08 
THE AUSTRALIAN BEEKEEPERS’ JOURNAL. 
it fails. The fact is, the bees have their moods 
like other beings, and require humouring ; the 
difficulty, however, is to know how best to do 
this. There are some simple, but rather in- 
flexible rules, which, if adhered to, will make 
almost any reasonable method successful. 
1. The hive to which a new queen is to be 
introduced must be queenless, and also with- 
out queen-cells. 
2. It is best when the new queen is intro- 
duced directly (within a few hours at least,) 
after the removal of the old queen. 
3. Neither the hive to be queened npr the 
queen should be disturbed so as to be excited 
beforehand, and except where a hive has been 
queenless for a long time or has fertile workers. 
If these conditions arc adhered to, it does not 
appear to matter whether you cage the queen 
on a comb or in any of the numerous introduc- 
ing cages, or adopt the Simmin’s method of 
introducing the queen in a comb with brood 
and honey from another hive. 
In the Elsasse Bee Journal, M. Vierling 
states in a late communication on his experi- 
ence of foul brood, that phenol only cures 
when honey is coming in fast, and that the 
true cure is formic acid (bee sting poison,) 
which is produced abundantly during a liberal 
honey flow. He is of opinion that the bees 
cure it themselves when formic acid is secreted 
freely. 
We have received samples of foundation 
from Messrs. Walters and Uo., Carrington- 
street, Adelaide, both thick and thin, which is 
of excellent quality. The heavy, about 5| 
feet to the pound, is very fine, with sharp and 
full cell walls, and the wax is of first-rate 
quality. The thin foundation is also beauti- 
fully made of very pure wax. It seems 
superior to any imported foundation we have 
seen. — E d. 
PROCEEDINGS of BEEKEEPERS 
SOCIETIES, &c. 
Victorian Beekeepers' Chib. 
An ordinary meeting of the Club was held at 
the Public Service Association Rooms, the 
Melbourne Athenseum, on Monday, the 9th 
August, at 8 p.m. ; twelve members present; 
Mr. Ellery in the chair. 
After the formal business of the meeting 
was disposed of, a discussion took place on the 
best form of frames, spacing contrivances, 
modes of fixing foundation, and other practical 
points in connection with beekeeping. Some 
country members were present, and gave an 
account of last season’s work, which, on the 
whole, was favourable, as the autumn harvest 
in most localities was very good, and in many 
localities the Eucalypts blossomed all through 
the winter, which kept the bees working 
profitably whenever fine weather permitted. 
It was decided to hold the next meeting 
about the middle of September, when it was 
expected there would be some interesting 
exhibits of bee appliances, including novelties 
from America. The meeting terminated at 
ten o’clock. 
ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTIONS. 
First Revision after Winter. 
By W. Abram, Italian Bee Farm. Parra- 
matta, N.S.W. 
During two or three months in the winter 
the bees do not work much, or rear young 
brood, but have rest when the weather is cool 
and rainy; while in August, as it gets warmer, 
they begin to fly out more on fine days for 
the benefit of their health, to relieve them- 
selves after the long confinement. They then 
proceed to clean out the hive, and carry out 
all dirt, &c , that has gathered on th bottom 
of it. It is advisable now to give them some 
assistance, by opening each hive and sweeping 
out the bottom clean, with a strong feather or 
a small brush, by which a great deal of labour 
will be saved for the bees. 
Strong hives will begin to breed about the 
end of July or early' in August, while weaker 
ones will not begin for some weeks later, 
generally about the end of the latter month. 
At this time every hive should be examined 
carefully, to see that it has a queen and suffi- 
cient honey, as a great deal is required for the 
nourishment of young brood. Sometimes a 
queen dies during the winter, when there is 
no brood in the hive from which a new queen 
could be raised ; and if the bees were success- 
ful in raising a new queen, she would most 
likely not get impregnated, as there are no 
drones about during the cold weather, and 
consequently she is of no use. 
Again, some hives may have a good queen 
and not sufficient, bees to warm and feed much 
brood. Such colonies, united with a queen- 
less one, will make one good hive. If the 
queenless bees are much greater in number 
than those with the queen, then put the latter 
into the former hive, and cage up the queen 
for a day' or two ; if the reverse, put the 
queenless bees into the hive with the queen, 
between glass division and the door, and 
smoke them all. The most of the transferred 
bees will remain where they find a queen, and 
the few returning to the old stand, when they 
find it empty, will beg themselves into a 
neighbouring hive. 
