78 
THE AUSTRALIAN BEEKEEPERS’ JOURNAL- 
9 
which is one foot. We have tried sections in 
width from one and a half to two inches in 
width, and are now using them one and three- 
quarter inches, and we think we snail make no 
further change in that direction. With those two 
inches wide, the cells being so deep that the 
honey is not soon ripened ready for the bees to 
cap. Another objection is that when the flow 
of honey is moderate the bees will start pieces of 
comb between the sheets of foundation, which is 
a nuisance. It seems to be their nature to 
build thinner sheets when the yield is light in 
honey. During a good honey flow of clover or 
linden, we have had no trouble in that direction. 
With one and three-quarter inch sections honey 
ripens quicker, it sealed sooner and the comb is 
in a small section at least, in better proportion. 
— Beekeepers' Magazine. 
REQUEENING AFTER A SWARM HAS 
ISSUED. 
This year more swarms than commonly have 
issued in the Bay State Apiary. Not caring to 
have so many old stocks queenless several weeks, 
all were requeened as soon as possible after a 
swarm came out, but no attempt was made to do 
so in less than three days after the swarm issued. 
The cells were removed to nucleus colonies, and 
at the same time the new queens were introduced, 
and so far not one queen has been lost. Thus it 
will be seen that only three days were lost to the 
bees in brood-rearing. 
It is not so important to re-queen immediately 
later in the season as at the first of it. Our bees 
commenced early in June to gather honey, and 
swarms soon began to come out. Well, now, had 
any colony been left to rear a queen the bees 
would have at the end of four weeks begun to 
diminish in numbers, and before harvest ended 
there would be hardly half as many bees in the 
hives as there were when they swarmed. When 
a colony is promptly requeened there would be 
no great difference so far as numbers are con- 
cerned. 
I am not a believer in contraction of the 
brood-chamber, nor do I believe in taking away 
the queen from a colony for any great length of 
time at any season of the year. Experience has 
taught me that a colony is always in the best 
condition that has a good queen, combs full of 
brood and plenty of young bees. A hive barren 
of these important requisites is nearly worthless, 
and unless a queen is soon put in it will be useless 
for any purpose. 
Keep the colonies supplied with strong, healthy 
queens. If a queen fails to keep the combs full 
of brood whether there is forage or not, pinch her 
head off and get another. It does not pay to 
nurse up a colony having an unprolific queen. — 
American Apiovlturist. 
BEEKEEPERS’ CALENDAR FOR MARCH. 
This is ccnsidered the last month of the honey 
season, and therefore the inexperienced should 
be careful not to extract the hives too closely, 
so as to leave the bees short of stores at a time 
when there are few flowers in bloom. Where 
hives have been worked for comb honey in 
section-boxes it will often be found at the close 
of the season, when the last crate of boxes is 
removed, that the brood combs have been filled 
solid with honey. In such cases it will be 
beneficial to the colonies if some of these heavily- 
filled combs are removed from each hive, and 
empty combs and combs of brood returned in 
exchange. The honey combs that have been 
removed should be given to any colonies that 
are deficient in stores. There is no better plan 
of feeding starving colonies of bees at any time 
than by introducing frames of sealed honey. 
When this is done in the evening there is no 
danger of starting the bees robbing. 
During the season we have tested several 
different bee-smokers, and have come to the 
conclusion that the “ Quinby ” is the most 
satisfactory of all. The fuel used was partly 
decayed wood, and this split into sticks and 
placed in a Quinby double-draft smoker having 
a fire barrel two and a half inches in diameter, 
left nothing to be desired. The objection to 
many smokers is the difficulty starting the fuel 
burning, and this is owing to the want of draught. 
On the other hand, in the Bingham smoker, 
the draught is too good, so that a fierce fire is 
caused, which consumes the fuel too rapidly, 
and sparkes are driven out with the smoke. The 
smoker being used more frequently than any 
other implement in the apiary, it is important 
to get a good one, as there is nothing so annoy- 
ing to a beekeeper than to find that just at a 
critical moment there is no smoke to be had. 
The fire barrel should not be less than two and 
a half inches in diameter nor more than three 
inches. 
In a recent number of Gleanings in Bte Culture 
there is an excellent illustrated supplement con- 
taining sketches of the hives of some of the 
most eminent beekeepers ih America. The 
engravings, which are copied from photographs, 
arc exceedingly well done, and all who are 
interested in the men who have assisted to 
bring beekeeping to its present state of perfec- 
tion should make a point of seeing this number. 
Perhaps one of the most interesting chapters is 
that giving the life of Mr. Langstroth, the in- 
ventor of the moveable frame hive, and who is 
still alive, although in feeble health .— From 
Garden and Field Adelaide. 
CARNIOLAN BEES. 
Dr. Morrison, writing in the American Bee 
Journal , speaks thus of Carniolans. The most 
'notable trait about them is their freedom from 
a disposition to rob and the vigilance in guard- 
ing their hives. With 200 nucleus colonies, daily 
exposure of their combs and a poor honey season, 
it is remarkable he had not a single colony robbed. 
Such freedom from robbing he had never known 
when he had Italians. He is convinced Carniolans 
are better honey gatherers than Italians, Cyprians, 
and Syrians, and as for their gentleness, he has 
little use for smokers, and many colonies can be 
handled with the same impunity as so many flies. 
