Bte-keeping in Victoria. 



13 



.seven days as chrysalis, or sixteen days in all from the time the egg was 

 laid to the young queen emerging from the sealed cell. 



The drone is in the egg for three days, larva seven days, and chrysalis 

 fourteen days, or a total of twenty-four to twenty-five days from the egg 

 to the perfect insect. The following table may be useful in showing the 

 variations in the time of development: — 



III. — Races of Bees. 



Of some twenty known varieties of the honey bee (Apis mellifica) four 

 only have been introduced and established in Australia, viz., the Black 

 Bee; the Italian^ the Cyprian; and the Carniolan. 



The Black Bee, it has been stated, was first brought to Tasmania from 

 Great Britain in 1824. From Tasmania some hives were taken to Sydney 

 and from thence the variety has spread pretty well over the whole of 

 Australia. It is hardy an(d will fly on cold and wet days when some 

 of the other races will not leave the hive, and it commences brood rearing 

 very early in spring — almost in midwinter. As in the raising of brood, 

 pollen, the fertilising dust of flowers, is required, the black bee is a 

 most important factor in the fertilisation of the blossoms of the 

 earliest flowering kinds of fruit trees. In cool districts, or when 

 the pollination of fruit blossom is of greater importance than the 

 yield of honey, the black bee or one of its crosses with Italian or Cyprian 

 is probably the best kind of bee to keep. On the other hand. Blacks, 

 although commencing to breed early, do not maintain a high rate of re- 

 production for long and, where the main honey flow occurs in summer, 

 do not give as gaod a yield of honey per hive as Italians. They are 

 excessive swarmers, more excitable when handled than the other races, 

 offer less resistance to foulbrood, and often allow wax moth grubs to 

 infest their combs. 



The Italian Bee was introduced in the seventies. It is of somewhat 

 lighter build than the Black and has three yellow or light orange coloured 

 bands across the abdomen. It is gentle and little inclined to sting when 

 properly handled. Italian queens, even those imported direct from Italy, 

 vary greatly in colour, some are quite yellow, and some almost as dark as 

 black queens ; whilst others have dark and }'ellow bands. The colour 

 of the queen is therefore no indication of purity of race, the best proof 

 of which is the uniform markmgs of all her worker progeny. Italian 

 bees cling tightly to the combs when the frames of combs are handled, 

 while black bees or hybrids often drop off without shaking. 

 Pure bred Italians, and, to a lesser degree their crosses with others, 

 are more immune from foulbrood, and rarely allow wax moth grubs to 

 get into their combs. They begin breeding later in spring than Blacks, 

 but at the approach of warm weather soon overtake the latter and main- 

 tain a greater worker force throughout the season. A variation of the 



