THE AUSTRALIAN BEEKEEPERS’ JOURNAL. 
51 
empty hive body ; and when all the frames are 
out of the hive, the queen, if not found on the 
combs, will generally be found among a lot of 
bees on the floor-board or sides of the hive. 
The necessity for finding the queen is most 
frequently for assuring ourselves of her presence 
in the hive, or for examining her appearance ; and 
although we may be generally satisfied a queen 
is present if we find young unsealed brood and 
eggs, it is more satisfactory, and is good practice, 
to actually sight her. Sometimes our search is 
for the purpose of catching her for some reason or 
another. The methods of doing this will be 
described further on. If beginners fail to find a 
black or dark queen, they will succeed by the 
following plan. Spread a large white sheet in 
front of the hive ; bring up one side to the 
entrance, and pass it between the bottom board 
and the hive, propping up the latter a little with 
wedges, seeing there is free and clear entrance 
over the sheet as it passes under the hive. Secure 
the opposite side of the sheet, by placing stones 
or bricks upon it. If the bees are on frames, 
shake them off on to the sheet, frame after frame. 
The bees will soon find the entrance, and com- 
mence the cheerful humming which will cause the 
bees to crawl up the sheet towards the entrance ; 
and by watching them as they stream in, the 
queen can easily be distinguished, and caught, if 
necessary. If it is a swarm or a driven stock, 
they can he thrown down altogether on the sheet, 
not too close to the hive, and the queen found as 
they run in. Finding queens in swarms is often 
necessary, but it requires experience, a quick 
sight, and some patience, especially if it be a first | 
swarm. If a second, or cast with one or more 
virgin queens, they will generally be seen, by a 
little careful watching, running in and out of the j 
cluster, but are not so easily caught except by a 
smart expert. 
Catching Queens. — Most beekeepers advise 
you to take her gently between the finger and 
thumb, holding her by the thorax or shoulders, 
which part of her body is pretty strong, and will 
bear a gentle pressure without injuring her ; a 
squeeze of the soft abdomen is almost sure to do 
her permanent injury ; and even though one is 
expert at grasping a queen properly, it is certainly 
best not to handle her at all, and modern writers 
quite agree on this point. We always prefer 
catching her in a cage, by placing it over her on 
the comb, and then carefully slipping a card j 
between comb and cage, watching all the time ; 
she does not get squeezed or caught by either the 
cage or card ; for, finding herself trapped, she 
will make great efforts to squeeze out wherever 
she sees a chance. For the last year or so we 
have always adopted the plan recommended by 
Cheshire, and find it so excellent that we want no 
better. It requires a special contrivance, which, 
however, is simple, cheap, and easily obtained, 
namely, a piece of glass tube about inch 
diameter and two or three inches long, closed at 
one end, the open end having nice smooth edges. 
A large sized test tube answers very well, but is I 
rather thin for use in an apiary. An ordinary 
two-ounce chemist’s phial with the neck end cut 
off and the edges ground smooth does very well 
indeed. A cork to fit the end is required to keep 
the queen in when secured, and good deep 
notches should be cut in it, so that plenty of air 
is admitted, without being large enough to permit 
the queen to escape. When the queen is found 
on a comb or elsewhere, it is easy to place the 
open end carefully over her, the glass allowing 
her to be clearly seen, so that with care there is 
no fear of injuring her. As soon as she finds 
herself trapped, she generally passes up towards 
the closed end of the tube, if it be nearly hori- 
zontal ; and by tipping up the tube with a shake, 
she falls to the closed end ; and not being able to 
crawl up the glass sides of the tube w'hen it is 
held perpendicularly, the notched cork is slipped 
into the tube, and she is safe. If it is desired to 
put some bees in with her. which will be necessary 
if she is to be sent away, or kept out of the hive 
I for any time, select half a dozen to a dozen young 
ones from her own hive, and put them in the 
tube with her, which can easily be done if the 
tube be kept vertical. Of course a queen must 
never be kept in such a tube for more than an 
hour or two, for they require frequent feeding, 
and if kept starving long she would probably stop 
laying for a much longer period than if kept 
s upplied. 
®ormponirar- 
TIMBER FOR BEEHIVES. 
We find a letter from a correspondent at 
Lillimur, date July last, asking questions as to 
the kind of timber used for hives, the trade designa- 
tion of such timber, and current prices. W r e 
regret his letter was overlooked, but now give him 
the required information For sides of hives, lo 
x J, shelving is generally used, for bottom 
boards the same is sometimes used, but not being 
wide enough it has to be jointed. Shelving or 
American lumber can sometimes be obtained 16 
inches wide, and this does for bottom boards 
without jointing, simply with the strengthen- 
ing cleats underneath. The timber used for roof 
covers is usually half-inch clear timber or clear 
pine. The prices vary somewhat from time to 
time, but at present the following is very near the 
mark at the Melbourne timber yards : — 2^d. to 3d. 
per square foot for § thick, and 2d. the l inch for 
roofing. 
(Bitrads. 
BEEKEEPING, IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
Me. Bon key's Retort to the Agricultural 
Bureau , Adelaide. 
Mr. A. E. Bonney reported the result of his trip 
through the colony in the interests of beekeeping 
as follows : — 
I have the honour to report that during the last 
three weeks I have given lectures on beekeeping 
at Woodside, Lobethal, Gumeracha, Williams- 
town, Tanunda, Angaston, Roseworthy College, 
Riverton, Auburn, Clare, and Jamestown. 
