[November, 1912. 



THE USE OF QUEEN EXCLUDERS IN 

 BEE-KEEPING. 



Mr. J. A, V. Pereia of Regent Street, Colombo, who is an enthusiastic 

 bee-keeper and does not favour the use of a queen-excluder between the 

 brood-chamber and the super for Apis indiva bees, is good enough to state 

 his reasons and gives his own experience with regard to the matter :— 



" I have never used any excluders, so I can't speak with experience. 

 But I have been getting honey without brood or pollen in the combs. 



" All authorities seera to agree that excluders induce swarming to 

 some extent, and as our bees are great swarmers, we must be very 

 careful how we use excluders. 



" In fact, if we could handle the bees without excluders why need we 

 trouble with them at all ? 



" Townseud who has several apiaries in America does not use any 

 excluders in some of his apiaries, and he says he can get on very well 

 without them. 



" A beginner using excluders would find all his bees swarm, and give 

 up the hobby in disgust. 



"My method is as follows : — 1 place the brood-chamber on a hive con- 

 taining empty frames right through the year, as this keeps the hive cool. 

 At the beginning of the season the empty frames in the lower hive are 

 replaced with drawn comb, and the queen descends to this lower hive and 

 begins to fill it with brood. Then, when honey begins to come in, I place 

 a super with drawn comb on top — that is on top of the original brood- 

 chamber. And as this brood-chamber is already filled with brood, and as 

 the lower one is being filled with brood, the honey has to go to the top 

 super, and as there is no queen there the combs are free from brood or 

 pollen. 



"Once you get a super filled with honey you can place it directly over 

 the brood-chamber containing the queen and place any number of supers 

 on top. And the queen will never cross over the honey to go to the supers 

 on top. In this way the super containing honey acts as a sort of excluder 

 and keeps the queen away from the top supers which will only be filled 

 with honey. And this is all done without placing any impediment in their 

 way or in any way inducing the bees to swarm." 



We shall be glad to have the views of other local Apiarists on the use 

 of excluders. 



PRESENTATIONS TO PERADENITA. 



Mr. V. M. Muttukumaru of Jaffna has sent to the Museum of the 

 Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya, a set of models, the gift of Mr. R. R. 

 B. Kumarakulasinghe, Maniagar, Valigamam North, of the following 

 agricultural implements:— plough, mammoty, catty, sickle, grass scraper 

 and spade. 



