BEE MANUAL. MET 
the larva to the perfect insect. The bee-keeper, in blissful 
ignorance of the fact, opened the hive, and before he could 
prevent it some of the moths took flight, and thus it was that 
this terrible enemy came to be introduced into Queensland. 
It is easy to understand that in so favourable a climate it 
would take but a very short time for the country to be over- 
run with the pest, and it is quite likely that ere this the moth 
has spread over the greater part of the warm districts of 
Australia. 
_ Such a circumstance nearly occurred to myself. Some of 
the boxes containing queens imported direct from Italy, that 
came to Matamata in the latter part of 1884, were crowded 
with eggs and larve of an enormous bee-moth, as well as the 
perfect insect. Some of the larve measured over an inch in 
length. As soon as I made the discovery that the boxes con- 
tained such unwelcome intruders, I opened them very cau- 
tiously, shifted the queens and bees to clean boxes, and burnt 
the others, with their combs, without delay. The boxes were 
opened in a room, so that if any moths had flown, they could 
have been easily captured. 
I would therefore warn all who may hereafter import bees 
to be very cautious in opening hives or boxes, and to see that 
no insects escape, and to examine the combs, or what is better, 
put the bees into a clean hive, on clean combs, and make a fire 
with those they came in. 
FUMIGATING COMBS. 
I have previously referred to fumigating combs to destroy 
the bee-moth larve, or any other insects that may have har- 
boured in them. The following is the method :—Hang them 
in a small close room (or if only a few, a large close box will 
do as well), burn one pound of sulphur to every one hundred 
cubic feet contained in the room or box. To burn it, get an 
iron pot, put some ashes in the bottom, with hot embers, and 
pour on the sulphur; shut the door of the room, or close up 
the box, for two or three days. 
When combs are stowed away during the winter months, 
they should be looked over occasionally, and if necessary fumi- 
gated again as above described. Combs containing honey 
stowed away should also be fumigated, if eggs or worms of 
bee-moth are detected in them. 
