THE AUSTRALIAN BEEKEEPERS’ JOURNAL. 
77 
and surpassed anything of the kind that had 
yet appeared. In December last appeared 
the first number of the Australian Bee- 
keepers' Journal, a monthly publication 
devoted to bees and beekeeping, and edited 
by Messrs. R. L. J. Ellery and J. H. Kitchen, 
of Melbourne. The committee had issued 
circulars to members asking for information 
regarding their operations during the season, 
and although these were not responded to 
as well as could be desired, it was thought 
that the results would prove interesting. The 
best reports were from Mr. W. Stevens, 
who took 997 lbs. of honey from nine 
hives, including 556 lbs. from one colony 
of Ligurians and its increase ; Mr. S. 
Randall, who commenced with two hives 
in spring, and took 293 lbs. of honey ; 
Messrs. Brooks had one hive, which was 
increased to four, and 265 lbs. of honey 
obtained ; and Mr. A. E. Bonney, who began 
with four hives, increased to twenty-one hives 
and thirty-five nucleus-boxes, reared more 
than 100 queens, and took 820 lbs. of honey. 
Foul brood continued to cause trouble to bee- 
keepers throughout the Colony, but it was 
satisfactory to note that strenuous efforts 
were in many instances made to get rid of 
that pest. As a rule, those who had once 
eradicated the disease from their apiaries 
had not been troubled with it again. A 
notable instance of this was Mr. W. Stevens, 
who was perhaps the first beekeeper to 
successfully apply the salicylic acid remedy 
when troubled with foul brood several years 
ago, and who had kept his bees healthy 
ever since. The committee urged all mem- 
bers whose hives were afflicted with the 
dangerous disease, to make every effort to 
get rid of it before the end of winter. The 
Chamber of Manufactures took advantage 
of the Bill which was passed during last 
session of Parliament to prevent any but 
Ligurian bees from being kept on Kangaroo 
Island, and sent there several colonies of 
that superior race. After these bees had 
been well established it was reported by 
several persons that black bees existed on 
the island, and to set the matter at rest, the 
Chamber issued a number of circulars to 
residents, asking for information on the 
subject. At the monthly meeting of the com- 
mittee held on 3rd March, Mr. F. Conigrave 
submitted the following report : — “ Of the 
forty-five circulars issued, twenty-three have 
been answered. The result is eminently 
satisfactory, as it shows that there are no 
black bees on the island, and that the 
Ligurians introduced through the action of 
the Chamber are almost all doing well. 
There is, therefore, every prospect of a 
thoroughly pure supply of Ligurian bees 
becoming established. One apiarian has 
already reared fifty-eight Ligurian queens, 
and says that not one was impurely 
mated. It appears that years ago there 
were some black bees introduced to the 
island, but they, some time ago, all died out. 
The only vestige of them is the state- 
ment of Mr. Hicks, that his boys have seen 
black bees in the scrub, but judging from all 
the other reports there is very little doubt 
but this refers to the native bee. This insect 
is spoken of in the report of Mounted- 
constable Withall, who says : — ‘ In answer to 
Question 5, I would mention there is what 
is called the native bee, and which I am 
informed is totally distinct from the wild 
bee. The native bee builds its nest in the 
dead stems which grow up from the grass- 
tree or yacka bush. The honey is obtained 
from the stems of the yacka bush, which 
when in bloom produce a large quantity. It 
is also got from the wild honey -suckle, which 
grows all over the island. I have myself on 
one occasion, when visiting the West coast 
of Kangaroo Island, cut off about three feet 
of a dead stem from the yacka which had 
bees in it. I plugged up the hole and 
brought it home. I tied the stick to a 
verandah-post and took out the plug. I do 
not know how long the bees would have 
lived, but I had them for three weeks when 
the stem got broken. The bees seemed 
quite at home while I had them.’ Mr. J. 
Turner, of Smith’s Bay, after giving the 
answers to various questions, adds : — ‘ My 
bees are doing splendidly this season, making 
a fine lot of honey — in fact, I never saw bees 
do better, and I have been used to bees 
since I can remember. I work my bees 
with the Langstroth bar-frame hive, and 
think it a great improvement on the old 
style of kerosene-box I have sold four 
swarms and given two swarms away this 
season, and have five swarms left.’ Mr. 
Albert Waterman, of Cygnet River, says - 
‘ I have noticed a kind of wasp very much 
resembling the black bee in this district, 
which probably Mr- Grainger mistook for 
bees.’ Mr. A. E. Bonney, to whom I have 
referred these replies, considers them very 
satisfactory. The native bee spoken of will 
not, he says, prove any hindrance to the 
establishment of a pure Ligurian strain on 
the island, its habits being so different 
as to prevent likelihood of mixture.” 
The Chamber had recently handed over to 
the Association all business in connection 
with the distribution of the Ligurian bees 
which were imported last summer. Com- 
mittee drew attention to the assistance 
rendered to apiculture by the Chamber of 
Manufactures. It was a fact that with the 
