156 
THE AUSTRALIAN BEEKEEPERS' JOURNAL. 
doubtedly become established in the vicinity 
of Brisbane. Our informant expressed his 
thanks to Mr. Tyron for the information 
relative to this destructive parasite which he 
published in the Queenslander some few months 
ago. He stated that previous to this he — 
although a beekeeper of many years’ standing 
— was quite ignorant of the matter. Latterly 
he has noticed one or two of his best colonies 
dwindle down to about half-a-pint of bees ; 
the queens were still there but ceased to lay 
eggs. It struck him one day that the cause 
might be this parasite, so catching a queen he 
put her under a magnifying glass, and there I 
sure enough were three of these ticks fast | 
upon her. Holding the queen by the two 
wings doubled up over her back he removed 
them by the aid of a needle point. The little 
creatures hold very fast, and it is no easy job 
for a shortsighted person to remove them. 
Since their removal the queens have recovered 
their prolificness, and the colonies having- been 
strengthened by additional brood combs are 
on a fair road to become strong. Our 
informant has since detected evident signs of 
this new- plague among cottagers’ bees that ho 
has visited. So it behoves ail beekeepers who 
find their colonies dwindling in an unaccount- 
able manner to catch the queens and examine 
them. We shall he very pleased to publish 
any investigations upon the life history of 
this acarus from colonial observers.” 
We have not heard of this parasite in 
Australia (known as the Braula Casco) outside 
of Queensland — it may be confined to that 
colony, or it may be it exists undetected 
among us. It will be well, therefore, to care- 
fully examine the queens of colonies that fall 
off without any apparent cause, and it is 
quite possible that the presence of this para- 
site may be found to account for some of the 
otherwise inexplicable weakening down of our 
stocks. 
A full account of this “queen tick,” or 
parasite, will be found on page 125 of Vol. I. 
of the Australian Beekeepers’ Journal. 
DO BEES SELECT A HOME BEFORE 
S WARMISH P 
From the British Bee Journal. 
We have always regarded the statement, fre- 
quently made, that before leaving the apiary, 
if not before leaving the hive, bees have a new 
home selected if not fitted up, as a tradition 
that might, and again might not, have a basis 
of fact . We had an opportunity last week to 
see for ourselves, or rather to get our infor- 
mation from first hands, and under such cir- 
cumstances that left no opporl unity for mistake 
On Sunday Mr. Vance, the manager of our 
creamery farm, discovered bees clustered under 
the window-sill of his bed-room. There were 
hut few of them, probably half-a-pint, and 
they seemed to go in and out of a very small 
crevice where the weather-boarding had 
shrunk from the sill. He concluded this most 
he the traditional committee of investigation 
appointed by whatever power rules in the bee. 
hive, to find out whatever good lay before them 
and report. The committee stayed all Sunday 
forenoon, and spent the night and the next 
forenoon. The bees were Italians of a brighter 
and better color than auy in our apiary, and 
hence were clearly strangers. The next after- 
noon, while Mr. Vance happened to be watch- 
ing them, a large swarm of bees of the same 
color came in from the north-west and imme- 
diately began to cluster and enter the aperture 
in the siding. By prompt and efficient use of 
the smoker they were driven out, the hole 
closed and the bees clustered on a tree and 
were hived. We know of no bees of the 
quality nearer than nine miles to the 
north-west. 
This seems to us a demonstration that bees 
select their home. This, committee had 
evidently reported a land of promise near the 
alsike, white clover and linden, and had sent 
back a good report of the laud as well as guides 
to bring on the eolony. There seems to have 
been some misunderstanding, however, as 
about the same number of bees remained clus- 
tered on the spot after the swarm was hived, 
and remained there till Thursday, evidently- 
supporting themselves by foraging in the 
fields till we took pity on them and allowed 
them to go to their chosen home. 
The same day another investigating com- 
mittee selected a similar place in a neighbour’s 
house, and the next day one of his neighbours 
had a swarm of bees come off and leave. He 
followed them directly to the spot where the 
committee had all things in readiness. 
What now is the governing supreme power 
in the beehive ? It is certainly not the queen. 
She is simply the mother bee, and at the time 
the swarm leaves the hive may be but an 
infant of a day. Nor is it the drones, who are 
born to serve a brief purpose and then murdered 
In the case mentioned there is a search for a 
location, the communication of intelligence 
to the parent colony, and uniformity of action 
on the part of the swarm. Now, who appoints 
this committee, and in what way is their 
report received and unanimously adopted and 
acted upon ? 
+ 
USE AND ABUSE OP UNFINISHED 
SECTIONS. 
VALUABLE SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO DISPOSE 
OF THEM. 
From American Bee Journal. 
In the discussion of every question that is 
brought up in our bee journals, we have ex- 
tremists whose advice it would not be wise to 
accept. Some say, “ We have no business to 
have many unfinished sections, and with 
proper management there is no need of having 
