into the country as soon as the elementary knowledge 

 and some experience in handling bees have been acquired. As wheat- 

 growing is profitable only where fair-sized areas of easily tilled land are 

 available, so bee-keeping requires a wide range of honey-producing Qova 

 to make it a paying occupation. To supplement the insufficient honey 

 resources of a locality by growing flowers specially for bees is impractic- 

 able. The land available for this purpose in the neighbourhood of cities 

 and towns is too limited in area, and too valuable. While in remoter 

 localities where large areas of bee-pasture might be planted, the expense 

 would be out of proportion to the return secured even if neighbours' bees 

 and wild bees could be prevented from trespassing. Australia has such 



