THE AUSTRALIAN BEEKEEPERS’ JOURNAL. 
127 
appeared in so great profusion this past 
spring, are visited by the bees. Hut notwith- 
standing all this the beekeeper should be 
located within three miles of forest timber ; 
he then has an almost inexhaustible mine of 
honey to work upon, particularly if the belt 
of forest is upon sandy poor-soil land. The 
timber that grows upon rich lands is very 
often confined to one variety ; thus we see the 
whole forest all ironbark, or box, or red and 
blue gum, &c. ; but in sandy lands these are 
all mixed up, so that there is always some 
tree or other in flower. The quantity of bee 
food in one large eucalypt is very great ; it is 
indeed almost equal to an acre of flowers on 
the ground. Thus it is that we see shrewd 
beekeepers, like Messrs. Spry Brothers and 
Mr. Kdman, choosing the densely timbered 
lands to the south of Brisbane for the situa- 
tion of their apiaries. 
Messrs. A. B Edtnsn and Co. now possess 
about 120 colonies of bees. It is barely over 
two years since they entered upon the occupa- 
tion by purchasing a few colonies. For the 
first year they worked for increase of stock, 
and were very successful, but were thrown 
back considerably by that destructive hail, 
rain, and wind-storm that burst over that 
district in December, 1885, Their hives, many 
of them but light small ones, with nucleus 
colonies, were all placed on the natural surface 
of the ground; the hail knocked them over, 
and the storm-waters swept them off the 
bottom boards, and rolled them over and over. 
But for this accident the number of colonies 
would have been by now much greater. To 
gunrd against a repetition of such a catastrophe, 
each hive is now placed upon four stakes driven 
firmly into the ground, the tops being levelled 
with the spirit-level, so that all frames will 
hang true; the hive is thus about six inches 
above the nntural surface, and a bed of con- 
crete surrounds it on all sides to the extent ol 
six inches in width ; this prevents any weeds 
or grass growing close to the hive, and keeps 
all clear and clean, so as not to harbour spiders, 
lizards, and other bee-eating vermin. Mr. 
Kdman practises the plan of clipping the wing 
of all lus queens, ana when this is done it is 
absolutely necessary that all the ground about 
the hives is kept bare of vegetation, or when 
the queen issues with the swarm she may be 
lost, or unwittingly trodden upon. It is almost 
needless for me to ssy that the apiary is worked 
upon the modern lines ; the hives are all of 
the Lungstroth pattern, and hold ten frames 
ench. At the right time a top storey is put on, 
and from this only is the honey extracted. 
This top storey is the same size as the lower 
one ; ten frames are put in it, and each of 
these framts when full will contain 51bs. of 
honey. The apiary is chiefly tun for extracted 
honey, and the bottles of clear, clean honey 
from this apiary ore well known in the 
Brisbane shops. It is one of the essentials of 
the business of beekeeping upon modern lines 
that the beemaster be somewhat of a carpenter, 
and the more he is master of the joiner’s ait, 
the better he will succeed, other things being 
equal. Mr. Kdman is a joiner by trade, conse- 
quently his hives are true to a hair’s breadth 
each one with the other ; there is a store of 
about 100 piled up in the verandah, all ready 
for future use, anu it was a treat to look at 
them, so close were the joints and so accurate 
the fit one upon the other. The necessity for 
this accuracy is twofold : in the first place 
when there is not a joint or a crack but what 
is close, the wax moth cannot find any entrance 
except at the entrance, and the bees will 
generally guard that ; secondly, it is necessary 
not only that every hive in an apiary be- inter- 
changeable one with the other, but every part 
of every hive, then a comb of brood can be 
taken from a strong colony and placed in a 
weak colony and so soon increase the population 
that it in its turn will be strong, or a comb of 
honey can be taken and given to stimulate a 
I poverty stricken hive, or to put into a hive to 
induce a new swarm to stop; and in innumer- 
able ways is this interchangeableness a help. 
It also saves many stings to the operator 
when a frame, a super, a top, or a bottom each 
fits without jar or trouble. I noticed in Mr. 
Edman’s workshop a hand-turned circular saw 
bench which could not have cost less than 
£20 ; its help to the hive maker must be very 
great, for by its aid extreme accuracy of 
lengths is certain and the rabbets arc cut out 
to a hair's breadth. The extractor, the tanks, 
the smoker, the foundation-making machine, 
and all the paraphernalia of the modern bee- 
keeper are of course to be seen in the work- 
room. Tinning the honey is not entered 
into; it is all put up in bottles holding 
about 21bs. Many bottles are there ready 
filled for sale and large piles of emptirs are 
stored outside. In common with other bee- 
keepers. Mr. Edtnun now finds the sale for 
honey very slack ; the local wants of the town 
are completely supplied, and an export trade 
has not yet sprung into existence. At the 
price obtainable for honey two or three vea rs 
ago — that is, 8d. and 9d. per lb. — beekeeping 
was a profitable occupation, but it is with 
honey as with all other produce of the land — 
there is a superabundant supply, and unless a 
large export trade ensues it is doubtful if bee- 
keeping will pay for the trouble and constant 
attention it involves unless the apiarist can 
make extra returns by selling colonies, found- 
ation, and appliances. 
Mr. Kdman uses a solar wax meiter corne- 
ls hat similar to that described in a late issue 
