120 
THE AUSTRALIAN BEEKEEPERS’ JOURNAL. 
from three stumps. Higher up it is not bo 
abundant, and it is in this particular that the 
resin collectors have lost the best part of their 
harvest by taking only the top part of the 
trunks, stripping off the leaf-bases, and sifting 
out the resin. 
The Yucca bees build their nests or bore 
their tunnels in the old dry stems of the 
flowers, very seldom, if ever, in those that are 
green or growing. It is simply a hole with 
a tunnel, proceeding generally in an upward 
direction, and sometimes there are two tunnels 
side by side. The one hole serves for entrance 
and for exit, and sometimes two bees will 
select the same stem, but bore separate 
entrances and separate tunnels. They appear 
to gather pollen, and mix it with nectar, 
placing it at the end of the tunnel, deposit an 
egg, then more pollen and honey mixture, and 
another egg, until perhaps a dozen eggs have 
been deposited. In time the young bees 
emerge, all at once, and, as far as 1 can learn, 
they occupy the stem as a home for some 
time. During November, the bees appear to 
be commencing their nests, for I could never 
find more than one bee in each hole, and only 
once or twice was a very little pollen present. 
In my first researches for the bees 1 always 
examined the butts or trunks of the “ Yuccas ” 
for the entrance to the hive, and it was not 
until the children of Mr. H. Harpur, at 
Karratta Station, brought me the flower stems 
that I found out my mistake. The first stem 
brought contained one bee, which rather 
startled me by flying out with a roar in my 
face. I then closed the aperture, and opened 
small peepholes along the course of the tunnel 
but found no other bees. The next contained 
two entrances, with two separate tunnels, and 
one bee in each. After that I got several 
more, but with the same result in each case. 
The bee is eleven-sixteenths of an inch long, 
and slightly over a quarter of an inch across 
the abdomen — some are slightly larger. The 
whole body is metallic blue, with a bronzy 
tinge over it. The four wings are black, 
rather narrow, and slightly longer than the 
abdomen. The legs are short and hairy, and 
the two hinder ones are provided with pollen- 
baskets. The head is very broad, and the face 
is hairy. Finally, the insect is provided with 
a formidable sting and a very strong pair of 
mandibles. 
Trooper Withall, at Queenscliff, had been 
interesting himself in securing a specimen of 
this bee for transmission to the Chamber of 
Manufactures, but upon my information that 
all business in relation to the Ligurian 
importations had been handed over to the 
Beekeepers’ Association, he gave me the one 
specimen which he had caught. 
Whilst at Karratta Station I carefully 
attended upon three large sweetbriar rose- 
bushes standing in a neglected garden, and 
on the first occasion my heart seemed almost 
to stand still, for there upon the flowers 
were what at first I took to be several 
common black bees. They were too quick 
for me, however, and got away, but not 
before I was satisfied that they were not social 
hces. I saw the same kind of insects again 
and again afterwards, but they were always 
either out of reach or else too quick for me. 
It is hardly possible to use a hand-net, because 
the thorns catch the net, and you do not catch 
the insect. I captured two of the Yucca bees 
upon the briar flowers, and saw dozens of others 
sipping nectar and gathering pollen. 
There is another solitary bee upon the island 
very abundant, gathering pollen most indus- 
triously and sipping nectar. It is armed with 
a short feeble-looking sting, and is provided 
with pollen baskets. It has a black head and 
shoulders — or thorax — a nut-brown abdomen 
with a black termination, and four narrow 
transparent brown-tinged wings, very slightly 
longer than the abdomen. I could neither find 
the nests of these bees, nor could I learn where 
they build, or anything about their habits. 
Though very' alert when upon the top of a 
flower it was easy enough to pick them u p 
with a pair of tweezers when once they 
commenced to work, and I caught as many as 
I wanted for the Museum Collector. 
The only other bees met with were the black 
ones before-mentioned and three other species, 
ail of which are known by Mr. Tepper as 
solitary bees and as wood-borers. 
A short discussion ensued, and several 
questions were answered. 
The meeting then adjourned. 
Victorian Beekeepers Club. 
The thirteenth ordinary meeting was held at 
the Public Service Association Rooms, on 30th 
November, at 8 p.m. Fourteen members 
present ; Mr. Ellery' in the chair. 
The Chairman reported that he had heard 
from Mr. Naveau of the survival of several 
of the Cyprian queens that gentleman had 
received from Mr. Benton. At first Mr. 
Naveau believed the queens had been lost in 
introduction, as queens cells were seen on the 
combs some days after the queens were 
placed in the hives, but he subsequently 
found the cells destroyed, and, on further 
examination, the queens all safe. 
The Chairman also reported that a batch of 
Carniolan, Cyprian, and Italian queens sent 
out to him by Neighbour, of London, arrived, 
but all dead except one Carniolan and one 
Italian. 
