322 AUSTRALASIAN 



increase is required all precautions should be taken to prevent 

 swarming at this time. Eemove sections as soon as completely 

 sealed, and place them in the honey house for a few days to 

 ripen before packing them for market ; take care that there 

 are no bee moths in the house. Extract as often as necessary 

 the surplus honey in frames. 



FEBRUARY. 



This is sometimes a hot dry month with a scarcity of bee 

 forage toward the latter part: Beware of robber bees as soon 

 as honey gathering slackens. The first month or six weeks 

 after the close of the honey season is the worst time for 

 robbing. If necessary to open a hive while robbers are about 

 use a bee tent to cover it. Keep down weeds and tall grass 

 around the hives. 



MARCH. 



Breeding will now begin to diminish, and a good look-out 

 should be kept for queenless stocks. All poor queens should 

 be superseded. With occasional showers the autumn flowers 

 now coming into blossom will yield some nectar which will 

 provide winter stores. Timber should now be stacked under 

 cover to season for making into hives and frames during the 

 winter. Look out for robbers ; contract entrances if necessary. 

 Rape and mustard seeds may now be sown for early spring' 

 forage. 



APRIL. 



Any eolonies likely to be short of food for winter stores 

 should be supplied with sufficient towards the end of the 

 month. There should be from 251bs. to 351bs. in each hive at 

 the commencement of winter. All implements in the honey- 

 house and apiary, for which there is no further use, should be 

 cleaned and stowed snugly away till required again. 



MAY. 



Now will be the time to prepare the hives for winter by 

 removing all boxes not occupied by bees. Unite all weak and 

 queenless colonies, also queen-rearing nuclei, and see that all 

 are well supplied with food. Contract entrances and cover 

 the frames with an extra mat as the weather becomes cooler. 



