80 
THE AUSTRALIAN BEEKEEPERS’ JOURNAL. 
brought other queens with me besides the 
Italians, as I have worked them side by side 
with the Italians, but the latter have the best 
qualities combined. Although I am not the 
first introducer of this race of bees, my success 
in keeping them as pure as they could be found 
in any place, without year after year importing 
fresh stocks from other countries, is without 
precedent in these parts. 
Australian climate and flora are most suit- 
able for the prosperity of the bees. Theoretical 
and practical knowledge is taught in papers, 
books, &c., and can be gained by experience ; 
and although some time may elapse before 
exhibitions of bees and their products will be 
held in this, as in other countries, the great 
advance in bee culture in the last few years is 
most noteworthy. Not every beekeeper will 
be as lucky as Messrs. Spry, of Brisbane, 
whose yield last year, as stated under “ Notes 
and News ” for April, was 650 lbs. a hive 
average. One hundred pounds a hive is not 
bad, but too much is not advisable. The 
production of honey has increased more rapidly 
than the consumption already. To find ways 
and means to bring to the consumers’ notice 
the great advantages of honey as a more whole- 
some and more economical article of diet than 
butter, and to sell really pure honey in the 
best-liked forms, should be the chief aim of all 
who keep bees for honey production. 
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PROM FOREIGN JOURNALS. 
Hints for Winter . — The chief thing to look 
out for now and guard against is robbing. 
Any weak or queenless colonies are pretty 
sure to fall victims to marauders just now, 
unless every precaution is taken. The best 
way to prevent anything of the kind is to 
unite those that are likely to be attacked with 
others, and thus have none but strong colonies 
that are able to repel any attack made upon 
them. Small colonies, with young, vigorous 
queens, may be kept breeding late in the 
season, and so work them on till they are 
strong enough to winter safely, by supplying 
them with plenty of food and built-out combs 
from time to time as they require them, and 
crowding the bees together with division 
boards. Strong nucleus colonies may be 
served in this manner. Entrances should be 
contracted, and at least once a day an out - 
ward inspection of the hives should take 
place. Should any pieces of wax (cappings) be 
seen at the entrance of a hive, it may at once 
be concluded that robbing is going on in that 
particular hive, and efforts should be made to 
stop it. The method I adopt in such cases 
myself, is to lay a cloth across the entrance to 
the hive, and from a watering-pot, held a 
good height above the cloth, 1 pour water 
over it and the bees flying about the hive. In 
two or three minutes I remove the cloth, and 
let the bees out that are near the entrance, 
without letting any in. I repeat this process 
several times, when it generally has the effect 
of frightening and clearing out the robbers. 
Any colonies that are short, or likely to be 
short of food for winter stores, should be fed 
up while the warm weather lasts, but great 
care must be taken that robbery is not allowed 
to take place. To guard against this, it is best 
to give the food the last thing in the evening 
before dark. Syrup is the best food while the 
weather is warm. To make it, let the sugar 
be good, and put half-a-pint of water to every 
pound used ; boil for a few minutes, and keep 
it well stirred to prevent burning. Burnt 
sugar is poison to bees. Empty combs make 
the best feeders. Lay a comb on an inclined 
board at about the same angle as an ordinary 
writing desk. Take a tin (jam tin will do) 
and punch some very small holes through the 
bottom, and, holding this a foot or so above 
the comb, pour some of the syrup into it. 
The fall of the syrup from the tin will force 
it into the cells. When both sides are filled, 
hang the comb up to drip before placing it 
in the hive. If no empty combs are avail- 
able, convenient feeders may be made by 
nailing thin laths into wood frames to form 
shallow troughs, which should be coated with 
melted wax before being used. The troughs 
can be filled with syrup, and the frames hung 
in on the centre of the hives. Top boxes that 
have but few bees in should be removed, and 
the empty combs put in the fumigating room, 
or, in the absence of this, they may be kept 
in the hives, which should have a little sul- 
phur burnt in them occasionally to kill the 
bee moth, Ac., and their larv®. Several hives 
may be piled on each other, and the sulphur 
burnt on top, under the cover. The combs 
should hang at least an inch apart in the 
hives. All spare hives, &c., before being 
stowed away for the winter, should be scraped 
and cleaned, and be brushed over with a 
strong solution of carbolic acid. Now is a 
very good time to overhaul the covers of 
hives, and paint those that require it. A leaky 
cover will do much injury to a colony. — 
“ Apis,” New Zealand Farmer. 
Fottl Bkood and Camphor- 
When this disease has visited a district, its 
eradication is extremely difficult. The germs 
being scattered far and wide, it is not wonderful 
that we frequently hear of the disease breaking 
