THE AUSTRALIAN BEEKEEPERS’ JOL'RNAL. 
119 
Correspondence. 
Youb last number reached me just at a timel 
wa8 considering about uniting some weak lots 
of bees that swarmed early in October. I wa 
glad to see the paper about uniting, for I was 
a little timid about the job, as I saw some 
uniting done up near Wangaratta last year, 
when fully half the bees were killed soon 
afterwards, and were fighting for nearly two 
days. 
1 thought I -would try the combs placed 
alternately as recommended. I took the 
queen out of one stock and brought the one 
with a queen in up to it in the evening, and 
put the combs, bees, and all into the hive 
without a queen, and gave them a good 
smoking with my pipe. I took care to have 
the combs first of one hive and then of another. 
Many settled down, and not a bee was killed. 
Next day a good lot went back to the stand of 
the hive, where I had put the old hive and a 
frame of comb. I shook these among the united 
ones in the evening, giving them a few puffs 
from my pipe ; next evening there were about 
a dizen bees went back, which I left, and 
expect they all found their way to their new 
home next day. 
I send you these particulars to show you 
that the plan you advised succeeded well with 
me, and I intend doing the same whenever I 
want to join any more lots together. 
Thanking you for your good advice, I am, Ac., 
Bushman. 
Kihuore, Dec. 29. 
Original Contributions. 
FIXING FOUNDATIONS IN WIRED 
FRAMES. 
Foundation fixed in wired frames by any of 
the methods adopted, whether it be the gal- 
vanic battery, the spur embedders, or other 
plans, is very apt to buckle and get out of 
shape when put into a warm hive. The fact 
is the wax sheet permanently expands when 
warmed to a moderately high temperature, 
such as exists in a strong healthy hive. This 
buckling leads to wavy and ridgy combs, diffi- 
cult to uncap for extracting and also en- 
courages the formation of brace combs. It 
can be avoided by making the foundation 
quito warm and soft while fixing it to the 
wires ; the foundation will contract on cooling 
and draw the wires a little together, but will 
keep nice and straight when expanded by the 
heat of the hive. The wires should not be 
drawn quite tight in the frames. 
THE BEES’ FOOD. 
Honkv gathered by the busy bees from the 
nectaries of the flowers aud stored in their 
wonderfully made cells is the important pro- 
duct for which such great interest is taken in 
apiculture. No other living creature is able 
to fulfil this design of Nature, no manufac- 
tured substance is equal to honey. The con- 
sumer should know the difference between 
syrup or manufactured honey and pure bee 
honey. The manufactured article proves un- 
wholesome to the consumer, and if it is sold 
under the assumed name of honey, it injures 
the market for honey and its reputation. 
Should a tradesman be found out mixing 
glucose with honey and selling it as pure 
honey, he would, no doubt, be denounced by 
every beeman, and justly so. But what about 
those beemen who themselves feed their bees 
on sugar syrup ? Too much space has lately 
been taken up in the different Australian 
Journals advocating feeding bees on sugar 
syrup, and I cannot help stepping forward 
and if possible stop such bad advice. Sugar is 
not honey, not at all equal to it. Bees should 
not be fed on sugar syrup ; whoever feeds this 
substance makes himself very nearly liable to 
a prosecution for adulteration of honey. It 
strikes me that those who advise feeding 
sugar syrup, complain about the low honey 
price, that it is mixed, Ac., and that something 
ought to be done to stop adulteration, and 
that honey should be used for this or that 
instead of sugar. So it could, no doubt, but 
the idea did not strike them that they con- 
tradict themselves and work into the pockets 
of the sugar growers. If a beeman finds 
syrup equal to honey, why, anyone must 
admit that it matters little whether the 
mixture comes from him through his bees, or 
from a tradesman outside of the bee line, the 
latter being less to blame than the former ; 
but the consumer loses his confidence in honey, 
Feediug the bees on syrup briugs the honey 
into discredit. The food is not all used at 
once, it is stored in the cells like honey, and 
when afterwards plenty of honey can be 
gathered and extracting begins, the food is 
mixed with the honey, it cannot be separated 
and will be disposed of as pure honey. An 
analysis would prove this, and what then ? 
Further, if anyone finds that feeding on 
syrup answers well for one purpose, who 
warrants that he will not feed this substance 
at any time and thus secure a large crop 
which be will sell as pure honey. Or do the 
bees transform syrup into honey ? If so, we 
had better go headlong into this method, 
spare our bees the trouble to gather the nectar 
of the flowers and help the sugar industry. 
Syrup has sometimes a had effect on the bees, 
it may cause diseases, as foul-brood, Ac. Bees 
gather honey and they should live on honey. 
It is the beekeepers’ duty to feed honey if 
feeding is needed. 
In English and German Bee Journals we 
find a lot of directions how to feed the bees on 
syrup, Ac., and from them the advice found its 
way to Australia — another proof how out of 
place copies from foreign journals sometimes 
prove. The climate of Northern Europe is quite 
