THE AUSTRALIAN BEEKEEPERS’ JOURNAL. 
11 
To the Editor of the Australian Beekeepers' 
Journal. 
Sir, — Now that a Beekeepers’ Club has 
been formed, and it is probable that bee- 
keeping on modern principles will soon be the 
rule, I desire to discuss in your columns the 
question concerning the size of the frame to 
be adopted by the Australian Beekeepers’ Club. 
I regard this question as an all-important 
one, and I think the club should pause before 
deciding this question hastily. 
In discussing this question, I should like 
to distinguish between hires and frames. 
Whatever sized frame is eventually adopted, 
the hives, whether made on the Langstroth 
or British Association patterns, could, I appre- 
hend, be made internally to suit the one or 
the other frame. 
Those advocating the Langstroth frame, 
17f inches by 9J inches, do so on several 
grounds, namely, (1) That most people in 
the colony have got them. (2) That the 
Langstroth hive is the best. (3) That this 
frame is universally adopted by American 
beekeepers, who are far ahead of anyone else 
in bee-keeping. 
With regard to the first ground that most 
people have it, if it can be shewn that this 
frame is too large for all purposes, I submit 
it is a very bad reason for adopting it. 
Secondly, that the Langstroth hive is the 
best, this I admit, but why not have the 
Langstroth hive and a smaller frame. 
'thirdly, the Langstroth frame may be 
admirably suited for America, but quite un- 
suitable to Australia, and with regard to the 
Americans being far ahead of the English, I 
would point out that in one instance the 
English are ahead of the Americans, I refer 
to the metal ends for spacing frames and 
preventing propolising. This admirable in- 
vention is, I believe, due to an Englishman, 
and I can find no mention of it in any of the 
American books I have seen. 
I learn also from advocates of the 
Langstroth frame, that in many cases a 
central bar either vertical or horizontal (the 
former preferred) has been introduced to 
strengthen the frames and also to halve the 
weight of the heavily laden combs. The 
British Beekeepers’ Association standard 
frame, 14 inches by 8| inches, requires no 
central bar, it has been universally adopted 
throughout England after a very careful and 
rigid trial of all other sizes of frames. 
If this frame were adopted all Langstroth 
frames now in use could easily be cut down to 
the size. 
What I would advocate then is shortly this. 
The Langstroth hive made to fit the British 
standard frame. — I am, &c., 
DRONE COMB. 
NEW BOOKS, REVIEWS, AND 
EXTRACTS 
FROM FOREIGN JOURNALS. 
Australian Notes. 
Some American apiarists are finding out that 
the common black or brown bees have most 
valuable characteristics for the apiarian as 
compared with Italians and other vaiieties. 
They enumerate the chief points in the cha- 
racters of blacks and Italians as follows: — 
The Italians are indefatigable workers, very 
gentle, but less easily cowed than blacks, are 
more vigorous and determined when roused, 
guard their homes against robber bees, moths, 
ants, and other intruders, better than the 
blacks; they store honey and raise brood 
well and rapidly. They are, however, very 
prone to swarming fever, and cannot be con- 
trolled in this respect so easily as blacks or 
cross breeds, so that they require a good deal 
of watching at swarming time. Their comb 
is much yellower in colour when new than 
the black bees. In capping the honey they 
fill the cell full, and a section box of capped 
honey looks very yellow and comparatively 
coarse as compared with the beautiful white 
comb of our black friends, in which a little 
particle of air left between the honey and the 
cap, adds to the white appearance. 
The blacks defend their homes but weakly, 
are more prone to moth than Italians, and 
more likely to start robbing. They are, 
however, easily managed, quieted with a 
very little smoke, store honey as rapidly as 
the others, and are found to be very superior to 
Italians for their readiness to work into section 
boxes, building generally nice clear white 
comb. In handling them when smoke has to 
be used they are rather apt to get awfully 
frightened, and tumble about in helpless heaps, 
which is often troublesome. Some Italian 
stocks are so gentle that one can without 
smoke lift out and examine frame after frame 
full of bees, and not one will go for you so 
long as you do not pinch or jar them ; if you 
do they are no longer gentle. The blacks are 
certainly better than Italians for 'queen rearing. 
I have had more stings from Italians than 
other bees, because I gave them too much 
credit; and, taking all in all, I think blacks 
are as easily handled as Italians, but some, 
certainly not all, of the crosses between these 
are about as peppery as bees can be. 
Foul Brood ’ 
In the journal of the Royal Microsco- 
pical Society for August is a valuable 
contribution by Messrs. Cheshire and Cheyne 
on this disease of Bees, which altogether 
upsets the old views concerning its character. 
