The Immigrant Bees

1788 to 1898

A Cyclopaedia
on the Introduction of
European Honeybees
into
Australia and New Zealand

Peter Barrett
1
First Edition 1995

Published by the Author. This book is copyright. Apart from fair dealing
for the purposes of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted
under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any process
without written permission. Inquiries regarding any form of reproduction
beyond the above permissions, should be directed to the author:

Peter Barrett, 1 Banjo Place, Springwood 2777, N.S.W., Australia

National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry

Barrett, Peter, 1951-.

The immigrant bees 1788 to 1898 : a cyclopaedia on the introduction

of European honeybees into Australia and New Zealand.

Bibliography.
Includes index.
ISBN 0 646 25812 5.

1. Bees - Australia. 2 Bees - New Zealand. 3. Bee culture - New

Zealand - History. I. Title.

638.10994

Typeset in 11 point Times New Roman.

The author has retained the spelling and punctuation of the original
material throughout.

2
 Table of Contents

7ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.............................................................................................7
SUBSCRIBERS........................................................................................................ 9
DEDICATION.............................................................................................................11
Marjorie Barrett..................................................................................................11
Albert Gregory....................................................................................................11
Norm Plenty........................................................................................................11
Chris Dawson......................................................................................................12
PART I....................................................................................................................13
INTRODUCTION.........................................................................................................13
Letter to The Editor 1920....................................................................................13
Another Letter, 1985...................................................................................................14
My Letter to the Editor, 1995......................................................................................15
Christopher Dawson, New Zealand.............................................................................17
Absence of European Bees..........................................................................................18
The Question Is - By Whom, When & How................................................................18
THE NATIVE BEES....................................................................................................20
A Clergyman, 1866..............................................................................................20
John Henderson, 1832.........................................................................................20
Thos. Lloyd Hood, 1885......................................................................................22
Apis aenigmatica.................................................................................................22
Some Twentieth Century Observations................................................................28
Les and Anne Dollin, 1985..........................................................................................28
R. L. Goebel, 1987......................................................................................................28
PART II - THE DARK EUROPEAN HONEYBEE..........................................29
NEW SOUTH WALES.................................................................................................29
The First Fleet, 1788..........................................................................................29
The Convicts.......................................................................................................30
Gregory Blaxland, 1806.....................................................................................31
Rev. Samuel Marsden, 1810...............................................................................34
Captain Wallis and the Isabella, 1822...............................................................43
How Many Hives Were on the Isabella ?....................................................................44
Mr. Parr, 1822.............................................................................................................48
Heaton, 1879..............................................................................................................51
Thomas Icely, 1822.....................................................................................................52
D’Arcy & William Charles Wentworth, 1822.............................................................54
Edward Henry Statham, 1844......................................................................................54
The Phoenix, 1824.....................................................................................................55
Captain John Macarthur, 1825...........................................................................55
The Bulletin, 1924..............................................................................................56
Thomas Arkell, 1842............................................................................................57
TASMANIA................................................................................................................59
3
 Mr. William Kermode, 1821...............................................................................59
Unknown, 1824...................................................................................................59
Matthew Hindson to the Editor, 1829..................................................................59
Dr. Thomas Braidwood Wilson R. N., 1831......................................................60
Mis-information..........................................................................................................60
The Facts....................................................................................................................61
The ship Catherine Stewart Forbes, 1830....................................................................62
The ship John, 1831....................................................................................................63
A Profile.....................................................................................................................66
Recognition, 1831-1832..............................................................................................66
The ship Medway, 1827..............................................................................................68
Chronicler Hugh Munro Hull, 1804 - 1872..................................................................68
Colonial Visitor, James Backhouse, 1832....................................................................69
An Anecdote from Australia, 1852............................................................................70
Mr. James Fenton, 1838.....................................................................................72
Mr. Charles Meredith, 1846................................................................................73
Sanctuary at Tarraleah, 1856............................................................................74
WESTERN AUSTRALIA...............................................................................................75
Captain John Molloy, 1830................................................................................75
Henry Camfield, 1830........................................................................................76
Thomas Braidwood Wilson, 1829......................................................................78
SOUTH AUSTRALIA, VICTORIA & QUEENSLAND.....................................................78
NORTH ISLAND - NEW ZEALAND.............................................................................79
Miss Mary Anna Bumby, 1839...........................................................................79
Rev. Richard Taylor, 1839...................................................................................82
‘A Shareholder’, 1841.........................................................................................83
Rev. William Charles Cotton, 1842.....................................................................84
His Motivation...........................................................................................................84
The Hogshead............................................................................................................85
Evaporation................................................................................................................87
Gimbles......................................................................................................................88
Observatory Hive.......................................................................................................88
Was He Successful ?..................................................................................................91
Lady Hobson, March 1840.................................................................................93
George Graham, 1841.........................................................................................95
Mr. John Carne Bidwill, 1842...........................................................................95
Dr. Pompallier, 1845..........................................................................................95
SOUTH ISLAND - NEW ZEALAND.............................................................................96
Dr. Imlay, 18 April 1842.....................................................................................96
Mrs. Mary Ann Allom, April 1842.....................................................................97
Mrs. Wills, May 1842.......................................................................................104
PART III - THE ITALIAN ‘APIS LIGUSTICA’.............................................105
NEW SOUTH WALES...............................................................................................105
T. W. Woodbury, 1862......................................................................................105
Unknown, 1876.................................................................................................106
4
 Peterson, 1877..................................................................................................106
Mr. S. McDonnell, 1880....................................................................................107
Mr. W. Abram, 1881.........................................................................................107
TASMANIA..............................................................................................................114
Thos. Lloyd Hood, 1884...................................................................................114
VICTORIA.......................................................................................................... 115
Edward Wilson, 1862.......................................................................................115
Mr Herman Naveau, 1884................................................................................116
QUEENSLAND.................................................................................................... 116
James Carroll, 1872, 1873, 1881.....................................................................116
James Carroll through Angus Mackay, 1877..................................................116
Mr. Chas. Fullwood, 1880...............................................................................117
SOUTH AUSTRALIA.................................................................................................117
Chamber of Manufactures, 1883......................................................................117
Mr. Bonney, 1884.............................................................................................119
NEW ZEALAND - NORTH ISLAND...........................................................................119
J.H. Harrison, Coromandel, Sept. 1880..........................................................119
Isaac Hopkins, 1880, 1884...............................................................................119
NEW ZEALAND - SOUTH ISLAND...........................................................................120
Acclimatisation Society, Christchurch, Sept. 1880.........................................120
PART IV - BEES AFLOAT...............................................................................120
ACROSS THE ATLANTIC TO NORTH AMERICA, 1622.............................................120
HOW WERE BEES SHIPPED TO THE 1850S ?.........................................................121
Dawson’s question, 1995...................................................................................121
Blaxland’s ‘wire cage’, 1805.............................................................................123
Skeps or Boxes?.................................................................................................123
Were the Bees Allowed to Fly at Sea?...............................................................124
Wilson’s Box, 1831............................................................................................126
A Season for Shipping to the Colonies, 1838.....................................................128
Rev. William Charles Cotton, 1842...................................................................130
LATE 19TH CENTURY BEE SHIPPING...................................................................130
The North American Experience, 1874..............................................................130
The British Experience, 1859............................................................................132
Voyage of the Berlepsch Hive, Angus Mackay, 1877.........................................132
Thos. B. Blow, Cyprus to England 1882............................................................138
Benton Mailing Cage, 1883...............................................................................139
Illustrations of Doolittle and Benton Mailing Cages (c1881)...........................140
Charles Dickins, Travelling Nucleus Boxes, 1887.............................................140
Some Australian Queen Bee Importers..............................................................141
A. C. Bonney, 1885...................................................................................................141
Mr. Mansfield, 1894.................................................................................................141
M. A. Shallard, 1894................................................................................................142
Pender Bros., 1894....................................................................................................145
H. L. Jones, 1895......................................................................................................146
5
PART V - THE BEES SPREAD OVER THE LAND.....................................146
CUNNINGHAM, ROYAL NAVY SURGEON, 1827........................................................147
ACROSS THE BLUE MOUNTAINS.............................................................................147
John Hughes, 1839............................................................................................147
Thomas Arkell, Campbells River, 1840.............................................................149
Richard Nancarrow, 1894.................................................................................150
JERVIS BAY SETTLER, 1840................................................................................150
HONEY FOR SALE, 1840.....................................................................................150
ELIZABETH STREET, RACECOURSE, SYDNEY 1842................................................150
AN ANONYMOUS CLERGYMAN, 1866..................................................................151
RYDE, NSW, 1870............................................................................................ 152
PART VI - EXPORTS OF HONEY, BEES & WAX........................................152
HONEY & WAX......................................................................................................152
TRIGONA (NATIVE BEES)..................................................................................154
Captain Macarthur, 1825.................................................................................154
John Armstrong, 1842.......................................................................................155
T. W. Woodbury, 1870......................................................................................156
INTO INDIA, 1880.............................................................................................. 156
PART VIII - CONCLUSION.............................................................................156

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY.........................................................................159
BOOKS.............................................................................................................. 159
OTHER WORKS REFERENCED.............................................................................166
UNPUBLISHED MANUSCRIPTS.............................................................................167
JOURNALS......................................................................................................... 167
NEWSPAPERS..................................................................................................... 168
ENCYCLOPAEDIAS.............................................................................................. 169
HISTORICAL SUPPLEMENT.........................................................................195

TWO BLUE MOUNTAINS PIONEER BEEKEEPERS................................195

MAJOR ADOLPHUS SHALLARD, GLENBROOK NSW, 1887....................................195
ELISHA & SARA JANE WIGGINS, SPRINGWOOD NSW, 1883.................................203
Index.....................................................................................................................206

6
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I have pleasure in acknowledging the support and assistance of the following:

Jennifer Birrell Reference Librarian, and the Saturday staff, Blue

Mountains City Library, Springwood
Mrs. Bell owner of the Wiggins apiary site
Laurie Braybrook Victoria
Brian Charles Startec Electronics, Springwood
Mrs. Carol Bathurst
Churches
Patricia Clarke Canberra, ACT, author of “A Colonial Woman”
Steve Craig Blue Mountains Honey, for access to his library on
beekeeping
Don Cunningham Devonport, Tasmania
Shona Dewar Latrobe Collection, State Library of Victoria, Melbourne
Chris Dawson Rangiora, New Zealand, for his research material
gathered over a 30 year period
Les and Anne Richmond, NSW
Dollin
Lindy Eggleston Reference Librarian, NSW Agriculture, Orange
Netta Ellis Braidwood & District Historical Society
Sue Ellison President, North Shore Beekeepers Association
Susan Franks Archivist, The ‘Potts’ Collection, University of Western
Sydney, Richmond
Rev. F. Glen Thames, New Zealand
Jannine Graham Royal Australian Historical Society
R. B. Gulliford Editor of The Australasian Beekeeper
Helen Halliwell Local Studies Librarian, Blue Mountains City Library,
Springwood
Janet Horncy Librarian, Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library
of New Zealand, Wellington
Sue Johnston Reference Librarian, Hornsby Library
Sister Mary Louise Sisters of Mercy, Mamre House, St Marys, NSW
John Low Local Studies Librarian, Braemar House, Blue
Mountains City Library, Springwood
Sheena McDougall Librarian in Charge of the Edinburgh Room of the

7
 Edinburgh District Council Central Library
Sandra McEwen Powerhouse Museum, Sydney
Lorraine Minchin Librarian in Charge, Department of Primary Industry and
Fisheries, Tasmania
Dr. R. C. Mishra Project Co-ordinator, All India Co-ordinated Project on
Honey Bee Research & Training
The staff Mitchell and State Libraries, Sydney
Prof. Roger Morse Professor of Apiculture, Cornell University, Ithaca, New
York
Don Norman Sandy Bay, Tasmania, great-grandson of George Wilson
(brother of Dr. Thomas Braidwood Wilson)
M. J. Parker Southern Branch of the Tasmanian Beekeepers
Association
Mrs. Lorna Parr Cranebrook, NSW
Edgar Penzig author of many books on bushrangers, Katoomba
Mark Pettifor for his valuable editorial feedback
Mrs. Lorna Shallard wife of Dr. Ken Shallard and daughter-in-law of Major
Adolphus Shallard
Colin Slade Springwood Family Historical Society
Miss D M Smith Librarian, Nelson Provincial Museum
Bruce Stevenson Kerikeri, North Island, New Zealand
Don Wilson direct descendant of Dr. David Wilson who was brother
to both George and Thomas Braidwood Wilson.
Fred Wiggins grandson of Elisha Wiggins, Springwood
Salma Zabaneh Librarian, International Bee Research Association,
Cardiff, Wales

8
SUBSCRIBERS

Colin Clark Sydney, N.S.W

Fred Benecke St. Ives, New South Wales Apiarists’ Association
P. J. & F. Murphy Apiarists, Tamworth, NSW
Allen Clarke Manager, Pender Beegoods P/L, Maitland, N.S.W.
(2 copies)
D. C. & S. M. Burchill Far North Queensland Beekeepers’ Association
Marian & Ross Riddett Lemonthyme Apiary, Sapphire Coast Beekeeping
Club
Russell Berry Arataki Honey Ltd. Waiotapu, Rotorua, New Zealand
Glen Sunderland ‘Gambol Park’, Dubbo, N.S.W.
Garth Murdock Boomerang Apiaries, West Coast Branch, South
Australian Apiarists’ Association
Eric J. Whitby Illawarra Branch, Amateur Beekeepers’ Association
of N.S.W.
Helen Bissland Stewart Island, New Zealand
David & Ann Kinnell Saddlier’s Crossing, Queensland
David Kinnell Secretary, Ipswich & West Moreton Beekeepers’
Association, Queensland
Tony Inglis Marlborough Beekeepers’ Club, Blenheim, New
Zealand
Roy Frisby-Smith Amateur Beekeepers’ Society of South Australia
Heinrich Brug Napier, New Zealand
D. Hart Glossodia, N.S.W.
M.A. & J.L. Port Lincoln, West Coast Branch, South Australian
Cunningham Beekeepers’ Association
Ken Guymer Parramatta District Branch, Amateur Beekeepers’
Association (ABA) of N.S.W.
Daniel Newman Wellington, N.S.W.
M & B Siddle Coomba, N.S.W.
Patrick Carroll Londonderry, N.S.W.
Arthur D. Spendlove Parramatta District Branch, ABA of N.S.W.
Bob Girdo Parramatta District Branch, ABA of N.S.W.
Stanley Brown Parramatta District Branch, ABA of N.S.W.
Ian Savins St. Ives, N.S.W.
Ian Savins Librarian, North Shore Beekeepers’ Association

9
 N.S.W
Elizabeth Mocatta Turramurra, N.S.W.
Mrs. Patalee Gardner Secretary, North West Branch, Tasmanian
Beekeepers’ Association (5 copies)
Allan Franks President, North West Branch, Tasmanian
Beekeepers’ Association (5 copies)
Sue Ellison Lane Cove, N.S.W.
Sue Ellison President, North Shore Beekeepers’ Association,
N.S.W.
Ian Will Scottish Beekeepers’ Association, Edinburgh
R. L. & D. A. King Te Kuiti, New Zealand
Brian Glendining Normanhurst, N.S.W.
Gerry Gibson Illawarra Branch, Amateur Beekeepers’ Association
(ABA) of N.S.W. (2 copies)
Ian Phillips Illawarra Branch, ABA of N.S.W.
Steven Tressider Illawarra Branch, ABA of N.S.W.
Robert Steel-Wilson Illawarra Branch, ABA of N.S.W.
Roger Smith Northern Branch, Tasmanian Beekeepers’
Association
Ian R. Stephens Apiarist, Mole Creek, Tasmania
John McCosker Glenbrook, N.S.W.
Phil Jones North Wales, U. K.
Anthony M. Buzas Apiculturist, Philadelphia PA. U.S.A.
B. S. Old Parramatta District Branch, Amateur Beekeepers’
Association of N.S.W.
Alana Lyford Sydney, N.S.W.
George Kay Woodburn, N.S.W.
Joseph J. Bray New Haven, CT, U.S.A.
Graham Moy Berkeley Vale, N.S.W.

10
DEDICATION

I would like to dedicate this work to the following

Marjorie Barrett
First and foremost to Marjorie, my spouse, soul mate and sounding board.
She could see the humour in my investigative antics, put up with my
absences away at the library or sessions spent glued to the keyboard. She was
of great assistance in listening to my ideas, giving assurance that I wasn't
upon a crazy endeavour and that my efforts would be worthwhile.

Albert Gregory
To the late Albert Gregory (1900-1987) of Valley Heights in the lower Blue
Mountains, NSW. A marvellous old gentleman of 87 when I made his
acquaintance. He kept bees from the age of 10 years. As a child, possibly
unable to afford the cost of a wedding present for an older sister, or just for
the pure joy of it, Albert built a hive, stocked it with bees and presented it to
her on the day. His home made bee boxes, made from recycled Coralite
'water white' kerosene cases, still house bees at the back of his garden and
small orchard. His homemade smoker, built to last another 100 years, waits to
be charged with fuel. In his later years he used a ride-on mower dragging a
trailer to ferry boxes down the long slope to the hives, then back up with
robbed honey. His daughter, Janette, gave me his old bee books. Among
these was Hopkins circa 1904 Australasian Bee Manual, some 1920's
editions of The Australasian Beekeeper and a circa 1911 Beekeepers Supplies
catalogue. It was the gift of the Hopkins book that really set me collecting old
bee books and thus to writing about beekeeping history.

Norm Plenty
To the late Norm Plenty of Emu Plains. A skilled beekeeper since his youth,
he was a friend and gentleman. He achieved his wish of keeping bees in a
bigger way once he retired. He made his own boxes with a handsaw, and
rough made they might have seemed. Though he did insist on nailing on
bottom boards, he had a way with the bees. His apiary at Emu Plains, tended
by friends, still thrives, just metres from a busy intersection but hidden from
those passersby only by their preoccupied haste. I bought my second lot of
hives from him. I can recall some pleasant and funny stories from my all too
short association with him.
11
Chris Dawson
To Chris Dawson, a delightful gentleman of eighty seven years, whose
research into the beekeeping history of New Zealand is to be commended.
His research file, built up over thirty years, has added significantly to the
story that I am able to relate.

Sailing Ships entering Sydney Heads, 1788

12
Part I

INTRODUCTION
The Colonies that I have concentrated on include New South Wales, Van
Diemen’s Land, Western Australia and New Zealand. For Victoria and
South Australia, I have come across little information worthy of
reproduction here. For Queensland, I largely defer to the work by Trevor
Weatherhead. With that said, the Colonies that I have concentrated on may
be justifiably seen as the senior Colonies. I suspect that the introduction of
bees to the younger Colonies was brought about by their movement,
particularly from New South Wales.

Letter to The Editor 1920

Seventy five years ago, in the Victorian Bee Journal of 15 June 1920, there
appeared the following letter, headed:
WHO BROUGHT THE FIRST BEES TO AUSTRALIA, AND WHEN ?
“Sir, - I am very anxious to obtain authentic information bearing upon
the first introduction of bees to Australia and when. In West’s ‘History
of Tasmania,’ p. 335, Col. 1, appears the following account of the first
introduction of bees to Australia, namely;

‘The domestic bee was brought to Van Diemen's Land from England by
Dr. T. B. Wilson, R. N., in the year 1834; and so admirably does the
climate of this island suit this interesting insect, that, in the first year, 16
swarms were produced from the imported hive. Since that time, they
have been sent to all the adjoining Colonies, all those in Australia having
been derived from the one. In Tasmania, they are becoming wild in
great numbers, spreading themselves rapidly through all the forests,
even to the summits of the Western Mountains.’

But Mr. Isaac Hopkins, late Chief Apiarist to the New Zealand
Government, does not support the foregoing statement. He says:-

‘The common, or Black bee, was introduced into New South Wales from
England in April, 1822, by Captain Wallace, of the ship 'Isabella.' It is
pretty certain that Italian bees were also introduced into that State in
1862, but I have not been able to obtain a sufficiently reliable
confirmation of this. So far as I have been able to ascertain, Victoria,
13
South Australia, and Queensland were furnished with common bees
from the parent Colony - New South Wales. Dr. Wilson, R.N.,
introduced the common bee into Tasmania from New South Wales in
1831, and Mr. T. L. Hood, of Hobart, has the credit of landing the first
Italian bees in Tasmania, which were brought from the same Colony.’

Can any of your numerous readers confirm either of the accounts above
referred to?
Yours, R. A. Black. Hobart, Tas.”

Subsequent issues of the Victorian Bee Journal that I have studied at the
Mitchell Library, do not contain any published replies to his 'very anxious'
request for 'authentic information'. Note the differences between the two
accounts regarding Wilson, the competing dates of 1831 and 1834; the
dissimilar views that bees were brought from England and New South Wales.
The comment that all the hives in Australia derived from that first hive is, of
course, not correct.

Such is a small sample of contradictions encountered in the quest for the

'facts', regarding the introduction of honeybees into Australia and New
Zealand. R. A. Black did receive a reply of sorts had he read Tarlton
Rayment’s article “The Centenary of the Honey Bee in Australasia” in the
Australasian Beekeeper of October 1922.

Another Letter, 1985

History has a habit of repeating itself. Trevor Weatherhead, author of an
excellent historical account of the Beekeeping History of Queensland, Boxes
to Bar Hives, wrote 65 years later to the readers of the Australasian
Beekeeper in 1985 with a similar request of its readers.

It was not until 3 months after I had started my research that I acquired a copy
of Trevor's 1986 book through the Queensland Beekeepers’ Association.
Earlier that morning, I found within the 1822 Sydney Gazette the June 14th
advertisement for the sale of bees by a Mr. Parr. My intention had been, at
the earliest opportunity, to search prior issues of the Sydney Gazette back to
the start of March 1822 to determine the exact date of the arrival of the ship
Isabella. To my surprise, Trevor had discovered this and other entries ten
years before me.

14
I had been made aware of the existence of Trevor's book through an inquiry
to the International Bee Research Association in Wales. Australasian
beekeepers interested in the history of their industry should acquaint
themselves with it. Librarians, please stock this valuable addition to a
fascinating part of Australia's history.

In the introduction to his book, Trevor states “Because of the time

constraint, I do not profess to have written a complete history of
beekeeping in Queensland.” I mirror his sentiment in the difficulty of
compiling a complete history. He adds “I have written my version of events
from the facts as I found them. Not all these facts are available and some
of them are now lost forever. Too much of our beekeeping history has
already gone up in smoke.” Sadly true. On the last page of his work he
states “There are many gaps and I intend to keep trying to update the
history. I hope others will also.”. I agree with your attitude Trevor and have
used your words to reflect my thoughts as I could not have put it better.

My Letter to the Editor, 1995

I too wrote to the Australasian Beekeeper seeking assistance. My letter was
published in the March 1995 issue. An extract follows:

RESEARCH PROJECT - INTRODUCTION OF THE HONEYBEE INTO

AUSTRALASIA
“Can you or your readers assist me please? I am researching the
introduction of the Honey Bee into Australasia. After intensive research
I intend to write and publish a book of lively interest to the beekeepers
and historians of Australasia and hopefully create a device to fire school
childrens' interest in the vigorous and colourful 19th century events and
people of Australia and New Zealand.

Over recent years I have been repeatedly annoyed by the conflicting

details provided throughout national and international beekeeping
literature regarding the who, when and how of the introduction of the
honey bee into Australasia.

It is commonly accepted that they first reached New South Wales in

1822. I have found clues that the first successful introduction may have
occurred as early as 1810 (Rev. Samuel Marsden) or by another in 1805.
I have no firm dates for the other colonies.

15
For New Zealand, the earliest date I have is 1839 by a Miss Bumby, the
daughter of a missionary who landed at Mangungu, Hokianga. Many
authors quote the Rev. Charles Cotton being successful in 1842 with his
ingenious device for transporting bees from England. This was a
hogshead containing straw skep beehives packed with cinders above and
ice below. Another author states the bees were thrown overboard by
superstitious sailors following uncommonly rough seas.

I wish to clear up these ambiguities. My research has only just

commenced. The task has already taken on Herculean proportions. I
would greatly appreciate any assistance that your readers may provide.
All useful contributions will be acknowledged in my work.”

Four replies were gratefully received. The first from the editor, Bob Gulliford.
The second was from Chris Dawson of Rangiora, New Zealand. Chris’s
research documents have added greatly to the facts regarding Mrs. Allom and
Miss Bumby. The third reply was from Bruce Stevenson of Kerikeri, New
Zealand. Recently, I was able to visit these two New Zealand gentleman. The
fourth was from Rob Manning of the W.A. Department of Agriculture.

In searching public libraries, the State Library of NSW, the Mitchell in

Sydney, the Latrobe in Melbourne, the State Library of Victoria and the
Alexander Turnbull within the National Library of New Zealand in
Wellington, the challenge is to know where to look. Indexes do help but they
do not uncover all the sources that can add one more cryptic piece to the
puzzle. The mystery for me was the manner in which the bees were brought
to Australia and New Zealand as well as the 'who' and the when'.

Much fascinating detail may yet await to be discovered, collated and woven
into interesting stories on Australasian beekeeping history. Isaac Hopkins
knew well the frustrations of seeking historical truth in this arena. In the
c1904 Fourth Edition of his Australasian Bee Manual, is this “The difficulty
of tracing the particulars of most circumstances where public records
have not been kept has been exemplified in the matter of the first
introduction of bees into New Zealand. I did my utmost when getting the
three previous editions of my book ready for the press to obtain the true
facts of the case, and each time was lead into error. I have, however, at
last managed to get what I feel certain is the correct information, and
which I am very pleased to be able to place on record.” (p.4). May my
first edition be as accurate as Hopkins believed his fourth to be.
16
Christopher Dawson, New Zealand
I recently found another searcher for the facts regarding beekeeping history.
The story behind Mary Anna Bumby’s introduction of bees to the North
Island was Chris Dawson’s mission, one than has spanned more than thirty
years. Along the way he wrote numerous letters digging for the facts, visited
the office of The Australasian Beekeeper, The Mitchell Library, The
Alexander Turnbull Library in Wellington, Lincoln Library at Christchurch
University, the Latrobe Library in Melbourne, to name a few.

He was instrumental in supplying the correct facts regarding the first

introduction of bees to the North Island of New Zealand to author Eva Crane.
His correspondents included Prof. Roger Morse of Cornell University, Eva
Crane of the International Bee Research Association, author Daphne More
and many others. Like Isaac Hopkins, he was persistent in researching the
beekeeping history of his country. An author too, he has several published
articles to his credit. He also initiated the creation of a memorial to Miss
Bumby within the Mission House at Hokianga. I recently viewed this
remembrance, a framed photograph of the original portrait of Miss Bumby.

Chris Dawson wrote and offered me his letters and notes acquired over a
period of thirty years, in response to my letter to The Australasian
Beekeeper. This material consisted in large part on Miss Bumby. He had
not the time to make further use of them. He is a youngster of 87. I am
forced to smile when I remember his efforts to commemorate the 140th
anniversary of the introduction of bees into New Zealand in 1979.
Someone suggested to him that it would be more appropriate to wait for
the 150th anniversary. He was then aged 71. He thought that as he may not
be around in another 10 years time, it was better not to wait. Well, I am
happy to say that he not only celebrated the 140th anniversary, he saw the
150th in 1989 and may yet, I hope, make it to the 160th in 1999.

I was concerned that I was writing about New Zealand without having had
the opportunity of personally visiting the relevant libraries there. The
Mitchell and State Library in Sydney have excellent collections but the
thought nagged at me that additional untapped sources held key
information that needed to be included in the story. Now, with the benefit
of Chris Dawson’s excellent research over three decades, I believe that the
New Zealand tale now has the integrity I would wish for. Additionally, in
October this year, I had the pleasure of visiting the National Library of

17
New Zealand, specifically the Alexander Turnbull collection. This too, has
added to the resource base for the following tale.

Absence of European Bees

The New World including Australia, New Zealand along with North and
South America did not have any Apis honey bees. There were social bees
such as Trigona and Melipona. With the Europeans’ arrival, the honeybee
was soon to follow. One author described bees as like the dog, following
wherever the Europeans went.

The Question Is - By Whom, When & How

The question is, “by whom and when and how were honey bees introduced
into Australia and New Zealand”? I have concentrated my efforts on the Dark
European honeybee, sometimes described as the English ‘brown’ or the
German ‘black’; and the Italian or Ligurian ‘yellow’ bee. With these
introductions belongs the romance of the 19th Century, a period of
colonisation, sailing ships, convict transportation and missionaries. Most
modern authors on this subject, I suspect, have relied upon Isaac Hopkins
work of 1886. Albert Gale (1912) refers to an 1886 copy of Hopkins Bee
Manual. The mis-information contained here, acknowledged by the author in
later editions, particularly the fourth, published around 1904, shows how
other researchers may have been lead astray if later editions of his work had
not been referenced.

It is generally accepted throughout national and international beekeeping

literature that bees first reached New South Wales in 1822. However there
remain many incorrect statements in encyclopaedias and other works. I have
attempted to pull the conflicting details together and draw a conclusion that
others can better rely upon.

In the Introduction to Beekeeping (1991), published by the Victorian

Department of Agriculture, a revision of the original Beekeeping in Victoria
(1916) by F. R. Beuhne, is the following “There is some debate about who
introduced the honeybee to Australia, and when, but there is no doubt
that bees have been part of Australian life for about 160 years.” (p.vii-
viii). In 1922, Tarlton Rayment announced the 100th anniversary of the
introduction of honeybees into Australia. Let it be my pleasure to announce
the 175th anniversary for the year 1997.

18
I hope that my contribution will place in context the many conflicting
accounts of the introduction of the European honeybee. I have concentrated
on the first two phases of the introduction of honeybees. The first, the Dark
European honeybee Apis mellifera mellifera, and the second, the Italian or
Ligurian honeybee, Apis mellifera ligustica. The subsequent introductions of
other varieties such as the Caucasian, Carniolan and Cyprian are another
story.

Illustration from the Australasian Beekeeper of October 1922

19
THE NATIVE BEES

A Clergyman, 1866
Australia and New Zealand had no Apis social honey bees prior to the coming
of the European settlers. There were, however, native bees from which the
indigenous people had long learned to rob of their honey.

From Australia in 1866 the following narrative by 'a Clergyman' is worth

relating in its whole, dealing with the aborigines method of finding honey,
presumably from the native Trigona bee “The native bee has no sting, is
dark in colour, slender in body, and not much larger than the common
house-fly. The aborigines adopt a very ingenious method of discovering
their hives; catching one, which they can always readily do where there
is water, they fix with gum, which is easily obtained from any of the trees
beside them, a small particle of white down upon its back, let it fly away,
and keep running after, holding their eyes intently upon it, till they see it
alight at its hive, which is always found in a hole in an upstanding tree.
One native, with a tomahawk or a stone adze in hand, cuts notches in the
tree for his big toes to rest upon, and in this way making notches as he
ascends, using them as steps in a ladder, and holding by the tree with
one of his hands, he mounts and very speedily cuts out the honey-comb
at the place where the bee was seen to enter. The bark from the knot of a
tree serves for a dish to hold the comb, and it is soon devoured at one
meal.” (p.37).

Visitors to Australia and New Zealand soon became aware that the honeybee
was not indigenous. They were, however, soon aware of the native bee.

John Henderson, 1832

Henderson (1832) relates “The Bee is not an inhabitant of Van Diemen's
Land.” (He is incorrect on this point.) “In New South Wales, it is much
smaller in size than the common house fly; but it differs neither in its
habits nor in the flavour of its honey, from those of the larger
descriptions.” (p.134) I doubt that Henderson had seen inside a native hive
as the brood combs are horizontal rather than vertical as with the European
bee. As well, the combs of brood consist of a single layer of cells, not a
double vertical layer set back to back as for the honeybee. The native honey is
contained in horizontal and untidily arranged amphorae like shaped pots, not
in regularly shaped vertical combs.

20
Henderson wrote “The natives required not the assistance of the indicator,
(the honey guide bird) for the purpose of discovering their treasures.
During the heat of the day the bees resort to the neighbouring streams,
in order to obtain water. They are there sought for by the natives; and
on one being discovered, its body is cautiously wetted with saliva. While
it remains imprisoned during the act of drying, the light white down of
the Cockatoo, being dropped upon it, becomes by this means, closely
cemented to its body. So soon as it again recovers the use of its wings, the
insect flies away, bearing along with it this conspicuous mark, which is
sufficiently heavy to retard its progress, and enables the keen eye of the
native, to trace it to its horde.” (p.134)

His following 'observations' may have been manufactured and not from his
personal experience in New South Wales, or he was confusing the introduced
bee with the native bee. The native bee did not sting, though it can bite. The
following method of securing the bees honey is not accurate for the native
bee. “After this, the honey is obtained by setting fire to the tree.” A
footnote at the bottom of the page is as follows “The Bees of Hindoostan,
are very large and fierce; their honey and wax, however, have nothing to
distinguish them from those produced in Europe. They usually
congregate together, in numerous hordes or swarms, attaching
themselves to the upper branches of the larger trees. In this situation, it
is dangerous to disturb them during the day; and not only are horses
and cattle sometimes destroyed by them, but I have likewise known
instances, in which several individuals have been stung to death, from
accidentally disturbing one of these warlike communities.” Henderson's
observations regarding the Apis Dorsata bees of Hindoostan (India) appear
reasonably accurate but inapplicable to the relatively harmless native bee.

On the other hand, Henderson could have been referring, not to the native
bee, but to the honey robbing methods of the aborigine upon the introduced
bee. Here, the use of smoke would indeed have been necessary. His
description of the native bee as “smaller than the common house fly" leads
me to believe he was describing the native bee together with the method used
to rob the hive of the introduced bee. By 1832 the introduced bee seems to
have penetrated well into the bush. It would appear also that in the ten years
since Wallis in 1822, aborigines had begun to rob this new bee of its honey.

21
I originally had no idea as to what Henderson was referring to in relation to
tracking a bee back to its source by the use of “the indicator”. In the 1975
book Honey by Eva Crane, the answer was made clear, the 'indicator' being
the honey-guide bird. “Honey hunting by the ratel or honey badger
(Mellivora capensis) in southern and tropical Africa has often been
reported to be done in 'partnership' with the honey-guide, a bird
belonging to the parasitic family Indicatoridae. The apparent guiding
behaviour, which leads a mammal (including man) to a bees' nest, is
restricted to the greater honey-guide Indicator indicator and a few other
species. .. What seems to be true is that the so-called guiding behaviour is
released in the bird by the sight or sound of a ratel, baboon or (away
from a village) a human. As long as the mammal 'follows' the bird - i.e.
remains within its sight or hearing - the guiding behaviour continues
except that it is suppressed by the sight or sound of bees. If, as is
probable, this happens near a bees' nest, the mammal is likely to locate
and open the nest. The bird will take some of the comb, to which it has
now access, eating honey along with the rest of the comb contents, pollen
and brood.” (p.443)

Thos. Lloyd Hood, 1885

Thos. Lloyd Hood responded to a series of questions from Isaac Hopkins
regarding the state of beekeeping in Tasmania. Regarding indigenous bees, he
wrote “Yes, there are some, but I cannot learn anything like definite
information in regard to them at present, only that there is a variety,
that they are much smaller than the ordinary bee, and build on the
ground. I hope to glean some more information in regard to these.”

Apis aenigmatica

Did Australia actually have a native Apis honeybee prior to the arrival of the
European honeybees? Rayment (1935) “The only native Apis was
discovered by me in Gippsland, during the Great War. The bees are well
furnished with harvesting-hairs, and the glossa is very long, and the
chief features are the extraordinary tongue and highly-specialised legs. ..
The native species is black, and almost as small as A. florea of India, but
it is now extremely rare.” (p.552).

“In Australia, in the comparatively short space of one hundred years,

many, many creatures have become exceedingly rare, and some extinct.
The tiny native Apis aenigmatica Raym. has become so rare in thirty
22
years that I am now unable to obtain a single specimen on which to
found a sound description.” (p.378).

I find the following story so fascinating that I want to share it with you. So, I
present here, the dialogue and events surrounding Rayment’s discovery of the
tiny native Apis, just as he told it in his 1935 work, A Cluster of Bees.

“.. let me tell you that one day my good neighbour bee-keeper, John
Garrett, cantered into my paddock and invited me to go riding into the
hills with him. ‘I know where there is a hive of tiny native-bees!’ was
how he tempted me.

‘A hive?’ I queried, thinking that the only social bee of the forest was the
introduced Apis or hive-bee.

‘Yes,’ he replied; ‘the hives are only as large as the palm of my hand.’
Could anything be more enticing? .. in a few minutes I was mounted and
away. Over the creeks, scrambling up rocky sidings, now deep in a gully,
but towards afternoon we drew near to a mountain hut tenanted by an
aged bushman - he has long since gone to his forefathers.

‘Buckly!’ cried jack. ‘We’ve called to see the little swarm.’

‘Aye!’ came the quavering voice of the old man from the dark interior.
‘They’re still on the verandah.’

Sure enough, on a level with our faces were three tiny combs the size of
the palm of one’s hand. The cells were truly hexagonal, and large
enough to admit the head of an ordinary pin; wonderfully neat;
marvellously small. Notably quiet was the colony of minute black bees,
none of which flew from the combs suspended from a rafter of the
verandah. The entire cluster of bees, if shaken from their miniature
combs, would have just about filled a teacup. I know of only one bee that
makes such a delicate reproduction of the honeybee’s comb, and that is
the flower- or dwarf-bee of India, Apis florea. But the Australians lacked
the tan patches of that bee.

I observed only regular cells of worker-pattern, I saw no transition,

queen- or drone-cells; I could not view between the combs to observe
whether there were any drones present. In the face of strict orders to
23
the contrary, I could not touch anything, but I was invited to come as
often as I desired, to drink tea with the old man, and to observe to my
heart's content. What an opportunity! A nest of bees that were new to
me, and, I suspect, to everyone else, just at face-lcvel, where I could
record data about the development of the larvae, the time of feeding,
the actions of the queen, the plants favoured, the method of carrying
pollen; everything, indeed, to enable mc to write a monograph of the
species. I was full of enthusiasm at such a rare gift.

Alas! the old man died and the property changed hands, so I wrote to
the new owners asking if the bees were still there, and could I get a few
specimens-even a dead bee. There remained not a trace.

For vears I have searched diligently, but without avail. My friend

“Jack” tells me that he saw a few similar small colonies many years
ago. I have offered a reward-a very little, ‘tis true-to the bushmnen
who pry into the secrets of the mountains, and several have promised
they would try to find some for me. One said that he had taken a
colony, but it had smashed into pulp during the journey down the
mountains.

Later: I have not been fortunate enough to discover another entire

colony of the tiny bees, but I have gleaned a little here and there. I
have statements from several observant people, and which show this
Apis has a wider range than I thought. ..”

One person’s corroboration, dating from around 1905, is as follows:

“Thirty years ago I selected land in the district now known as
Rochester, which is in Victoria. The trees were of the species known as
grey-box, but the growth was park-like in character, and not densely
wooded as in Gippsland. I was always interested in the small colonies
of bees that were to be found in the shelter afforded by a leaning tree-
limb, especially at a fork, where there was a small concavity on the
underneath. Three little combs, say, from three to four inches across,
comprised the nest, and these were suspended from the support. The
bees were small and black, and I cannot recall one instance where they
had built inside a hollow; all, without exception, were open to the air.
Not once did I ever see any honey in the outside combs, the cells of
which were always quite dry and not covered by the bees! The colonics
were very numerous at that time, and thousands were destroyed
24
during the clearing operations. I have always been interested, and I
noticed that the cells were exactly like those of the honey-bee, only
much smaller. They were just as you have drawn them.”

Another, “a South Australian distiller of eucalyptus-oil, and a nature

student of more than average ability, described some nests that he had
found along the river Murray, just where it crosses the border. This
gentleman says that the little colonies were fairly plentiful in the early
days, and favoured the ‘mallee’ country, but died out as settlement
progressed.”

The Principal of a Victorian Grammar School wrote to Rayment “I read

your account of the native Apis with a lively interest. I remembered
having seen some similar combs back in the early days before the
settlement of such large areas. Of course, at that time I had no idea
that the native bees would prove of so much interest. Your description
fits those that I observed.”

“Mr. E. Garrett, a pioneer in Australian apiculture, assured me that in

the pioneering days of the foothills of the Alps the tiny colonies were
not at all a rare sight in the spring. In recent years they seem to have
disappeared, though the great forest is practically unchanged.” Mr. E.
Garrett, I suspect, belonged to the same Garrett family of Glenbrook, Blue
Mountains, New South Wales, who were neighbours to M. A. Shallard and
family in the 1880s.

Rayment continued “The combs do not exceed three in number, the

centre one being the largest. They are attached to the support by the
upper edges, after the manner of those of the hive-bee. The cells are
truly hexagonal, and measure about nine to the lineal inch. The cells
of the Indian flower-bee, Apis florea, are smaller, since they run ten to
the inch. The thickness of the combs is about half an inch. In all
respects except size the cells are a replica of the work of the hive-bee.
The wax has the appearance of the larger bee's.” (pp.556-561).

“Owing to an unfortunate occurrence, I am at present not able to give

a fully-detailed description of this bee. At another period I had
pointed out to me the wax foundation of the central comb. The bees
had started it on the under side of a limb of a wattle-tree, but for some

25
reason they had abandoned the site. These first outlines were
hexagonal and not round.

It is an overwhelmingly big country, and few entomologists have been

there, but some soul daring the mountain fastenesses may yet bring
back a colony of the bees. While I live I hope: some day I may yet
handle the tiny combs. ..”

Rayment’s Illustration of the tiny Apis combs, around 3/4 actual size

Charles D. Michener, a contemporary of Tarlton Rayment, commented on

Rayment's 'discovery' of aenigmatica in his 1974 book The Social Behaviour
of the Bees by saying “A Species named by Rayment from south eastern
Australia appears to have been either imaginary or a re sult of
misunderstanding of local oral accounts.” (p.348). It would seem that now,
around eighty years after Rayment’s discovery, the truth or otherwise of his
find may never be resolved.

26
Some Twentieth Century Observations

Les and Anne Dollin, 1985

Les and Anne Dollin add to this in the Australasian Beekeeper of July, 1985
“Australian Native Bees are not suitable for commercial honey
production. Their honey is stored in irregular sealed pots entangled in
the structure of the nest and to extract their small stock of honey means
virtually destroying the nest. They cannot be induced to build regular
combs as they are a primitive species of bee. Given foundation wax, they
tear down the sheets to build their irregular pots.”

The use of fire or smoke was not necessary when robbing the hives “.. they
are incapable of stinging. They can, however, annoy an intruder by
flying into the eyes, ears and nose.”

Some Aborigines did not just plunder the hive, eating wax, honey and grubs
together. They devised a way to farm the native bee to some extent. In the
Australasian Beekeeper of December 1986, Anne & Les Dollin report the
finding of Aboriginal native bee farming areas in the Northern Territory.
“The Aborigines used to cut away slices of the trunk until the honey in
the hollow was exposed. Then they would collect the honey, seal up the
nest with mud and leave it to rebuild for next time. After finding an old
nest site that had been farmed by the Aborigines and searching further
afield, we found four more” (p.118).

R. L. Goebel, 1987
In The Australasian Beekeeper of December, 1987, in an article titled
“Australian Native Bees”, the following words by R. L. Goebel of the
Entomology Branch of the Queensland Department of Primary Industries
clearly indicate why the native bee was not suitable for commercial use.
Therefore, the colonists, wanting the products of the hive, were interested in
importing the European bee which could supply wax and honey in the
quantities they desired “It is estimated that there are over 1600 species of
native bees in Australia. Most are solitary, working and nesting as
individuals. Only the stingless bees (Trigona) have a highly developed
social structure in any way similar to that of honey bees. It is uncommon
to find more than 1kg of honey in a nest. In log hives it is difficult to
remove the honey without destroying the nest.” (p.123)

27
Part II - The Dark European Honeybee

Most contemporary descriptions of the first race of bee introduced into

Australasia describe it as the ‘English’ or ‘German’ Black honeybee.
Ruttner (1990) “Every dark bee was considered to belong to the
northern European race as generally understood by the name ‘brown’
or ‘dark’ Dutch, English, French or German bee.”

On a visit to the North Shore Beekeepers club meeting for July 1995, I met
Father Paul Shultze, the immediate past president of the club. He had
visited the famous Brother Adam of Buckfast Abbey. Fr. Paul was quite
clear, on Bro. Adam’s authority, that the original English bee was brown
coloured and not black. The recommended description of today, according
to Ruttner (1990) is the Dark European honeybee.

NEW SOUTH WALES

The First Fleet, 1788

Were bees transported from England or picked up along the way at Rio de
Janeiro or the Cape of Good Hope? It is possible but unlikely. The fleet did
however pick up tree stocks including orange, pear and apple trees, according
to David Collins (1798), Judge Advocate and Secretary of the Colony, in his
An Account of the English Colony in New South Wales. Throughout my
research in both David Collins 1798 account and the Journals and
Proceedings of the Royal Australian Historical Journals, 1901 through 1985, I
could find no indexed reference to bees. There were detailed reference of the
livestock, trees, seeds and food taken on board, but no mention of bees.

Wheat was produced in large quantities but it is wind pollinated, the flowers
being anemophilous, or wind-loving. This type of plant includes the Hop,
where bees or other insect agents were not required for pollination. Samuel
Marsden was able to produce crops of apples without the aid of the yet to be
introduced bee.

Insect-loving or entomophilous plants rely on insects to effect pollination

(Rayment, 1921). The apple trees produced fruit for the colonists and peaches
for Marsden to produce 60 gallons of cider in 1803. The local insect
population of moths, butterflies, wasps and beetles must have been up to the
job, though I expect imperfectly formed fruit was the result. Rayment
28
highlights “the dependence of the orchardist on the bee for his
remarkable crop of fruit” (p.12). He mentions the consistent and imperfect
pollination of apple flowers in the absence of the bee, leading to the apple
being “full enough in some 'quarters', but aborted and shrunken in the
others”. The colonists soon must have realised that with the introduction of
exotic plants, a pollinator would be required to ensure good harvests,
particularly with crops such as clover.

The Convicts

From my research, the convicts played little or no part in the beekeeping

story. The type of people involved were missionaries, ships’ captains, ships’
surgeons, ships’ owners, ships’ agents, men of property and education.

Of onterest, Tarlton Rayment notes in the Australasian Beekeeper of October

1922 that convict 680 in the year 1829 was transported to New South Wales,
to undergo a sentence of seven years, for committing the offence of “stealing
Bees’ Honey”. This female convict was from Gloucester. It is not known if
the honey was taken from an active hive or after the honey had been
harvested. The thief may have been a beekeeper or an opportunist.

William Parr, a convict, is recorded as having stolen a pumpkin during a food

shortage when the colony was young (Clark, 1988). I do not know if this is
the same man as the Mr. Parr who bought five of Captain Wallis’s hives at
auction in 1822. These two relationships between convicts and things apiarian
are the only ones I have come across to date, except of course that convicts
shared voyages with the hives of Captain Wallis and Dr. T. B. Wilson.

29
Gregory Blaxland, 1806
Gregory Blaxland sailed from England
on 1 September 1805, arriving New
South Wales 13 April 1806, a journey
of seven and a half months, almost
twice the duration of many
contemporary journeys. Hacker (1935)
states that “The first reference to
bees in Australian records occurs in
a letter from Gregory Blaxland
dated 1st March, 1805, asking for
cargo space on the ‘William Pitt’ for
a ‘swarm of bees in cabin with wire
cage over the hive’. There is,
however, no record of their safe
landing.” (p.1). These details are
repeated in the earlier Illustrated Australian Encyclopaedia of 1925
contributed by “H.H”, ie., Henry Hacker.

The list of the supplies that Blaxland did bring is reproduced in the Historical
Records of Australia. Among the extensive list are “2 cases of plants, hops,
&c, in cabin, 2 cases of field and garden seeds” (p.569) among a host of
other supplies necessary for the gentleman settler. Not only bees needed
special care, the plants too, needed to be nurtured. Early this year, responding
to my letter requesting assistance on information about Dr. T. B. Wilson, Don
Norman of Tasmania, great-grandson of George Wilson (brother of Dr.
Thomas Braidwood Wilson), approached Dr. Marcus Hurburgh. Dr.
Hurburgh was at one time a Trustee of the Royal Botanical Gardens. In Don’s
words “He told me of a ‘Wardian Case’ which was used in the early days
to transport plants from overseas to the colonies. This was a glass
enclosure in which the plant was placed and the interior of the glass case
sweated and supplied sufficient moisture to keep the plant alive on the
long voyage out.” So far, my search for how the bees were transported
remained unsatisfied.

The ship William Pitt arrived 13 April 1806. Had the bees made it on board,
would Blaxland have appreciated their bodily needs, their need for
ventilation, water and supplementary feeding? His ‘swarm of bees’ would
30
very likely have been housed in a straw skep. For the non-beekeeper, a skep
is a dome shaped woven basket, the open end of which faces down. This rests
on a bottom board which provides an entrance for the bees usually by a V
shaped groove. Free to fly from the entrance but enclosed by the cage, the
bees would not have been clustering as they normally would have in winter
and thereby consuming relatively little stores.

A Bottom Board and an upturned Skep

The more active the bees, the more food they consume. Water also, is a prime
requirement for them. Blaxland’s bees, allowed to fly, would have freely
defecated within the cage's confines. However, a caring beemaster would be
able to sluice any mess away. The cage would also have provided the
ventilation necessary for the bees survival, as long as they were not packed
below in an airless hold. Hence, Blaxland’s desire to stow them in his cabin.
On this trip, Blaxland lost many valuable seeds. They were literally cooked in
the heat of one of the holds. These seeds he had collected at the Cape of Good
Hope. They did not germinate “owing to the heat of the ships hold in
which they were stowed” (Historical Records of Australia, Vol.V, p.748).

There is no evidence that the bees were ever taken on board. Blaxland's letter
requesting shipment was written before he embarked on the ‘William Pitt’
under Captain Boyce. Blaxland and the Captain had an ongoing dispute, both
before, during and after the voyage, the basis for which is unclear. Blaxland
attempted to litigate on his arrival and legal opinion on his right do so was
sought by the Governor. “It appears that Some disagreement took place
between the Commander of the Pitt and Mr. Blaxland, a passenger, in
which others were concerned, previous to the Ship leaving England and
during the Voyage". (p.717) Blaxland wrote "Myself and family met with
exceeding bad treatment from Capt'n Boyce”.

The Governor described his complaint as an ‘extraordinary litigation’.

What was the cause of this dispute? Blaxland was reticent to acquaint the

31
Governor with any details. A possibility is that the dispute stemmed from
Blaxland's inability to get the bees accepted for passage.

Some details of Blaxland's dispute with Boyce were taken from an Edinburgh
weekly paper, The Bee. Unfortunately, I have been unable to locate this
reference again. Why would a Scottish weekly take any interest in an
emigrating Kentish landowner? A peculiar co-incidence occurs here. Could
they have been published in that weekly as an oddity for the amusement of its
readers simply because the paper was called The Bee and the disagreement
between them was over the Captain’s refusal to ship them?

I wrote to two libraries in Edinburgh in an attempt to find more on this

newspaper report. Sheena McDougall, Librarian in Charge of the Edinburgh
Room of the Edinburgh District Council Central Library, replied. She noted
that The Bee did indeed exist and that it was a general interest magazine.
From the weekly’s own subtitle it was a “Literary weekly intelligencer
consisting of original pieces and selections from performance of merit,
foreign and domestic. A work calculated to disseminate useful
knowledge among all ranks of people at small expence.”

The paper included the arts, sciences, ‘polite literature’, agriculture,

manufacturers, navigation and trade. Blaxland’s dispute certainly fitted the
categories of foreign, navigation and potentially, trade. The library held
copies only for 1791-1793, so were unable to attempt a useful search on
Blaxland’s upset some 12 years after the date of these issues. To shed further
light on Blaxland’s dispute, a search within Scotland of the relevant issues of
The Bee for 1805 and later is required.

In a report from Viscount Castlereagh to Governor King dated 13 July 1805,

Castlereagh states that “Mr. Blaxland takes out no live Stock excepting
possibly a few Spanish Sheep” (Historical Records of Australia). This letter
was despatched upon the William Pitt. The sheep numbered twelve, but no
mention of bees.

I could find no indexed reference to bees by David Collins, Judge Advocate

and Secretary of the Colony, in his 1798 An Account of the English Colony in
New South Wales. Collins came to New South Wales with the First Fleet.
There are inventories of acreages of wheat and orchards as well as other
livestock. This includes one in May 1788 and another in 1802. In Historical
Records of Australia, the returns of agriculture and livestock show no entries
32
for bees though records do appear for goats, hogs, cattle and fowl. Again no
reference in the inventory of 1 November 1805. Blaxland's agricultural return
on 13th February 1808 has no reference to bees. (p.415, Vol VI. August 1806
to December 1808)

Were bees worth appearing on an inventory? I believe so. The production of

wax would have been of value, for example in the making of candles which
would otherwise have had to be imported, at great expense.

From Robert Hughes (1987), Gregory Blaxland is described as “the first

capitalist-farmer to emigrate”, he was “a prosperous landowner from
Kent who had sold most of his English property to invest in Australia”.
As an English landowner, it is very likely that his estate included the farming
of bees. It was therefore not surprising that he wanted to take bees with him
on his venture, either for the honey or more likely the wax.

Rev. Samuel Marsden, 1810

This portrait of Marsden dates from his residence at Cambridge University

(1790-2). The original of it hangs in Magdalen College, Cambridge.

Crane’s contribution to The Hive and the Honey Bee in 1963 states “The first
honey bees were landed in Australia at Sydney in 1822, and W. C.
Cotton took the first consignment to New Zealand (from England) in
1842” (p.10). She was possibly aware of Gale's work and was referencing
33
him. These dates have been updated in a later work by Crane in 1990. She
stated “Honeybees had been transported successfully by ship to Australia
in 1810, and New Zealand in 1839.”, presumably confirming the arrival of
Marsden's honeybees and those of Miss Bumby.

Henry Hacker, an entomologist in Queensland and contemporary of Tarlton

Rayment, must have done some original research as I can find no other author
prior to him disputing the 1822 introduction as the first. In 1935 Hacker
related “The First record of the actual introduction of bees occurs in a
letter from Samuel Marsden to the secretary of the London Missionary
Society, in which he mentions that on his way to the colony in the ship
'Ann' he purchased at Rio de Janeiro two hives, which were safely
landed on 27th February, 1810, and placed in the garden of Government
House in Sydney.” (p.1). Hacker was also aware of Blaxland's letter of 1
March 1805 to the captain of the William Pitt, requesting space for his swarm
of bees ‘in cabin’, but Hacker made no mention of this, supposedly, aborted
attempt to introduce bees.

Hacker’s facts about Marsden are reflected in the following entry. However
the mention of England is in error as the bees were acquired in Brazil. The
Australian Encyclopedia of 1958 states “The honey bee is not native to
Australia. The earliest known attempt to introduce bees into the
continent was made by Rev. Samuel Marsden, who imported an
unknown number from England in 1810, but he was unsuccessful in
establishing these and they eventually died out.” (p.472). The entry was
supplied by James Stanley Eagland, referred to as “former President Victorian
Apiarists’ Association”.

F. R. Beuhne, at the time of his writing in 1916, was a former bee expert of
the Victorian Department of Agriculture. In his work Beekeeping in Victoria,
a 1958 revision by officers of the Apiary Branch of the Department, is the
following “The Black bee is stated to have been brought to Australia
from Great Britain in 1822.” Note that he uses the phrase “is stated to have
been” as if he had not seen any corroborating evidence or that he believed it
possible that there were other earlier attempts.

In his own words to Mrs. Stokes (Mackaness, 1942) in his letter of 26

October 1795, Marsden wrote “I am a Gardener a Farmer a Magistrate &
Minister”. Governor King, in a survey of the present state of New South
Wales, dated 12 August 1806, wrote of Marsden “He appears to
34
understand his business as an English farmer”. For a more detailed picture
of Marsden, refer to the work by A. T. Yarwood (1977, p.79) or Bill Wannan
(1972). To gain a small appreciation of his lifestyle, visit one of his homes.
Mamre Homestead at St. Marys, N.S.W. has been restored to its 1820s state
and is set in a delightful rural outlook.

What type of hive did Marsden ship his bees in? From Crane (1983), the
Portuguese keep bees primarily in upright, cylindrical or rectangular hives of
cork, being warm and weather-tight (p.95). As Portugal was Brazil’s colonial
master at that time, it is reasonable to assume that Brazilian beekeepers may
have followed similar methods.

Crane (1983) shows an illustration of a “Gourd hive for stingless bees

under the porch roof of an old colonial house in Sao Paulo, Provence,
Brazil, 1973.” (p.69, Fig. 66). Is it likely that the hive Marsden acquired was
of this shape and contained stingless bees? He should have known what he
was looking for. (The image below is that of a straw hive and honey super.)

As the hives were rain damaged at Sydney after being left in the open for
three months, it is possible that they were constructed in an alternative
material to cork, possibly some kind of woven thatch.

George Mackaness produced an Australian Historical Monograph in 1942

containing some private correspondence of the Rev. Samuel Marsden. The
Reverend writes, “after a very pleasant passage of twenty weeks” dated 4
May 1810 “I also took out two hives of Bees from Rio and got them out
safe but am afraid that many of them are dead since. I have had so much
35
to attend to since we landed that I really forgot them and left them in the
Governors garden, where I fear the heavy rains have injured them”.
(p.42). From the date he arrived, January 27, to the date of this letter, is some
fourteen weeks in which the bees were left to the elements. Time enough to
swarm, though unlikely as Spring was long past.

The Museum of Sydney, opened May 1995, sits astride the foundations of
Government House. Construction commenced 1788 and extended over the
years until it was demolished in 1846. Some of the foundations are viewable
from the forecourt adjacent to the roadway of Phillip Street. These are the
foundations of the rear wall of the Governor’s house, the gardens of which
sloped down to the waterfront of Sydney Cove. Standing on the corner of
Phillip Street today, it is but one block downhill to Circular Quay. The
water's edge would have been closer to the house in Marsden’s time. An easy
row ashore with the hives, a short walk uphill and Marsden had deposited the
hives brought all the way from Rio de Janeiro.

Government House, Sydney, about the time Marsden arrived

James Samuel Hassall's father, Thomas Hassall, married Marsden's daughter

Ann in 1822. In James’ work In Old Australia, published in 1902, are
included extracts of Marsden's letters dealing with Marsden's introduction of
bees in 1810. The originals of these letters are included in the 'Hassall Papers'
set of manuscripts held at the Mitchell Library, Sydney.

Are there elements in Marsden's letter which suggest that he was a beekeeper,
though a forgetful one? Australia's first? In a letter dated 26 November 1811,
36
Marsden spoke of “improving the fleeces of our Sheep” arguing that
immense National wealth will spring from a modest start. He illustrates this
by writing “The Bee can carry but little honey, but in time the Hive is
filled.” (Mackaness, 1942, p.44)

Supporting this is the reference by Yarwood that Marsden “took on at

Good's suggestion two hives of honey-bees which appear to have been
the first such importation to New South Wales” (Mackaness, 1942, p.125).

Dr. John Mason Good was a staunch Marsden supporter, a medical

practitioner and biblical scholar of Caroline Place, editor of the Eclectic
Review, a publication of the Church Missionary Society. Was Good a bee-
aware person whereas Marsden was not? Marsden’s behaviour in neglecting
the bees indicates this. Beekeepers of the time housed their skeps under a roof
so as to protect them from the weather. Any covering on the hives would
have protected them from the traditionally heavy Autumn rains of Sydney.

In Two Years in New South Wales, published 1827, P. Cunningham, a Royal

Navy Surgeon, was indeed observant “European bees were introduced
some years ago, but falling into careless hands, little attention was paid
to them for awhile.” (p.340). Cunningham does not mention the owner of
the “careless hands” but he was probably being politically sensitive by not
stating the likely candidate, Marsden, in 1810. The description of the bees as
‘European’ was a natural assumption, though was it based in fact?

Cunningham continued in a more optimistic mode “Lately, however, some

swarms have been obtained by a careful individual, and we may soon
hope to see the colony stocked with them.” Cunningham, again, did not
mention names, but his “careful individual” was possibly Captain Wallis of
only five years previously in 1822. A covering thrown over the hives, even
one of thatch, would have done, rather then neglecting the hives and leaving
them to the mercies of the weather.

37
 The illustration is of a hive
shelter of the period, taken from
Edward Bevan’s 1870 book,
The Honey Bee. The doors
opened from the back, the flight
entrances towards the front.

Marsden was a self declared gardener. In a letter dated 27 April 1803 he states
“I am making great progress in my Orchard and garden. I have got
many hundred of different Fruit Trees and great abundance of some
kinds of fruit. I made more than 60 gallons of Cider this year which
promises to be very good. This was made from peaches, though we have
apples they are not of the cider kind.” (Mackaness, 1942, p.31). The native
bees and other insects, it appears, had been doing a reasonable job of
pollinating his peaches and apples.

Marsden wrote at least two letters mentioning his Rio bees. There may have
been others as he complained in a letter that some of his correspondence is
routinely stolen by the dubious characters who come and go within the
Colony. He wrote to John Stokes, after apparently spending a month at Rio,
'On Board the Ann under Captain Clarke, dated 1 December 1809 “Two
Hives of Bees I found in Rio and shall attempt to take them out.”
(Mackaness, 1942, p.40).

The Marsden family country estate at "Mamre", established in 1804 with the
homestead built in the 1820s would have been one site for Marsden to
relocate his hives. Another was his home at Parramatta. Marsden’s chief
agricultural interests were wool, sheep breeding as well as being an
“experimenter with new crops, plants and livestock” (p.89). Bees?

There is no documentary evidence to indicate that these bees survived in situ

or deserted their rain drenched hives located in the Governor’s garden in
Phillip Street, possibly to set up in a hollow gum beside the foreshores of
Sydney Cove. Nor is there testimony they were moved to another location
such as his home at Parramatta or ‘Mamre’ at St. Marys. Rayment (1922)
quoted from Heaton's 1879 Dictionary of Dates “A species of this
industrious race was introduced into Parramatta some years ago, but
38
lived only a short time.” This is very likely a reference to Marsden’s bees.
Heaton reproduced this entry from the Sydney Gazette of 12 April 1822.
Rayment (1922) commented on this observation “We have reason for
thinking this latter statement to be incorrect.” (Australasian Beekeeper,
Oct. 1922, p.72)

The belief of the current custodians of Mamre Homestead, the Catholic

religious order, The Sisters of Mercy, is that Marsden established his
Brazilian bees there. In The Mamre Project Foundation Book (1991) it is
stated “On his 1,030 acres at Mamre, Marsden established an orchard
with seeds imported from Europe and Asia and bees from Rio de
Janeiro.” (p.19). Hives of Italian bees are kept there today to recreate the
speculated 19th century establishment of bees at Mamre Homestead and also
to support the serene atmosphere of this delightful refuge.

Marsden's letter of 4 May 1810 to Mr. John Stokes mentions the bees having
been left in the Governor's garden “I have had so much to attend to since
we landed that I really forgot them and left them in the Governors
garden, where I fear the heavy rains have injured them” (Mackaness,
1942, p.40).

In The Australian Encyclopedia (1988) it is stated “The earliest known

attempt to introduce bees into the continent was made by the Rev.
Samuel Marsden, who imported an unknown number from England in
1810 but he was unsuccessful in establishing these and they eventually
died out.” (p.472). Marsden's letter of 4 May 1810, explicitly mentioned that
he brought two hives. The Ann sailed from Rio on 2 December 1809 and
arrived Port Jackson, 27 January 1810, a voyage of 88 days. No small feat to
keep the bees alive on such a long voyage. How did he do it?

In one of Marsden's letters he complained about the exorbitant cost of candles

for his church. Having bees and harvesting the honey by suffocating the bees
over the sulphur pit would have produced quantities of beeswax which could
have been converted into candles.

I did wonder if Marsden had brought Brazilian native bees or the European
honeybee? Crane (1963) states, regarding the European honeybee “they were
taken from Portugal to Brazil around 1530” (p.10). Later, she indicated a
reversal of the believed date of the introduction of the honeybee into Brazil.
In 1975 she stated “We now know that honeybees were not introduced to
39
Brazil until 1839 (Nogueira-Neto, 1962)” (p.477). There is another 20th
Century reference in a book titled A Naturalist in Brazil in which the
introduction of the European bees was dated as “the 1840’s”. Hopkins (1886)
referenced Dr. Gerstaecker’s 1862 work Geographical Distribution of the
Honey-Bee and its Varieties, where Gerstaecker gave the date of importation
into Brazil as 1845, Buenos Ayres (from Chili), Argentina in 1852 (p.27).
Nor could the bees have been brought into Brazil from other South American
countries. Crane adds “they are believed to have reached Chile and Peru
in 1857 (Beck)”.

Did Yarwood (1977) get it right? “One small setback was the injury
suffered by the two hives of Brazilian honey-bees, many of which died
upon being exposed in the governor's garden to Sydney's heavy autumn
rains.” Yarwood described the bees as “Brazilian” and Brazilian they might
have been, possibly the Melipona stingless bees. Did Marsden pass through
Rio, twenty nine years before European honeybees were introduced,
according to the Brazilian entomologist Nogueira-Neto?

Bob Gulliford, editor of The Australasian Beekeeper, had this to say after
reading my manuscript, a week before this book was published “ It is
unlikely, though not impossible, that the ‘Brazillian bees’ were
Meliponins. With the Catholic church’s huge need for candles and the
difficulties of getting wax from meliponin or other indigenous species of
bees, the 1837 seems quite ridiculous.”. Gulliford went on to write that he
was not convinced that “ .. bees were only introduced into Brazil in 1837.”
He continued “The church had access to bees right from its earliest times
and it’s inconceivable that they waited over 300 years to get them from
Europe. I believe the 1530 date or something very much earlier than
1837 to be much more realistic.”. Following this feedback, I revised my
assumption that Marsden must have brought meliponin bees from Rio.

Gulliford had more to add “ .. the bees obtained from Portugal would have
been Apis mellifera iberica, the so-called ‘Spanish’ or ‘Iberian’ bee. This
is a race of poor virility and productivity when compared to Apis
mellifera mellifera or Apis mellifera ligustica, the European and Italian
bees respectively, now so popular. Importations of this species to
Australia were not likely to have survived because of their poor
constitutions.”. I leave it to you the reader to form your own conclusion.

40
An illustration from Cotton’s My Bee Book of 1842

41
Captain Wallis and the Isabella, 1822

The Apis honeybee did not previously exist in Australasia, prior to 1822.
Isaac Hopkins (1904) from New Zealand, the pioneer of modern beekeeping
in that country, states “In the year 1862, Dr. A. Gerstaecker, of Berlin,
first published the results of his investigations upon the 'Geographical
Distribution of the Honey-bee and its Varieties’ (p.9) .. With reference to
the countries of the New World, North and South America, and
Australasia, Dr. Gerstaecker asserts that in none of them were any
species of the genus Apis found until they had been imported from
Europe.” (p.27)

The first successful introduction of the European Dark honeybee into

Australia and New Zealand was achieved by Captain John Wallis in 1822.
Wallis was commander of the convict ship 'Isabella'. She arrived at Port
Jackson on 9 March 1822 after a voyage of 125 days. On leaving London, the
Isabella went onto Ireland, departing Cork on 4 November 1821. She carried
200 male prisoners. The voyage was without stopovers, ignoring such
traditional ports as Teneriffe, Rio de Janeiro and the Cape of Good Hope
along the way.

Mr. R. B. Gulliford, editor of The Australasian Beekeeper, put the situation

rather well in a letter to me dated 18 February 1995 “The 1822 date was
accepted for decades as the 'official' date of bees arriving in Australia.
What seems to have been left out was that this was the first colony of
bees to survive and reproduce. Reputed earlier importations may have
actually hit the shoreline but they did not survive to reproduce.”

Typically known as the ‘English’ or ‘German’ black bee in contemporary

literature, the recommended description of today, from Ruttner (1990) is the
‘European Dark’. Hopkins (c1904) was before his time “Neither of the
names, German or Black, is a correct designation for the variety; for, as
Dr. Gerstaecker has shown, it was by no means confined originally to
Germany, and its prevailing colour is more brown than black; but these
are the names by which it is now universally known.” (p.10)

The Isabella’s next visit to the Colonies was again from Ireland, also under
John Wallis. She arrived 16 December 1823. (Bateson, 1969, pp.344-5).
42
Wallis made two earlier visits as the master of a convict transport, one, a 146
day passage via Rio on the Fanny which arrived 18 January 1816. His first
visit appears to have been aboard the Three Bees after a 149 day passage,
arriving 6 May 1814, (Bateson, 1969, pp 340-1) making this an interesting
co-incidence between the name of the convict transport and his cargo of eight
years later in 1822.

Albert Gale (1912), a stalwart of the Hawkesbury Agricultural College,

Richmond, New South Wales, at the end of the 19th Century stated “In 1822
the first hive bees were brought to this part of the world by a Captain
Wallace, or Willis, in the ship 'Isabella'. From the bees thus introduced
colonies were propagated and distributed inland.” The spelling of the
Captain’s name by various authors has been inconsistent. Gale uses 'Wallace’,
‘Wallis’ and ‘Willis’ and Rayment ‘Wallis’. The spelling for ‘Willis’ is very
likely a typographical error. Gale’s original story on the introduction of the
honeybee appeared in The Agricultural Gazette of New South Wales, 1901
(pp.213-217), where the alternate usage was ‘Wallis’. The Sydney Gazette of
2 June 1822 has ‘Wallis’ and the same journal of 1 November 1822 gives
‘Wallace’.

How Many Hives Were on the Isabella ?

Why is the number of hives of interest? The successful shipping of hives
was such a difficult feat, that getting one or two out was a credible
achievement. More than two was atypical and a major achievement. Wallis
may well have started the voyage with more than were landed alive. Losses
during the passage may have been as high as fifty percent. In Van
Diemen’s Land, William Kermode’s delivery of one hive in 1821 was a
total loss. Space on a small ship is always at a premium. Only because he
had ultimate authority on board was Wallis able to carry this strange cargo.
After all, his commission was to carry convicts, not bees. I wonder if his
direct route was a result of his desire to get his valuable cargo to its
Colonial destination as soon as possible?

The following extract appeared in the Sydney Gazette of 6 November 1823

“The bee-hives taken out by Captain Wallis, of the Isabella, fortunately
arrived safe, and four of their thickly populated habitations are now in
the neighbourhood of Sydney, where the valuable little colonizers seem
to lose none of their forces from the change of climate, but rather to
increase in thrift and hardihood. The owner expected to extend his four
to twenty hives in twelve months, so congenial to their prosperity and
43
nature is their newly acquired land.” So there were at least four hives.
Others may have been moved beyond “the neighbourhood of Sydney”. (p.3,
col.a) This article is largely a rewrite of the entry in the Sydney Gazette of 12
April 1822 “Mr. Parr has no doubt, with the exercise of proper attention,
that the four hives might become twenty, in the space of only twelve
months. The experiment is doubtless worthy of a trial.” (p.2b)

The statement that “The owner expected to extend his four to twenty hives
in twelve months” seems optimistic for four hives to increase to twenty by
repeated swarms issuing through a season. This would have been a significant
increase during the first twelve months. Such expansion would require an
average of four swarms per hive, an intolerable occurrence for a beekeeper of
today where swarming is discouraged by the culling of queen cells, dividing
colonies to produce an artificial swarm or breeding queens which exhibit a
lower tendency to swarm.

An entry in the same issue of the Sydney Gazette tells of Mr Blaxland

winning a silver medal from the Society of Arts for his work as a cultivator of
the vine. There is no mention of his earlier attempt to introduce bees,
successful or otherwise.

In Henry Field Gurner’s Miscellaneous Papers 1817-1873, held at the

Mitchell Library, there appears a newspaper cutting, annotated as originating
from the Morning Herald of 21 June 1824. It was credited as an extract from
a private letter “The five hives of bees taken out by Captain Wallace of the
Isabella, were thriving well and had thrown off many swarms, the
greater part of which had escaped into the woods, where they will, no
doubt, multiply fast, from the climate and country being so favourable to
their propagation, so that wild honey and wax may hereafter become
objects of interest to the colonist for domestic purposes and exportation,
besides what will be produced from them in their tame state.”. So there
were five hives?

In an early edition of The Australian Encyclopaedia is the following entry by

Rayment “was first successfully introduced by Captain Wallace, of the
convict ship Isabella, in 1822, when he landed 10 hives at Sydney. With
the hives landed by Captain Wallace began the important industry of
apiculture, and these and later importations of bees provided the origin
of the swarms that abound in a wild state throughout the Australian
bushland”. So there were ten?
44
The Australian Junior Encyclopaedia of 1951 provides a variation on the ten
hive story with an entry by Tarlton Rayment “The honey-bee of the
commercial bee-farms is not a native insect, but was brought to
Australia in the convict ship Isabella, commanded by Captain Wallis, in
1822, when twelve hives were landed from this vessel in Sydney. From
these few hives the honey-bee has now spread over the whole of the six
States”. So Rayment believed there were twelve?

The spread of bees throughout the Colonies was not only a result of the
Wallis importation. There were other independent introductions of bees to the
other colonies of Van Diemen's Land and Western Australia. It is certain that
descendants of the Wallis bees spread throughout New South Wales and very
likely descendants reached other colonies. Hopkins (c1904), after
acknowledging the Wallis introduction, stated “.. as there appear to be no
records of their having been introduced from abroad into any of the
sister colonies, no doubt they were sent to or taken by early settlers to
various parts of the continent from the mother colony, New South
Wales.” Dr T. B. Wilson is reputed to have taken bees to Western Australia,
around the year 1834. Very likely, there were many other frequent
movements of bees by ship. The Imlay brothers took hives in April 1842 to
New Zealand, only recently made independent of New South Wales on 16
November 1840.

How did Rayment calculate the number of hives? I believe he worked it

out by studying the available newspaper reports of that time, though I
disagree with his count. I think there were eight.

My calculation: seven were advertised for sale in the Sydney Gazette on 19

March 1822. An article in the Bulletin of 24 January 1924, authored by
“F.A.” referred to the importation by Wallis “They were distributed about
Sydney in hives, and according to Mr. Parr, of George-street, who had
four of the hives, and by Mr. Icely, who resided in Macquarie-place and
to whom the skipper had presented one ..” That would make it eight, if the
gift to Icely was made before the auction notice was published, and more
importantly, if the author ‘F.A.’ is to be believed. The story of a gift could be
pure invention. (Refer “The Bulletin, 1924” on page 54)

The hive for sale by Parr in June 1822 had probably been unsaleable in
April, as indicated by the relatively low number of bees, 476, left alive,
45
and so may have been excluded from those offered on 12 April. Parr
therefore, may have purchased five hives from Mr. Lord on 19 March. If the
four that were for sale on 12 April were part of the earlier seven, then the
count remains at eight. If they were separate, then the count would then be
twelve, equal to Rayment’s figure.

According to Parr, this last hive had only 476 bees left alive, three months
after their arrival. The number of bees landed alive may have been as low
as fifty with the Queen surviving, thus allowing the slow build-up to 476.
For one hive to be so low in numbers suggests to me that others may not
have survived, the critical mass of bees having fallen below a viable
number of around fifty. Not until its numbers showed a significant increase
and acceptable state of honey stores could he honestly offer it for sale.

The count of bees at 476 seems more of a dramatic guess than an accurate
count. For the bees to have dwindled from say 20,000 to 30,000 down to
around 500 is an indication of the stress the bees were exposed to during the
voyage. The small quantity of honey remaining indicates that a contributing
cause of the loss of a hive was due to starvation.

The above illustration accompanied Rayment’s story Centenary of the

Honey Bee in Australasia which appeared in The Australasian Beekeeper
of October 1922.

Parr could not have counted the bees to come up with such a number. A
skep does not permit easy access to the interior of the hive by a beekeeper.
46
The only way to accurately count them would have been to suffocate them
over a sulphur pit, but this of course would have defeated his purpose. I
assume Parr was trying to demonstrate that he had something of value.
Any relatively small number would do in the end. The method relied upon
by early beekeepers to gain increase was the capture of swarms which were
seen as a valuable occurrence, the reverse of today’s practice.

This basic technique coupled with the destruction of all the inhabitants of a
hive in Autumn so as to harvest the honey crop acted over time to produce a
strong tendency in surviving queens to favour the swarming impulse. After
all, the beekeeper valued those colonies that swarmed repeatedly. The less
prone swarmers were the ones suffocated after the hive was placed over a pit
of burning sulphur.

There was at least one bee aware person in the Colony at this time. In the
Sydney Gazette of 30 January 1823 there appeared a letter to the Editor “Sir,
As bees have only lately been introduced into the Colony, it may be
important to the possessors to know, that it is not necessary to kill them,
in order to obtain the honey; I therefore send you the following extract
from a London paper. I am, Sir, your obedient servant. R.H.” (p.3c) The
method described involved driving the bees from the hive by ‘beating’
against one end of the hive, whereupon the honey was then removed.

Mr. Parr, 1822

I believe Parr was an entrepreneur of some note. He very likely bought five
hives, or even all seven of them from Captain Wallis as a speculation. The
following advertisement appeared in the Sydney Gazette of 15 March 1822:

47
It reads “Sales by Auction, by Mr. Lord, At his Auction Mart,
Macquarie-place, on Tuesday next, the 19th Instant at 11 o’clock in the
Forenoon, THE FOLLOWING ARTICLES, without Reserve; seven
hives of bees just imported from England; ..” (p.3b).

The Sydney Gazette of 12 April 1822 reported “Captain Wallis, of the

Isabella, brought out a number of bee-hives on his last visit to the colony.
Mr. Parr, of George-street, has four of these thickly populated
habitations which seem not to lose any of their forces from a change of
climate. .. As soon as the dawn appears, the little animals issue forth
from the rest they have enjoyed during the night, and commence their
aerial journey over their newly acquired land; and one squadron no
sooner returns heavily laden with spoil, than another troop may be
viewed winging away for some favoured spot that seems perfectly
congenial to their prosperity and nature.” (p.2b) By 12 April 1822, one
month after their arrival, Parr had only four of the hives. It appears he had
already disposed of three of them.

The article in the Sydney Gazette of 2 June 1822 stated that he had one
remaining hive, three apparently having been sold. On three occasions, Mr.
Parr advertised his one remaining hive of bees for sale in 1822, on June 2nd,
14th and the 21st. Its text is as follows “Mr Parr has only ONE HIVE of
BEES for SALE, having disposed of all the other hives imported by
Captain Wallis, which are the only Hive Bees in New South Wales.-
When the above Hive was landed the number of Bees were reduced to
476 and the quantity of honey to little more than half-a-pound; but now,
although the depth of winter, the number of bees exceed 6000 and their
stock of honey, about eighteen pounds - Mr. Parr will engage that this
hive will cast a swarm in July next, and before Christmas three others
may be expected.” (p.4b). This suggests that Parr bought all the seven hives
offered for auction. The two that Wentworth had, as reported on 1 November
1822 in the Sydney Gazette, were therefore likely acquired from Parr. Icely
had one in 1823 according to Heaton’s report of 1879. Icely had arrived in
Sydney in April, but a month after the arrival of the Isabella. He was a
beekeeper and connected with the shipping business, as well as the purported
recipient of a gift of a hive from Captain Wallis. Was Icely the exporter of the
bees?

No price is mentioned so it would seem that the vendor was expecting to

choose between the various offers for the one remaining hive. Parr’s
48
guarantee that the bees would swarm in ‘July next’ was a reasonable one,
assuming he meant by July of 1823. If he meant July 1822, then this was a
most optimistic promise. The estimated weight of honey at 18 pounds was
likely determined by simply weighing the hive and subtracting its estimated
earlier weight when it had been in a poorer state. The estimate of three
swarms by Christmas was a realistic expectation.

Immediately above the Parr advertisement appeared the following entry

which assists in painting a profile of the man acting as agent for the sale “Mr.
Parr leaving this by the Shipley for England, where he intends to remain
about 4 months to select such GOODS as he finds suitable for this
Market, with which he intends to return by a certain Conveyance; begs
leave to acquaint Gentlemen, Settlers, and Others, that he will engage to
bring GOODS, of any particular Description, to Order, at the most
reasonable Advance;- and, from his general Knowledge of Business, he
flatters himself, that those Gentlemen, who may be pleased to favour him
with Orders, will find considerable Benefit therefrom.” So, Parr was
something of a businessman

Parr’s trading activities are made quite apparent throughout the Sydney
Gazette. In the issue for 30 January 1823 “Mr Parr is very sorry to say that
several of his numerous Customers have forgotten his Terms of Credit;
viz. Christmas and June; - He therefore begs to remind all those whose
Accounts were due on Christmas past, that if they are not settled on or
before the 10th of February, they will, without exception, be handed over
to his Solicitor.” (p.3b).

Heaton, 1879

Heaton’s 1879 Dictionary of Dates appears to have been a significant source

of dates for many authors. Tarlton Rayment in 1922 used it. The Bulletin
article of 1924 is almost a replica of it. Below is the extract from Heaton in its
original form:

49
Heaton gleaned his facts, in the main, from the Sydney Gazette of 1822 and
1823 and The Hobart Town Courier of 16 May 1834. I have yet to find the
sources for the notes on John Hughes and Thomas Arkell. Somewhere, also,
is an article providing the basis for Albert Gale’s account of the settler from
Jervis Bay who bought two hives for £4 in 1840.

Thomas Icely, 1822

An illustration was taken from William Charles Cotton’s 1842 work My Bee
Bookt depicts a cloud of smoke and bees as the two men ‘work’ the straw
skep hives. Notice the grooved entrance boards. The beekeeper on the right is
using a smoker to quieten the bees while honey is being robbed. To the right
of the other man, though indistinct, is a saucepan upon the ground, ready to
take the stolen combs. Such was a common method of beekeeping in Icely’s
time.

Thomas Icely was a pioneer pastoralist, born at Plympton, England in 1797.

“He first arrived in Sydney in 1820 seeking a good field for commercial
enterprise. He opened a business in George Street, Sydney, where he
disposed of an assortment of goods he had brought with him. Having
determined to settle in New South Wales he returned to England in 1821,
purchased more goods, and reached Sydney again in April of the
following year.”
50
Icely may have been Australia’s first beekeeper, as indicated by the following
extract from the Sydney Gazette of 30 January 1823 “Towards bringing the
bees to perfection in this Colony, we shall ever be peculiarly indebted to
the great attention and skill of Mr. Icely, of Macquarie-place. This
Gentleman is in possession of one of the original hives brought by
Captain Wallis, of the Fanny, when here last, from which have
proceeded two generations; the last of which has been in possession of a
new hive only about six weeks, which already contains sixty pounds of
honey, more or less.” (Additional Supplement, p.2a). The reference to the
Fanny apparently ignores Wallis’ more recent 1822 arrival on the Isabella, as
his visit on the Fanny was in 1816.

The article continued: “They take their aerial excursions at pleasure, but
never go beyond the sound of the bell, or any noisy instrument that may
be intended to rally flying gentry to their quarters. Australasia may now
boast of her bees; recollecting, however, that they are derivable from the
common Parent - Great Britain.” The mention of bells and noisy
instruments is a reference to the belief of the time that ‘tanging’ or the making
of a metallic noise was capable of bringing a swarm to the ground. More
(1976) in The Bee Book provides various explanations for this belief, one of
which involves the Greek father of the gods, Zeus. Protected from his infant
eating father, Chronos, by the Curetes, warrior-priests, and fed by Melissa’s
bees “the bees were attracted by the clashing weapons of the Curetes;
and to this day there survives a mistaken belief that the noise of iron and
brass objects being ‘tanged’ together will make a swarm settle.” (p.9)

Icely returned to Sydney in April, 1822, one month after Wallis and the
Isabella of March, 1822. He was “granted land in proportion to his
capital” and “In 1823 Icely selected 2000 acres in the Bathurst district
and commenced to breed stock there.” Between 1839 and 1862 he resided
at his cattle and sheep property, Coombing Park, south west of Bathurst near
the present town of Carcoar. From 1869 until his death in 1874, Icely lived at
Elizabeth Farm House, which had been built by Captain John Macarthur and
originally occupied by Macarthur in November 1793.

D’Arcy & William Charles Wentworth, 1822

Gale (1912) referenced the Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser
of Friday, 1 November 1822 “We congratulate our readers upon the
51
complete establishment of that most valuable insect, the bee, in this
Territory. During the last three weeks, three swarms of young bees have
been produced from two hives, the property of D. WENTWORTH, Esq,
purchased by him from Captain Wallace, of the Isabella, and placed at
his estate at Homebush, near Parramatta.” (p.2).

D’Arcy Wentworth, like Thomas Braidwood Wilson, had been a surgeon on

a convict ship. D’Arcy arrived in the Second Fleet on 28 June 1790. D’Arcy’s
son, William Wentworth, had, in 1819, produced a statistical survey of the
Colony of New South Wales. I could find no mention of hives in any of the
inventories, though it may have been that hives were of too little significance
to warrant inclusion.

In The New South Wales Calendar and General Post Office Directory of
1832, instructions are provided for the delivery of mail, from one delivery
point to the next along the various routes of the day. The following example
describes the former Wentworth Home Bush property “The cleared ground
of Home Bush on the right, formerly the residence of D'Arcy
Wentworth, Esq. a mile and a half, being the greatest extent of land
cleared and stumped in the neighbourhood of Sydney.” (1966 facsimile
edition, p.49)

Edward Henry Statham, 1844

Edwin Statham, a member of the Parramatta and District Historical Society in
1921, made a contribution to their Journal and Proceedings, dated 21 January
1921. He quoted directly from his copy of the Sydney Gazette, 1 November
1822. He added some colour by giving the full text of the item, including
“The fragrant shrubs and flowers of Australia are thus proved to be
peculiarly congenial to the increase of this insect, and we trust that, in a
few years, we shall be able to add honey and wax to our other numerous
productions.” (p.17)

The native honeybee, Trigona, was well known to the aboriginals. In the
earliest years of Australasian beekeeping, due to the absence of Apis mellifera
prior to European settlement, it was not known by the colonists if the local
flora would be compatible with the imported bee, hence the above comment
‘peculiarly congenial’.

Further colour is added by recollections of his father's apiary, around the year
1844 “My father, the late Edward Henry Statham, established an apiary
52
at his farm at 'Arnold Grove,' near Parramatta, about the year 1844,
and I have a distinct recollection of his having a considerable number of
hives. I am not sure from whence the stock was procured, but it would
most probably have been from the Wentworths, with whom he was
closely associated as a journalist; he took over the 'Australian'
newspaper from the Wentworths. Large quantities of wax were
produced and used for making candles; we used to make our own
candles in those days.”.

The Phoenix, 1824

Gale (1912) quoted from an issue of the Sydney Morning Herald, published
some time after August 1863 “Bees were brought from England to
Sydney in the year 1824, in the ship ’Phoenix,’ which sailed from
Portsmouth in March of that year.” Three convict ships carried the name
Phoenix. One of these, under Captain Robert White and surgeon-
superintendent Charles Queade, departed Portsmouth on 29 March 1824,
arriving Hobart 21 July 1824, a crossing of 114 days by way of Teneriffe.
Bateson (1969) “The Phoenix, after disembarking her convicts at Hobart,
sailed for Sydney, and early in August arrived off the entrance to Port
Jackson.” (p.230) Several searches of the Sydney Morning Herald from
August 1863 have failed to locate the item referred to by Gale.

Captain John Macarthur, 1825

The Macarthur papers at the Mitchell Library give various details of farming,
wool and horticulture at Elizabeth Farm and Camden. With such a diverse
farm, where, in Elizabeth's words “We feed hogs, we have cattle, keep a
dairy, fatten beef and mutton and export wool.”, it is highly likely that
they also kept bees. There is also an obscure reference in these papers, a letter
about bees at the Hawkesbury River in 1845.

In The Australian Encyclopaedia of 1958 “a colony of stingless bees was

exported to the Horticultural Society of England by Captain Macarthur,
son of John Macarthur, as early as June 1825. The bees were almost
certainly Trigona carbonaria. They are said to have arrived ‘in excellent
order”. For Macarthur to have located and hived a colony of native bees
suggests to me that he had some knowledge of the habits of bees. He may
have sent them back to England as a curiosity, distinct from the known habits
of the dark European honeybee.

53
It may have been that his wife, Elizabeth, who maintained the farm with
convict labour during her husband's extended absences, was the one who
maintained an interest in the normal agricultural practice of keeping bees.
Later, in the early 1880’s, Elisha Wiggins built an extensive apiary in the
Lower Blue Mountains at Springwood. It was he who had found work as a
gardener at the Camden property of the Macarthur-Onslows.

The Bulletin, 1924

In The Bulletin of 24 January 1924, there appeared an article, the author
identified only by the initials “F.A.”. I do not know to whom this refers. The
article is written as if the author had first hand information from Mr. Parr and
Thomas Icely. It makes reference to Thomas Arkell. The article contains
several errors and I suspect that it was made up to appear that authentic
sources were being used. Even so, it is still worth reproducing here. My
comments have been inserted where appropriate.

“The first bees to be imported to Australia were brought by Captain

James Wallis (John, not James, was his name) of the ship Isabella. They
were distributed about Sydney in hives, and, according to information
supplied by Mr. Parr, of George-street, who had four of the hives, (note:
this event was 102 years earlier, not recent and first hand knowledge gathered
by ‘F.A.’) and by Mr. Icely, who resided in Macquarie-place and to
whom the skipper had presented one, (note: this is the first and only
reference I have come across that Icely received a present of one hive) the
climate change didn’t affect the little toilers in the least. Getting bees
across the Blue Mountains was another story, however, for although
many attempts were made to land a live colony at Bathurst it was not
until 1839 that John Hughes, of Sussex farm, got a working colony
installed near the City of the Plains. To Thomas Arkell, of the same
district, went the distinction of being the first successful bee-farmer; he
sent the first plunder to Sydney in 1842. (note: honey was already for sale
in bulk as early as 1840. It could be bought by the ton for 1s 6d per pound as
advertised in The Australian of 17 September 1840) Dr. Wilson, a
Government medical man, was the bees first foster parent in Tasmania;
he commenced operations in 1823.” (p.3), (another error, it was 1831, and
he didn’t “commence operations”, he left the hive in the Government Gardens
while he continued his job as a convict ship’s surgeon.)

The author had apparently used Heaton’s 1879 Dictionary of Dates from
which Rayment had also drawn details. The words “the climate change
54
didn’t affect the little toilers in the least” are remarkably similar to
Heaton’s “these thickly populated habitations .. seem not to lose any of
their forces from a change of climate”. In addition, I counted ten identical
points between Heaton and ‘F.A’. Indeed, the 1823 error can be accounted by
F.A’s inability to copy accurately; 1823 was the date Icely was reported by
Heaton as having “had one of Wallis’s original hives”. It is possible that
F.A invented the Wallis gift of a hive to Icely. However, Thomas Icely was
part of the shipping business. For example, in the Sydney Gazette of 4
September 1823, he was an agent for the sale of the brig Ann. For several
years, he was part of the shipping firm, Icely and Hindson.

Thomas Arkell, 1842

As well as the reference to Arkell by Heaton in 1879 and ‘F.A.’ in 1924,
another appeared in the Western Stock and Station Journal of 7 November
1949. This article appears to have drawn many of its details from Rayment’s
work as it mentions the same details for Wallis, Hughes, Icely, Payten and
Arkell. These were attributed to an earlier article from the Journal, titled,
“Where Did the bees Come From”. The 1949 article stated that “Thomas
Arkell Smith, of Charlton, Campbell’s River, developed the bee industry
in that locality. .. Thomas Arkell had property not only at Charlton,
Campbell’s River, but at Trunkey .. the property was Mulgunnia. .. He
took bees from Charlton to Mulgunnia, but the date is unknown.”.

The author’s source was Mr. Reg. C. Smith who was Arkell’s great grandson.
The article was centred on the bees of Abercrombie Caves. “Bees can be
seen to this day working in the cliff at the northern end of the caves. Mr
Smith says ‘I have personally known the bees nest to be there for over 60
years, and others knew it long before my time. An attempt was made
years ago by several persons to rob this nest. An actual start was made,
but was stopped by my late father, Thomas Arkell Smith, Police
Magistrate and Mining Warden, who reported the matter to the
Department of mines. This lead to the Caves being made a sanctuary.” I
wonder if they are there now?

55
Sue Ellison of the North Shore Beekeepers supplied me with an extract from
a letter sent to her by Miss Elizabeth Mocatta. Family oral history tells it this
way “My sister, Mrs. R. Lumsdaine, has told me that our Great great
Grandfather, Thomas Arkell; was the first person to take bees over the
Blue Mountains to the Bathurst district. This was approximately 1825 -
1830. He was granted 1,000 acres of land by Governor Brisbane,
Mulgunnia was what he named his property, it was situated 12m from
the Abercrombie caves. Now it is said that the bees which are to be found
in the caves are descendants of Thomas Arkell’s colonies. He is the only
settler who has a Range named after him, ARKELL. This information
has been passed down in our family for generations, so I thought it
might be of interest.” The family oral tradition that Arkell took bees over the
Blue Mountains between 1825 and 1830 pre-dates Heaton’s date of 1842.
John Hughes may have been the first to take bees across the Blue Mountains
in 1839, though no original references to support this are known. (Refer also
the section on Thomas Arkell, Campbells River, 1840 on page 147).

56
TASMANIA

Mr. William Kermode, 1821

From the Australian Encyclopaedia of 1958 William Kermode, 1780-1852,
was an early settler in Tasmania. “During the early years of the nineteenth
century he commanded vessels trading to India and Australia, but while
still young he apparently abandoned the sea as a career and took to
commerce. In 1819-20 and 1821 he made trading voyages to Australia, in
each case visiting Hobart and Sydney” (pp.441-442, Vol. 4)

James Fenton of Northern Tasmania wrote in his book Bush Life in

Tasmania, Fifty Years Ago (1891), reminisces as far back as 1834 “Evidently
they had sent out colonies long before I saw them at that time, for I find
the following bit of information relating to bees in the Hobart Town
Gazette of April 7th, 1821: ‘A hive of bees in the best possible state of
health and condition has been brought out by the ship Mary from
Liverpool, and has been presented by Mr. Kermode, owner of that
vessel, to the Lieutenant Governor. The bee has not before been
imported into Van Diemen's Land.’” The comment “best possible state of
health and condition” was later shown not to be true as these bees did not
survive. The article from the Hobart Town Courier of 16 May 1834 and from
the records kept by H. M. Hull, show that the hive failed. Most likely, the
Queen bee was dead and the hive inevitably dwindled away.

As a ship’s captain, Kermode was typical of people in such a position of

authority to husband bees on a long voyage. His gift to the Governor was
either a sensible commercial decision or simply one of benevolence.

Unknown, 1824
In Beekeeping in Victoria by F.R. Beuhne (1916) “The Black Bee, it has
been stated, was first brought to Tasmania from Great Britain in 1824.
From Tasmania some hives were then taken to Sydney and from thence
the variety has spread pretty well over the whole of Australia.” (p.13).
This 1824 event appears nowhere else in all the material I have studied. It is
not supported by the Tasmanian press of the period. Beuhne’s observation
will have to remain a mystery for the time being.

57
Matthew Hindson to the Editor, 1829
A letter in the Sydney Gazette of 17 February 1829, from Matthew Hindson
to the Editor, expressed, through loss of patience, the following “Game:
Somewhere about three years ago, an Association was formed in Hobart
Town for the importation & propagation of British Game, and a
considerable sum of money was, we believe, contributed and remitted
home for that purpose. But it is long since any thing farther (has been
heard) about that matter. Maybe we might.”.

Hindson’s letter continued “Has the bee been any where successfully
propagated in other of the colonies?” This suggests he was aware of bees
having arrived in New South Wales but sought to see if they had arrived in
Van Diemen's Land and possibly at the Swan River Settlement. He was
obviously not aware of the Hobart Town Courier report of 1821 regarding
William Kermode’s unsuccessful introduction. Matthew Hindson needed to
wait two more years for events to catch up with his query.

Dr. Thomas Braidwood Wilson R. N., 1831

Dr. Wilson, a Royal Navy Surgeon Superintendent of convict transports, was

the first person to successfully introduce the honeybee into Van Diemen’s
Land. The path to verify this has been circuitous, as the following
demonstrates.

58
Mis-information
According to Rayment (1922) “in 1834, Dr. Wilson introduced the honey-
bee to Tasmania”. (p.270). No sources are cited by Rayment. From the
following, this date is not correct. However, Wilson may have brought bees
from Van Diemen's Land to New South Wales at a later date.

Regarding the common or black bee, Hopkins (1904) states “They were
introduced into Tasmania by Dr. Wilson, R.N., from New South Wales
in 1831.” (p.6). This prose can be interpreted in more than one way. Did
Hopkins mean that the bees were brought to Tasmania from New South
Wales or was Wilson from New South Wales and he brought bees into
Tasmania? Wilson did bring bees direct to Van Diemen's Land from England.
He had land granted to him in 1824 at what is now known as Braidwood,
which he visited from time to time. He was not to take up permanent
residence on this farm in New South Wales until 1836. He could, however,
have seen to be ‘from Hobart Town’ where his brother George resided. Dr.
Wilson’s arrival there on 28 January 1831 with his hive of bees on board was
the result of his sixth voyage.

Gale's (1912) extract from The Sydney Morning Herald, given in his book
Australian Bee Lore and Bee Culture, like Hopkins, is also open to different
meanings. Perhaps Hopkins drew his words from this newspaper. Gale
reports “In the Sydney Morning Herald, of 10th August 1863, it stated
that at a meeting of the Acclimatisation Society of New South Wales,
bees were first brought to this country by Captain Braidwood Wilson,
from Hobart Town, in 1831” (p.2). I have searched several times for this
source but have been unsuccessful in locating it. Patricia Clarke (1986)
observed that a hive of bees was left at the Botanic Gardens, Hobart, so it
could not have come immediately onto New South Wales.

The Facts
Patricia Clarke noted that Wilson was an expert publicist. His adventures
were typically brought to light in the press of the time and therefore survive
to this day. In the following, many details have been drawn from Patricia
Clarke’s A Colonial Woman, The Life and Times of Mary Braidwood Mowle
1827-1857. After I wrote to Patricia seeking her assistance, she visited the
National Library of Australia where her notes on her 1986 book are held, and
hand copied some information for me. Such is a sample of the excellent
support generously given to me from many people.

59
Wilson’s initial voyage began soon after 31 October 1821 when “he received
his first appointment as surgeon superintendent on the convict transport
Richmond bound for Hobart.” (p.13). His voyages from England to Hobart,
overseeing the welfare of convicts, were to continue until his “ninth and
final trip as a surgeon superintendent, aboard the Strathfieldsay under
Captain Phillip Jones which sailed from Portsmouth on 18 February
1836” (p.29).

Gale attributed his source to “For most of these dates and extracts I am
indebted to Mr S.M Mowle, Usher of the Black Rod, of the Legislative
Council, who married the only daughter of the late Captain Braidwood
Wilson R.N.” (p.12). Stewart Mowle married Mary Braidwood Wilson at
Oatlands, some 80 kilometres from Hobart, on 12 May 1845.

There are various references to Wilson as ‘Captain’ and ‘Dr’. These are easily
cleared up. Heary (1995) stated that Thomas Braidwood Wilson was “a
Scottish Royal Navy surgeon who worked on convict ships. In the 1820's,
Dr. Wilson had been granted land in Tasmania where two of his
younger brothers were to settle. He exchanged his grant for land in what
is now the Braidwood-Bungendore area of NSW. He died on November
11, 1843, at 51. After her father's death, Mary went to Tasmania to live
with her uncle George Wilson.”.

The ship Catherine Stewart Forbes, 1830

I wrote to the Tasmanian Beekeepers’ Association, Southern Branch. Mr. Col
Parker kindly replied with a timeline of the major events in Tasmanian
beekeeping history starting with William Kermode in 1821. His response
confirmed matters I had found elsewhere and added some new details. One
item provided was that Wilson arrived on the ship Catherine Stewart Forbes.

A possible source for this was Thomas Lloyd Hood, an amateur beekeeper
from around the 1880s when he resided in High Street, North Hobart. Isaac
Hopkins, in his search for details on the introduction of bees into Tasmania,
wrote to Hood. His response was published in the August 1885 issue of The
New Zealand Farmer, Bee and Poultry Review. Hopkins was editor of the
apiary section of this agricultural newspaper. Hood wrote “Bees were
introduced into Tasmania by Dr. Wilson R.N., by the ship Catherine
Stewart Forbes, in the year 1831. Great interest was taken on their
arrival, and there was a general expression of gratitude to Mr. Wilson
for the disinterested benefit he had conferred on the colony at
60
considerable cost and trouble to himself.” Hood may not have come by this
information easily, his investigations carried out fifty four years after
Wilson’s achievement. He mentions “.. the difficulty in gleaning anything
like authentic or definite information on the subject”.

In Bateson’s The Convict Ships (1969), the ship Catherine Stewart Forbes is
cross referenced as the Katherine Stewart Forbes, a convict transport of 457
tons. Its voyage from Spithead, London, on 14 October 1829 via Cape of
Good Hope, reaching Sydney on 18 February 1830, was under the command
of Captain Thos. Canney. The surgeon was Pat McTernan. The cargo was
199 male prisoners and the voyage took 119 days, close to four months. On
18 October 1829, just four days after this ship left London, Dr. T. B. Wilson
was at the Swan River Settlement visiting Captain James Stirling (Clarke
1986). Thos. Hood was obviously misinformed in naming this ship as the
carrier of the bees.

The ship John, 1831

From Clarke (1986) “On 14 October 1830 Thomas Wilson sailed from
London on the transport John under Captain John Nosworthy with 200
convicts bound for Hobart, arriving 28 January 1831. In the few weeks
he had been in England he had managed to bring on board a hive of
bees and these he presented to the Botanic Gardens in Hobart. This was
the first successful importation of bees into any Australian colony, bees
being taken later from this original hive to New South Wales and
Western Australia.” This was the first successful introduction into Van
Diemen’s Land, but not into “any Australian colony”.

Information supplied by the Tasmanian Beekeepers’ Association contains this

entry “The first hive was set up in Franklin Square (Then named or
known as Government Gardens), where it produced 17 swarms in the
first season. The swarms were distributed to any colonists who applied
for them, and the number of hives rapidly increased.” This is supported
by “1835 One hive at O’Brien’s Bridge, Glenorchy, produced 18
swarms.”. No source is provided for this last item.

Later, it is possible that Wilson took to New Soutth Wales, descendants or

one of the two hives that stood in front of a stone wall at the Botanic
Gardens, Hobart. The hives presence in the Gardens were noted by James
Fenton, a recently arrived immigrant boy of 13, in March 1834. Fenton

61
mentioned these hives in his book written in 1891. That two hives were there
indicates the Wilson hive survived and reproduced.

Wilson had “sailed on the Moffatt to Sydney on June 1, 1834” (Clarke,

1986). Rayment's date of 1834 is likely a reference to this voyage by Wilson
from Hobart to Sydney. Wilson probably went onto his farm at Braidwood.
Or, the 1834 date may have come from the following entry in The Hobart
Town Courier of 16 May 1834 “Not only is Van Diemen's Land stocked
from the original hive brought out by Dr Wilson .. but New South
Wales, and latterly Swan River, have been successfully planted from the
same source with this valuable insect.”

Wilson had visited Captain James Stirling R.N. around 18 October 1829 at
the Swan River Settlement in Western Australia when the settlement was
about three months old. Wilson's visit lasted for almost two months, ending
on 20 December 1829 when he departed for Launceston. There is then a
personal link between him and Western Australia, giving some possibility
that he may have been instrumental in sending bees there.

Clarke (1986) “Dr Thomas Braidwood Wilson, a surgeon superintendent

on convict ships had, in 1825, been given a grant of 2560 acres for his
services to the Colony. At first he selected land in Van Diemen's Land
but in 1826 exchanged it for land on the southern border of
‘Strathallan’. When the site of the future township was chosen in 1833,
the most suitable site was found to be the western end of his grant on the
hill between Monkittee Creek and Flood Creek. It was resumed by the
Crown, and a similar area added to the eastern end of his grant to
compensate Wilson for his loss. He had named his land ‘Braidwood
Farm’, and after his permanent settlement there with his wife and 2
children in 1836, and his adoption of a paternalistic role in the local
community, the town was officially named Braidwood.”

Also supplied by the Tasmanian Beekeepers’ Association was this “In

August 1832 the original hive was taken to Sydney by Dr Wilson and
presented to the Colonial Secretary Alexander Maclean.” (note:
‘Maclean’ must be a typographical error, as Alexander Macleay held that
office in 1832. The Australian Encyclopaedia of 1958 described him as a
scientist, a member of the Executive Council, and that ‘before he came to
Australia he had accumulated a remarkable collection of entomological
specimens’). Wilson had travelled to Sydney from Hobart on the ship
62
England, having arrived in Launceston with his wife some time in July 1832
(Clarke, 1986). “Thomas and Jane Wilson stayed in the colony of New
South Wales for some time .. and almost certainly took her on the long
trip south to his property in the county of St Vincent that he had called
‘Braidwood Farm’.”

Wilson’s journey from Sydney to Braidwood Farm would have taken around
six weeks by bullock wagon. His movements in 1832 made a transfer of the
bees possible but I’ve not found records to justify this belief. A letter dated 19
October 1995 from Netta Ellis, a prominent historian on the Braidwood
district, in response to my inquiry on the early beekeeping history of the
district, supplied the following “I am afraid I cannot help you with any
resource material about the early beekeeping history of this district and
with particular reference to T. B. Wilson. I have spoken to other local
historians with a negative result.”

The 1831 passage to Hobart was Wilson's sixth of nine voyages, the trip
taking 107 days. The bees may have been confined for this time plus however
many days before sailing they were closed up and moved on board ship. In
accepting the bees aboard his ship for the voyage, it appears that Captain John
Nosworthy did not have the same reservations about this cargo that I suspect
Captain John Boyce had for Gregory Blaxland’s intended companions.

Blaxland’s status as a passenger must have rated much less authority than that
of Wilson. Clarke (1986) states that Wilson was “the second most senior
person to the captain, being responsible for the entire management and
responsibility of the convicts travelling to Australia.” He was required
“not only to officiate as physician, surgeon, and apothecary, but also as
clergyman, schoolmaster, justice of the peace, inspector of provisions
etc.” (p.13). Being a convict transport surgeon-superintendent must have
made a lot of difference regarding the latitude which might be allowed to him
for ‘strange’ baggage. Space was always a premium on ships then, even as it
is today.

Clarke’s belief that “this was the first successful importation into any
Australian colony” is based on the following “The Hobart Town Courier of
5 February 1831 said the introduction of honey bees had been 'long
desired' and they had arrived 'in the most healthy and vigorous state'.”
Either the Courier journalist was referring only to Van Diemen’s Land

63
regarding the “long desired” importation of bees, or was unaware of Wallis’s
introduction of 1822.

64
A Profile
Clarke supplied an interesting comment on the type of people that attempted
to introduce flora and fauna to the colonies “On this trip Thomas Wilson
also brought several species of the moss rose, lilac, laurel, lauristinus and
other plants and shrubs not introduced into Tasmania previously. In
introducing these plants and bees he was following a longstanding
tradition of surgeon-naturalists. Surgeons were often the only members
of the ship's crew with scientific training and there had been several
examples of surgeons who had achieved fame through the collection and
study of specimens of plants, animals or minerals.”

Wilson was “A man of wide-ranging curiosity and involvement with

people and places around him (he was later a fellow of the Royal
Geographical Society) and with an unusually keen interest and
knowledge of agriculture, plants and animals” (p.15).

Recognition, 1831-1832
Following Wilson’s seventh voyage, his efforts were to be publicly
recognised. “After an uneventful voyage of 104 days” Wilson and his wife
Jane “arrived in Hobart on 20 July 1832. .. During their stay a group of
prominent citizens presented Wilson with a snuff box as a tribute for
'the importation of a hive of the honey bees' and for the interest he had
taken in the welfare of the colony.” (p.26).

Wilson’s success is supported by Don Norman, great-grandson of George

Wilson. George and Thomas were brothers. In Don’s words of 5 May 1995
“in 1980 I researched a great deal of the life of my great-grandfather’s
brother, Surgeon Thomas Braidwood Wilson who did, indeed, introduce
the honey bee to Van Diemen’s Land.” Patricia Clarke kindly introduced
me to Don and a most useful correspondence resulted. Don supplied the quote
from an issue of The Hobart Town Courier of Saturday 5 February 1831. “Dr
Thomas Braidwood Wilson R.N. Surgeon and Superintendent of the
‘John’ has, we are happy to announce, done the Colony the kindness of
introducing to what it has long been a desiratum amongst us, namely an
excellent hive of bees. They have come out in a most healthy and
vigorous state, and we no doubt consider they will thrive and multiply
throughout the land, the climate and indigenous plants of which
(singularly enough they cannot boast the honey bee) are nevertheless so
admirably adapted to the nature of this most useful and interesting
animal.”
65
In The Hobart Town Courier of 27 July 1832 appears this reference to
Wilson who arrived in Hobart on 28 January 1831 “to whom the colony is
already so much indebted for the valuable introduction of the honey bee,
brought out by him in the John last voyage”. In The Hobart Town Courier
of 17 August 1832 is this announcement of a tribute to Wilson

“To Dr. T. B. Wilson Esq., R.N. etc., Hobart Town, Van Diemen's Land

We, the undersigned, on behalf of ourselves and fellow colonists, beg

leave to offer to you the public appreciation of our thanks and
gratification for the benefit conferred on this Colony by the importation
of a hive of honey bees, which, had never before been accomplished, by
any individual, and not only for this act of kindness, but also for the
general interest you have taken in the welfare of our Island. We have the
honour to request your acceptance of this (box) as a token of our regard,
and the grateful recollection of the benefits conferred on the Colony.

We have the honour to be

Sir
your faithful and humble servants, the Committee
A F Kemp
J H Moore
Mames J Ross
Wm Wilson
Samuel Hull
James Scott”

Information from the Tasmanian Beekeepers’ Association states that “there is

some uncertainty as to who was responsible for introducing the
honeybee into Tasmania. In The Hobart Town Courier (10 August 1832)
Dr T.B. Wilson was publicly thanked for the importation of the hive of
honeybees ‘which had never before been accomplished by any
individual’. However, in an obituary for Mr. George Wilson, The
Mercury Supplement (18 April 1874) states, ‘there can be little doubt that
the credit (for the introduction of honeybees) is due, as we originally
stated, to Mr. Wilson, though his brother, Dr Wilson, shared with him in
the work’.” I wonder. After the public acclamation Dr. Wilson received and
the presentation of an award, I find it hard to accept that Dr. Wilson was an
assistant rather than the prime mover.
66
The ship Medway, 1827
In The Hobart Town Courier of 16 May 1834 appears “Dr Wilson must be
much gratified with the uncommon, and we may say, providential
success that has attended his introduction of the honey bee into these
Australasiatic regions, which though introduced many years ago by Mr
Kermode, and attempted we believe on one or two other occasions by
other individuals, has always failed. Not only is Van Diemen’s Land
stocked from the original hive brought out by Dr Wilson in the Medway,
but New South Wales, and latterly Swan River, have been successfully
planted from the same source with this valuable insect.”

The mention of the Medway, I believe, is in error. The Medway was indeed a
convict transport. She made five voyages to the colonies between 1821 and
1842. Bateson (1969) The Convict Ships, provides the surgeon on the 1821
and 1825 voyages as Thos. Davis and Gilbert King. There is no record of a
voyage for the Medway in 1831. I assume the confusion with the ship arose
from Wilson’s arrival in Hobart on his fourth voyage on the Governor Ready
on 3 August 1827. The Medway arrived in Hobart Town some two weeks
later on 18 August 1827. The comment “has always failed” clearly indicates
there must have been several previous and undocumented attempts. It also
illustrates the degree of difficulty encountered by others.

Chronicler Hugh Munro Hull, 1804 - 1872

In a work titled Chronology of Tasmania by Hugh Munro Hull, compiled
between the years 1804 to 1872, is a small but significant contribution on bee
history. Among his hand written entries in an alphabetical list, appears this
entry “Bees were introduced into Tasmania by Dr Wilson RN in the
convict ship John which arrived 27 January 1831; They had been
previously introduced in a hive by Mr W Kermode in April 1821 but the
Hive failed. Dr Wilsons Hive produced no less than 17 swarms within
the year.”

Hull was Clerk of the House of Assembly and Librarian to the Parliament of
Tasmania. He was author of two other works Experiences of 40 Years in
Tasmania and Tasmania in 1870. As a librarian and chronicler in a
responsible Government posting, Hull's commentaries should be treated with
a high level of credibility.

67
In the chapter on Hunting, in the book Experience of 40 Years in Tasmania,
Hull wrote “To Bees the climate is most kind. The flowers of the eucalypti
and mimosa furnish food for them; and our honey, which was exhibited
at the Crystal Palace, was much admired.”

“In some parts of the Colony, as at Perth (note: Perth in Van Diemen’s
Land, not Western Australia), Bothwell, Ross, &c., old tea-chests and
boxes are used for bee-hives, and honey is procured by the ton. It is sold
in the interior from fourpence to sixpence a pound; and is used by the
settlers either in comb or as mead, or in the manufacture of beer.
Swarms of bees which have escaped, take possession of hollow trees; and
I have seen more than a hundred pounds of honey taken from a hole in a
gum-tree.”

“A medical gentleman informs me that when living in the country,

combining rural with his professional occupations, the wax he obtained
from his bees, with a little mutton suet, supplied his household with
candles for the whole winter. He says he has had thirteen swarms from
one hive in a season.”

Colonial Visitor, James Backhouse, 1832

James Backhouse, visiting Van Diemen's Land in 1832, documented his
travels in A Narrative of a Visit to the Australian Colonies published in 1843.
Whilst at Hobart Town, is the entry “We walked to the
Government-garden, which is situated on the beautiful banks of the
Derwent, about a mile from the town, and comprises several acres,
enclosed with a wall, except on the side next the river. Bees have been
lately introduced: the first hive swarmed sixteen times this summer!”
His description of the garden and its wall enclosure has a similarity to that of
James Fenton's description of two hives before a stone wall at the Botanic
Garden, Hobart, presumably the same as that which Backhouse visited.

Backhouse’s description of the “bees .. lately introduced” leaves me to

wonder if he actually saw the hives in place as here was an opportunity to add
colour to his narrative. Possibly the bees were not something which caught
his interest, although the exclamation mark following the number of swarms
indicates that this natural increase was certainly worthy of note. The swarm
count of sixteen occurs in other places, including West's History of Tasmania
that R. A. Black was aware of in 1920. His description was likely an implied

68
reference to the 1831 introduction by Thomas Braidwood Wilson. The 1821
attempt by Mr. William Kermode may have been unknown to him.

An Anecdote from Australia, 1852

The following story appeared in The Leisure Hour of Thursday, 25
November 1852, titled An Anecdote from Australia. I purchased this issue,
a small journal subtitled A Family Journal of Instruction and Recreation,
originally priced at one penny, for only a few dollars. I saw it in the
catalogue of an antiquarian book dealer in June 1995. It was described as
containing information relating to the introduction of bees into Tasmania.
What a find, and published but twenty years after Wilson brought his bees.

No author is supplied but it was written on the 16th of January, 1851. The
story tells of “the efforts of two individuals .. (who) have been attended
with widely different results, little anticipated by the one party at
least; and as their acts forcibly illustrate the great difference betwixt a
wise action and a foolish one”. It is a tale of “the introduction of bees
and thistles into Van Diemen’s Land”.

“A gentleman named Dr. Wilson, who had made several voyages to

Van Diemen’s Land, had observed that there were not any bees
producing honey; he therefore, on one of his voyages, took with him a
hive of bees. It was placed on deck, and the little voyagers were
liberally supplied with moist sugar; and I understand the bees had
perfect liberty, and however far they might have flown across the
watery waste, always returned to the hive, and were conveyed 16,000
miles to Hobart Town.”

“Dr. Wilson generously placed the hive at the disposal of Governor

Arthur. It was placed in Government Garden; and so abundant was
the food, and so adapted the climate to the bees, that I was told that a
single hive of bees would produce twenty stocks in a year, the first
swarms each yielding new swarms.” Who then had related these ‘facts’ to
the author? Had he gleaned some details from newspapers?

“The governor politely presented his friends with hives of bees, so that,
in a very few seasons, most gardens in the colony were furnished with
them.” This is consistent with the information from Col Parker of the
Tasmanian Beekeepers’ Association that “the swarms were distributed to

69
any colonists who applied for them”, presumably from the Government
Gardens.

There is a lot here to comment upon in this story by an unknown author.

Wilson’s brother George was alive at that time to verify the facts to any
inquirer had they sought him out. He states that the hive was placed on
deck. Journals of the period written on voyages to the Colonies depict the
danger to deck cargo during rough seas, so I don’t see how this could be
the case. He also states the bees were allowed to fly. This mystifies me.
Had the bees flown but a short distance from the hive, always facing it in
their typical orientation flights, then could it have been possible? All others
attempting to ship hives did so invariably by confining them. Was
Wilson’s method the exception? The one detail that is easily accepted is
that the bees were fed using moist sugar, a most sensible and viable action
during the voyage.

The author had first hand contact with bees. “I still recollect the very
pleasing sensation produced in my mind when I first saw and heard
the bee in Van Diemen’s Land. It was Sunday, and I had retired to a
shady walk in a garden in the country for study and meditation. An
unusual sound struck my ear - familiar, though not immediately
remembered. I sought for the little humming insect, when, to my great
surprise and delight, I discovered a bee; it was gathering honey from
the blossoms of the gooseberry. Now the bee is found in all the settled
districts of the colony. In summer, many swarms are found in the
bush, and large quantities of honey are frequently found in the hollow
trees. It is so plentiful that, in the summer season, it may be bought for
fourpence per pound; and it is probable that, before long, bees-wax
will form a staple article of commerce, and thus assist to enrich the
colony.”

70
Mr. James Fenton, 1838
I first came across a reference to Fenton
in Charles Ramsay’s book, a history of
the settlement of North West Tasmania
covering the Latrobe and Devonport
Municipalities “Bees were introduced
to West Devon by Mr. Fenton in the
forties, when he got over two swarms
from Port Sorell soon after he settled
at Forth.”

In James Fenton’s own words in his 1891 book Bushlife in Tasmania Fifty
Years Ago, James relates “It occurred to me soon after I went to the Forth
that the English honey bee would do well there, as there were none in the
bush at this time, and my hives would have the flowers all to themselves.
Accordingly, I got over two swarms from Port Sorell. The rapidity with
which they made honey the first few years, and sent out fresh swarms
which I mostly succeeded in securing, was something to be
remembered.”

These words clearly state that bees were in North West Tasmania by 1840.
He was 19 years old when he bought land at Forth. He was a beekeeper by
then with hives at Port Sorell. This trip was made “in 1840 .. I took a
solitary bush journey westward from Frogmore to the River Forth”.

James Fenton was not a hobbyist beekeeper. “My hives were of the
roughest description - tea chests and grocery boxes. One swarm would
fill an 80 lb. tea-chest during the summer; so that I had quite a large bee
establishment, and sent away probably a couple of tons of honey.”. How
well suited the English bee was to this area of Tasmania is captured by the
following “In spite of my efforts to keep the swarms from escaping into
the bush I lost several from time to time; the wild bees rapidly increased,
71
and asserted their equal right to extract the honey from the wild flowers
and eucalypti, so that my harvest of sweets soon experienced a sensible
diminution. It was surprising how quickly the bees spread along the
coast after I introduced them to the Forth.”

Bees had been introduced to the Tamar River area prior to 1838 as Fenton
reports “When I first went over Badger Head (in 1838) they were to be
seen in considerable numbers, probably the offspring of hives on the
Tamar; but they only made their appearance farther west at a later
date.”

The following supports Wilson as the first to introduce bees to Tasmania in

1831 “I very much wondered to see the busy bee at work on Badger
Head in 1838; for I had been under the impression that the first hives
introduced to the colony were two which in March 1834 stood in front of
the stone wall at the Botanic Gardens, Hobart.” James Fenton's family
arrived at the mouth of the Derwent on 18 February 1834. He was 13 years
old when he saw these hives at Hobart.

Mr. Charles Meredith, 1846

Mr. Charles Meredith had links with beekeeping. Detail supplied by the
Tasmanian Beekeepers’ Association is as follows “1848-1850 Mr. Charles
Meredith transported two hives of bees from Port Sorell to Swansea.
Within two or three years he increased to about 23 swarms.” This event is
referenced from My Home in Tasmania by Mrs. Charles Meredith. Also
supplied was the following, indicating that bees were now well established
“1860: Many swarms were reported in the bush and honey was selling
for 4 pence per pound.”

I recently found a copy of Meredith’s book. Around January 1846, Louisa

Meredith moved to her new home, ‘Poyston’ at Port Sorell, about twelve
miles west of Badger Head. Access was via Launceston, George Town and
then another three to four hours by steam boat. Mrs. Meredith wrote “We
also commenced keeping bees, which thrive well at Port Sorell, the
abundance of sweet wild flowers there affording them most dainty food,
judging from the quality of the honey they make; some of which, from
hives kept in the Bush, far from all gardens and ill-flavoured flowers,
exceeds in fine delicate flavour any other I ever tasted, the famed honey
of Narbonne not excepted. Such portions of the virgin honeycomb as
become candied, and cut solid, like cheese, are the nicest of all
72
sweetmeats. Numbers of bees are now wild in many parts of the island,
and hollow trees are frequently found in the bush filled with honeycomb.
Several species of wild native bees or wasps are also numerous;” (p.220).

Mrs. Meredith also provided a short description of the Government Gardens

at Hobarton, where T. B. Wilson had left his hive. “The Government
Gardens here, although not comparable with those of Sydney, are finely
situated on the sloping shore of the Derwent, and charmed me by their
verdant and shady aspect.” (p.28).

As early as May 1841, Mrs. Meredith was aware of bush bees. In describing
the ‘Lightwood’ of ‘Blackwood’ tree, Acacia melanoxylon “The little round
blossoms of palest yellow, which in spring come out all over the tree, give
a soft fresh bloomy aspect to its evergreen garb, and perfume the air
with their hawthorn scent; when near an apiary, they are ever ‘musical
with bees,’ and seem to yield the busy little creatures an ample store both
of wax and honey.” (p.161). Her home was then at ‘Spring Vale’, seven
miles inland, north of Cambria.

In June 1843 she wrote “All the Eucalyptus family bear an abundance of
bloom, in constellated wreaths of starry flowers, sweet as the rich honey
which the labouring bees suck from the crystal stores that lie deep within
the fringe-bordered cups;” (Vol.II, p.68).

Sanctuary at Tarraleah, 1856

In the Australian Encyclopaedia of 1988 it is stated “In Tasmania, there is a
sanctuary for an isolated population of what is understood to be the
original European black bee which was introduced into Tasmania in
1856.” (p.407) The Concise Encyclopaedia of Australia of 1979 repeats this
item. I have been unable to trace any references to an introduction of bees in
1856. Even so, these ‘1856’ bees were not the result of the original
introduction.

In Backyard Beekeeping in Australia and New Zealand by C.N. Smithers “It

is believed that the original European race (Apis mellifera mellifera)
cannot now be found in a pure form except in Tarraleah, in Tasmania,
to which it was taken in early days and where it has not been in contact
with other races and hence is still typical of the original race.” (p.2)

73
From correspondence with Laurie Braybrook of Victoria, I was put in contact
with Don Cunningham in Tasmania. His words are worthy of inclusion here
“The bees at Tarraleah are of interest. Tarraleah is cold and wet and I
recall that the day I located and inspected the local apiary I was
astonished at the fact that these very black bees were as quiet as Italians,
and they worked in colder weather and longer hours. A very desirable
feature!” Don wrote that this incident occurred twenty five years ago, around
1970. “Ultimately, specimens were sent to .. a bee anatomist in
Germany, who .. found a difference in wing venation and declared they
were original European stock.”

Ruttner (1990) states “.. in Tasmania .. a large feral population has

retained the characters of the dark honeybee up to the present.” (p.10)
“This race is best adapted to regions with cool climate and scanty
flow.” (p.9) “The bees of the large feral population in the eucalypt
forests, as well as in the managed ‘Black’ colonies in the central region
of Tarraleah, retained the typical values of the English bee in most
characters.” (p.16)

Don “pushed to have the area declared a Sanctuary because Italian type
bees could easily have been brought into the area by migratory
beekeepers.” My next inquiry was to the Tasmanian Department of Primary
Industry and Fisheries to see if they could confirm the status of the Sanctuary
today.

The Librarian in Charge at the Department was most helpful to my inquiry.

The reply, dated 3 October 1995, in part, is as follows “.. unfortunately we
are unable to help. We have no information on the topic in the library. I
contacted the Department of Environment and Land Management into
which our Parks and Wildlife Service has been incorporated, but they
have no information either. We no longer have a senior apiary officer
and none of our officers are aware of the bee sanctuary.” The future of
this Sanctuary, it would appear, is totally within private hands.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Captain John Molloy, 1830

Captain John Molloy, with three other households, were the first settlers at
Augusta. “Molloy, over fifty and a veteran of the Peninsular War and of
Waterloo, had arrived at Fremantle in the Warrior early in 1830 with his
74
youthful bride and his sixteen servants, his tools and animals and his
hive of bees, all ready to begin life as a gentleman farmer on the grant
that he expected on the banks of the Swan.” (Bassett, 1954, p.264). Bassett
supplied no source for her reference to bees. Under Governor Stirling, Molloy
was the leading settler at Augusta and became its Resident Magistrate and
Commanding Officer.

From Portrait with Background by Alexandra Hasluck (1955), a story about

Georgina Molloy, wife of John Molloy, there is supplied a list (p.263) of the
property imported by Molloy on the Warrior (WAA 36/6, p.104). In the
section on live stock, no mention is made of bees. This does not preclude that
Molloy brought out bees.

The Australian Encyclopaedia (1958) supplies the Molloy’s date of arrival as

12 March 1830. Nine years later, they “moved north to the Vasse River,
near Geographe Bay, where the town of Busselton was to develop.”
(Vol.6, p.117a). They may have taken bees with them if the original hive had
reproduced.

Another date for the early introduction of honeybees into Western

Australia, available within a 1992 report by Robert Manning of the
Western Australian Department of Agriculture, is a note as follows “First
honey bees arrived in Freemantle 1846.” The report was titled Honey
Production, Economic Value and Geographical Significance of Apiary
Sites in Western Australia. Robert kindly supplied this report in response
to my letter to the New Zealand Beekeeper.

Henry Camfield, 1830

Henry Camfield, a gentleman settler of the Swan River, writing for the
second time to his sister Maria back in England, provided a list of things
which were important to bring, should they decide to come out from England
“mosquito nets, preserves, meats, pickles, vinegar, honey, molasses, bees
(in wire cages)” and other items.

Here is an explicit mention of the method used to contain bees, presumably

within a hive, identical to that proposed by Gregory Blaxland in 1805. By
this mention, the technique moves from a ‘once off' to possibly an accepted
method of the time. I can only assume that Camfield drew his information on
how to ship bees from his observation on the means used by Molloy.

75
On his own advice, Camfield's family did not leave England for the Swan, so
others may have taken up his advice on bringing bees with them. Camfield’s
letter reached England in April 1831 (Bassett, 1954, p.158) so his letter must
have been sent in late 1830. Henry had arrived at Swan River soon after 12
October 1830, some seven months after Molloy’s arrival.

Bassett (1954) in The Hentys, An Australian Colonial Tapestry, gives an

account of the voyage of the Caroline which brought the advance party of the
Henty family bound for the Swan River Settlement. Henry Camfield was also
aboard the Caroline. Bassett paints a picture of the animal and plant
accommodation available “The Caroline had a small elevated deck aft, the
poop deck, above the cabin accommodation and the cuddy; on this deck
were the hen-coops, possibly the pigeons and rabbits. On the open deck
below the poop there were the stacks of hay, the pigs, sheep, and some of
the larger stock, including the two milch cows in the long-boat; the rest
of the heavy animals were in the stables on the lower deck, where also
were the living quarters of the steerage passengers. Somewhere amongst
all this were the fruit-trees, currant bushes, and rose bushes for the
colonial gardens-to-be.” (p.51)

A hive of bees, like the other livestock, would have suffered a rough passage
at times. “Henty's animals were tended by the farm servants who had
handled them for years. With familiar words, and in familiar garb, the
men could bring some comfort to the beasts in their strange
surroundings; but no Sussex lore of byre and stable and fold could teach
them how to protect their charges from the power of the sea.” (p.51)

A letter from James Henty to his father Thomas, dated 18 June 1829,
described some of the violence of the seas upon the stock “a heavy swell ..
rolled and tumbled the stock about dreadfully”; and of another animal
“from the violence of her falls on board (she got) an abscess in her chest
which we have opened” (pp.51-52). A preceding ship, the Calista, lost 9 out
of 13 horses and 100 out of 200 sheep.

The Caroline, having left Rio in August 1829, “met their first gale; the sea
came over the poop and deck in tons, setting the coops and hay adrift,
knocking passengers about, and killing two pigs.” (p.68). From this
description, any hives aboard would certainly have been below deck, possibly
in cabin or adjacent the stables, possibly along with the fruit trees, bushes and
other plants. In James Henty's words “The rushing of the wind, screaming
76
of the women, suffering of the animals, and torrents of water poured in
occasionally on deck, made altogether a scene which beggars description.
.. had one of the heavy seas come on board everything on deck must have
gone.” (p.69)

Thomas Braidwood Wilson, 1829

Clarke relates “In the short time he was in England Wilson put a case for
another free land grant to the Secretary of State for the Colonies, citing
his services in the exploration of Western Australia.” (p.24). There is then
a tentative link between Wilson's exploration contact with Western Australia
and her statement that bees were taken later from his original hive, then in the
Botanic Gardens, to New South Wales and Western Australia.

Thomas Wilson had visited, or at least passed by Rottnest Island on 16

October 1829 and then “two days later .. visited James Stirling the
governor of the three-month-old settlement at Perth. On 19 November
1829 he left the Swan River settlement” (Clarke, 1986, p.21). It is possible
that Wilson was the one who later organised the transport of bees to the
Settlement, having had a month in 1829 to acquaint himself with the area.

If Captain Molloy did bring bees to Swan River in 1830, then any
introduction by Wilson could only have been after Wilson first brought them
to Hobart in 1831. The Hobart Town Courier of 16 May 1834 stated “Not
only is Van Diemen's Land stocked from the original hive brought out
by Dr Wilson .. but New South Wales, and latterly Swan River, have
been successfully planted from the same source with this valuable
insect.”

SOUTH AUSTRALIA, VICTORIA & QUEENSLAND

Hopkins (1886) “I have not been able to obtain any information as to the
introduction of the German bee into South Australia, Victoria, or
Queensland. Probably the importations may have been made from New
South Wales or Tasmania, and not direct from Europe. To Mr. C.
Fullwood, of Brisbane, I am indebted for much information as to the
progress of bee-culture in Queensland.” (p.14). Subsequent editions of

77
Hopkins’ book, the third in c1904, fifth in 1911 and the sixth in c1924, added
no new details for these three States.

Weatherhead (1986) “The earliest printed record so far is in 1851 when

W. T. Lyon of Oxley tells of arriving in the second immigrant ship to
Moreton bay and seeing bees belonging to Mr Fox in Racecourse Road,
now Brunswick Street. He also told of the next door neighbour, Mr
Bailey having three hives.” (p.10). Apart from these two references, one
hundred years apart, nothing else on these three States has come to my notice.

NORTH ISLAND - NEW ZEALAND

Miss Mary Anna Bumby, 1839

Hopkins (c1904) stated “The first
bees to land in the North Island of
New Zealand came in the good ship
‘James’, and were embarked at
Mangunga, Hokianga, on or about
March 13th, 1839”. Hokianga is high
on the north western tip of the North
Island, on the opposite coast to the
Bay of Islands, a very remote setting.

Hopkins cited these details from a letter written to him by Mrs. Gittos, wife
of the Rev. W. Gittos, and daughter of the late Rev. John Hobbs. The letter
states “This ship brought a party of missionaries, among others the Rev.
J. H. Bumby and his sister - Miss Bumby, who accompanied her brother
as housekeeper. This lady brought with her the first bees I ever saw.
There were two straw hives, and they were placed in the Mission
Churchyard as being a safe place, and free from the curiosity of the
78
Maoris ..”. Mrs. Gittos was nine years old at the time. “Some years later on
I was writing to a gentleman friend in Tasmania who had been one of
the party I have spoken of. I was anxious to know if he remembered
their first Sunday in New Zealand his taking us little children .. to see
the bees from England. He replied that he distinctly remembered bees
having come in their ship ..” (p.5).

It is now clear from Dawson’s research papers why Hopkins gave credence to
Mrs. Gittos. She was the second daughter of Rev. J. Hobbs. Miss Bumby’s
diary entry for 18 March 1839 “took supper with Mrs. Hobbs”. This was
the day that the Bumby’s went ashore from the James after having unloaded
their possessions. So Mrs. Gittos is all but confirmed as having been an on
the spot witness. The Hobbs - Bumby association continued; the diary entry
for 9 May 1840 “Mr. Hobbs and family came this morning”.

The Hobbs family were part of the founding team of the missionary station at
Mangungu. In Elder (1934) Marsden’s Lieutenants, regarding the Weslayan
missionaries “In April, 1828, Stack and Wade with their wives,
accompanied by Mr. and Mrs. Hobbs and Miss. Bedford, established the
Wesleyan station at Mangungu in Hokianga Harbour. Cf. ‘The Letters
and Journals of Samuel Marsden, p.42” (Notes to Ch.10, p.240)

A portrait of Rev. J. H. Bumby.

Dawson (1979) in the The New Zealand Beekeeper of March 1979, supplied
details regarding Rev. John Hewgill Bumby and his sister, Mary Anna
79
Bumby “They boarded the good ship ‘James’ about noon on Thursday,
September 20, 1838.” Dawson supplied the following from an unpublished
manuscript by the late C. G. Hunt (1971), of the Waikato Historical Society
“Leaving her home on August 16th 1838, she and her brother embarked
on the sailing ship ‘James’ at Gravesend .. The vessel reached the
Hokianga River on March 18, 1839”. (pp.19-22)

The name Bumby lives on in Thirsk, Yorkshire, from whence the Bumbys
departed. Hunt supplied a description of Miss Bumby, taken from The New
Zealand Methodist of 1891, ‘from one who knew her intimately’ “.. she was
a vision of delight. Soft brown hair, worn in ringlets after the fashion of
that time, a complexion that entitled her to the name of the ‘Bonny
English Rose’, and a smile that lighted up gentle hazel eyes, out of which
beamed only loving thoughts.” (Vol. 8, p4). Thanks to Chris Dawson and
his contact with a Bumby descendant, Mr. Overton, a picture portrait of her
now hangs in the Mangugnu Mission Station. The portrait depicts a young
woman with rosy cheeks.

An extract from The Life of the Rev. John Hewgill Bumby by Rev. Alfred
Barrett, 1852, contains entries from Mary Bumby’s diary “Sept. 20, 1838,
about noon, mission party went on board ‘James’ at Gravesend for
Hobart Town and partook of social repast provided by Mr Lidgett, the
owner”. So, the James was to travel with a stopover at Van Diemen’s Land.
On December 4, 1838 “First saw Southern Cross”; January 27, 1839 “Most
tempestuous, we had to go under bare poles”; January 29 “Wind subsided
- mountains of Van Diemen’s Land in view”; January 30 “on shore at
Hobart Town”; March 7 “still at Hobart”; March 9 “left Hobart”.

The stopover in Hobart provided a spell of around thirty six days during
Summer, in which the hive could have been taken ashore and the bees
released to void themselves following their confinement as well as stock up
on pollen and nectar. A beekeeper concerned with the health of the hive
occupants would not have hesitated in taking advantage of the extended stay
in port.

The unpublished Hunt manuscript (c1971) titled Some Notes on the Wesleyan
Mission at Aotea, adds some useful details. It was supplied to Chris Dawson
by Leslie Gilmore of the Wesley Historical Society. The manuscript contains
extracts from Miss Bumby’s diary. The voyage was not all smooth sailing;
the Bumby diary entry of Sunday evening 23 September 1838 “Wind strong
80
and contrary. Obliged to put in at Portsmouth. Last night the waves
were so rough and boisterous that the vessel was literally tossed by the
elements.” December 20, 1838 “On Tuesday evening about eleven o’clock,
we safely anchored in Table Bay.” I wonder if the bees were released on
board or taken ashore?

Hunt’s notes state that “On January 31st, the ship sailed up the Derwent
River and at 10 o’clock anchored at Sullivan’s cove.” It would appear the
ship stayed for around five weeks, the entry for March 9 “Left Hobart-Town
and after a pleasant and expeditious voyage, found the long-wished-for
mountains of New Zealand were in sight.”.

An entry dated 18 March 1839 “At twelve o’clock we crossed the much
dreaded Bar of the Hokianga River, Captain Young the pilot soon came
on board to take us up the river a distance of about twenty five miles.”
21 March 1839: “We have been very busy all day getting our goods on
shore”. So it would seem the bees made it to shore as late as March 21, not
March 13 as previously believed.

From a 1986 hand written extract from Miss Bumby’s diary, copied by
Patricia Adams, Research Officer of the Alexander Turnbull Library,
Wellington, there is a copy of a letter from Miss Bumby to Mrs. Peart (or
Pert), dated 20 June 1839. It gives a glimpse of the travelling time by sea to
more civilised towns “We get supplies of goods from the Colony. The
voyage to Sidney (sic) is eight days, that to Hobart Town ten.”

From The Journal of Rev. William Woon of 11 August 1840 is an entry

dealing with John Bumby, who appears to have been a beekeeper along
with his sister “On his arrival here he brought with him a swarm of
bees which were kept in his garden at the back of the Mission House.
The day the Rev. John Waterhouse arrived in the Triton he went with
Bro. Creed to examine them and found a little ‘maiden honey’ which
he was collecting in a plate, and just as he uttered the words ‘I will
send this down to Mother Woon’ Mr Waterhouse was announced as
being at hand and he was so overjoyed as to forget the honey and
everything else, and hastened to welcome him to New Zealand, and
great was his rejoicing with his friend and father with whom he was
immediately at home. We never heard anything more of the honey.”

81
Rev. Richard Taylor, 1839
A letter to the Editor of The New Zealand Farmer of July 1885 suggested
that the Rev. Taylor was an early introducer of bees to the North Island “I
hope to be able, before long, to furnish you with accurate information re
‘Introduction of Honey Bee to New Zealand,’ Being a friend of the
family of the late Richard Taylor, I forwarded a copy of the Journal to
Mrs. Harper, who promises to refer to her father’s journals and papers,
and if she can find any mention of the subject, to copy and forward to
me. She mentions the fact that her father came to New Zealand in 1839,
and remained in the North at Waimate until the year 1843. She well
remembers the fact of their having bees, and from my own remembrance
and knowledge the Rev. Richard Taylor, I am sure a garden would not
be started under his auspices without a hive of bees. .. New Zealand is
indebted to Mr Taylor for the introduction of numerous shrubs, trees,
and flowers, and his garden at the Mission Station at Putitri, in
Wanganui, was most interesting to visit” (p.208). The letter was dated 18
May 1885 and was signed by E. Halcombe of Lichfield.

Hopkins (1886) stated “Dieffenbach, in his Travels in New Zealand,

mentions having seen (in December, 1840) a hive of bees, thriving
remarkably well, with the Rev. Richard Taylor at Waimate, but says
‘the bees had been introduced into New Zealand from New South
Wales.’ This may be an error. It is not improbable that the hives
referred to may have been stocked with some of Lady Hobson’s bees, but
it is also quite possible that they may have been brought from New South
Wales where they had been first introduced in 1822.” The editor of the
journal, The New Zealand Farmer, was Isaac Hopkins. As he makes no
mention of the Rev. Taylor in later editions of his Australasian Bee Manual,
it might be assumed that Hopkins received no further communication from
Halcombe, or the lead proved false.

However, Taylor himself sets the record straight, at least to the best of his
knowledge, in his 1868 work The Past and Present of New Zealand
“Captain Hobson brought the first hive of bees to the island, but they
did not increase. Mr. Cotton, The Bishop of New Zealand's chaplain,
was more successful, and from his hive both islands are now well
stocked.”

82
‘A Shareholder’, 1841
In The New Zealand Journal of 27 November 1841, there appeared an
undated letter from ‘A Shareholder’ recommending the importation of bees to
settlements of the New Zealand Company. “There is a source of profit
peculiarly within the province of the farmer, and one which would
greatly increase, with proper management the amount of his yearly
income. In every point of view it would seem desirable that bees should
be cultivated .. From the commencement of history to our own day, bees
have been an object of attention; honey has been used, and wax has been
an article of commerce. In fact, the amount consumed of the former for
food, medicine, &c., and of the latter for various purposes in the arts,
would astonish those who have never turned their attention to the
subject. In the savage and civilised state, wherever there has been sun
enough to mature a flower, every individual of the community is as
familiar with the luxury of honey, and the merits and uses of bees-wax,
as with the daily food that is consumed.” (p.297b).

Another correspondent to the New Zealand Journal of 6 September 1851

gave favourable reasons for the management of bees “Long before bee-
keeping becomes a lucrative branch of rural management, I look for wax
and honey being, the former a large article of export and the latter a
great addition to our comforts.” (p.437d). How successful the bees had
been in multiplying is demonstrated by the following “Only within the last
four years have they been fairly tried, and already it is evident that, from
the length of our flowering season, they will produce more wax and
honey, in proportion to their numbers, than in almost any other country.
They multiply rapidly too, swarm frequently, and there is no keeping
them from the woods. .. Though but a few swarms have been imported,
and only within the last four or five years, honey may be had all over our
district for a shilling a pound. In time it will be as cheap as in New South
Wales, where it may be had for 4d. a pound; and the quality here is
better.

The Shareholder quoted the same recommendation from the Hon. Mr. Petre
that the Rev. William Charles Cotton, chaplain to Bishop George Augustus
Selwyn, was to use as his inspiration to take bees to New Zealand.

83
Rev. William Charles Cotton, 1842

His Motivation
The following quote, used by Cotton himself, may have been the
inspiration for his decision to transport bees to New Zealand. Cotton
(1842) “One fact has not, to my knowledge, been mentioned. The
flowers of the plants abound with honey, which the natives frequently
suck. Thus, should bees be introduced into New Zealand, and I see no
reason why they should not, they will find abundance of food in the
flower of the Phormium Tenax, as well as in others. I mention this, in
case any one should be disposed to take bees as an experiment.
(Honourable Henry William Petre on the Settlements of the New
Zealand Company p. 60).” (p.355)

Cotton was not the only person to take note of Petre’s observation. In a
letter to the Editor of The New Zealand Journal of 27 November 1841
“Sir,-In a small pamplet, (sic) lately published by the Hon. Mr. Petre,
there is a suggestive passage, .. calling .. to the attention of those who
may be disposed to emigrate to, or have already established themselves
in New Zealand.” (p.297). The writer continued with Petre’s
recommendation as quoted by Cotton.

The Hogshead
Cotton planned ahead as to exactly how he was to achieve his task. His
words explain his intentions very clearly: “The Bee of England, like the
man of England, if he be but good of his kind, is, I think, surpassed by
none in the world. I will not get Bees from India-nor Bees from South
America-nor Bees from New Holland, but carry them direct from
England, sixteen thousand miles over the sea. How is this to be done?-
By putting them to sleep, by keeping them at a low temperature, by
burying them, and keeping them dry.” (p.357) Cotton knew that ice had
been successfully used to pack fresh salmon on a voyage from North
America to Calcutta. It was also to be his answer. He was apparently aware
that bees could be obtained from New Holland (Australia) but had decided
to rely upon his own stock.

84
 Cotton’s work My Bee Book,
written in 1839 before his
departure for New Zealand,
and published in 1842,
provided the following details,
supporting his diagrams of a
recycled wine barrel, a
hogshead. Probably of either
fifty six or one hundred and
twelve gallons capacity, it
would be the shipping
container for his hives “The
diagram is a vertical section
of an old hogshead, which I
have had fresh coopered, and the joints properly fitted. It is lined
throughout with a coating of thick felt, which is, I believe, one of the
best non-conducting things. The bottom has a pipe and tap to carry off
the leakage, and is filled with broken crocks, that the drainage may be
most perfect.” (p.358) From his illustration it was capable of holding at least
three hives, and more likely, four of them.

“As the ice melts away-as melt it will-though I trust two-thirds of it

will safely cross the Line, I shall draw it off through the tap, and by
measuring the waste every day, know how much I have left. .. we have
a hundred thousand passengers on board-which is about the crew
which will be shipped in ten Hives. .. Now, without some care we
should have a pretty mess of half-melted ice .. together with dead Bees
and spoilt honey, if the Hives had been permitted to rest on ice, and
sink down with it as it melted.” (p.359)

“I have thought of this: and the same diagram represents a wooden

frame, which is fixed firmly across the inside of the hogshead, about
an inch above the ice. The Bees will be moved from their bottom
boards on some cold November day, and securely tied, each in a
square cloth of dairy canvas. (note: dairy canvas was used to strain milk)
The Hives will then be placed on the top of this frame, and well dried
cinders, from which the moisture has been all baked out, will be
poured in from above, till the hogshead is quite filled. By these means
light and heat will be both excluded, and the Bees will be put into a
deep and long sleep; though I hope not an eternal one. But some one
85
who doubts my success may say, “Your Bees will be stifled; they can
get no air, and air is necessary to their life.” I do not think so. A
friend has written to me about some Bees which were buried last
winter, and were not supplied with any air, but that which was
drained, you may say, into them through the earth; and they, without
air, lived passing well .. But in order to give my Bees every chance of a
long life and a happy one, as well as a long voyage .. Each Hive has a
pipe leading from the outward air to its T hole (note: T hole - meaning
the top hole, which was either plugged or provided access to a honey skep
above);-this will supply fresh air. But you well know, that you cannot
put any thing into a full bottle, except you first take something out. So
I must remove the foul air before I can put any fresh in. How then is it
to be got rid of? Why, by a pipe to be sure, leading also into the outer
air, but, as well as the other, guarded by a piece of perforated zinc,
that the foul air may pass out without allowing one single Bee to
accompany it. This will carry away all dampness, an well as foul air;
the Bees’ breath may be condensed in an inverted bell glass .. It will
then trickle down in the shape of water .. Thus, I trust, my Bees will
arrive safely at New Zealand;” (pp.360-361)

Evaporation
Cotton planned not to rely solely on the hogshead method “In order to
give myself every chance of getting some Bees, at least, safe to New
Zealand, I am not going to confine myself to the ice method alone, but
I shall try to keep one or two stocks cool by means of evaporation. ..
The Hive is placed on a board resting on springs, that the motion of
the ship may not disturb the Bees. .. A wall of water entirely
surrounds the Hive. Fresh water is perpetually running in from the
double case in which the Hive is placed, from the ship’s cistern. The
two cylinders of zinc, in which the Hive is placed, are open at the top,
so that the water is exposed to the open air. A piece of rag, which will
suck up the water, is laid between the two zinc cylinders. This will
conduct the water on to the top of the Hives; evaporation will be
always going on, and, as I believe, will keep the Hive so cool that the
Bees will remain asleep. A few cinders will be also poured in between
the Hive and the cylinder, to keep the Bees quite quiet. A pipe also will
be fitted to the T hole to supply them with air, just as I did to those in
the hogshead.” (pp.261-362)

86
Gimbles
And a third method “Another I have suspended on gimbles, by the aid
of which it will always remain quite upright.” (p.361). A set of gimbles
is a device used to keep a ship’s compass level, despite the roll and pitch of
the vessel.

Observatory Hive
Not satisfied with the above three methods, a simpler fourth technique was
to be adopted “I shall also take an Observatory Hive in my cabin; they,
of course, will be affected by every change of temperature, so I shall
feed them by putting glasses of honey over the holes at the top of the
Observatory Hive.” (p.362)

From the 1881 First edition of Hopkins The Illustrated New Zealand Bee
Manual “For the introduction of Bees into this Colony we are indebted
to the late Rev. William Charles Cotton and Mrs. Allom, mother of
our respected and esteemed citizen A. J. Allom, Esquire, of Parawai.
With regard to Mr. Cotton’s success I quote the following from the
British Bee Journal of January 1st, 1880.” (p.4). Though the above
declaration of the introduction of bees was amended by Hopkins in later
editions, it shows how confusion can result by referencing only earlier
editions of his book. The quotation continued “In 1841 Mr Cotton
became chaplain to the late Bishop of New Zealand, Dr. Selwyn, with
whom he embarked on board the Tomatin at Plymouth, on 30th
December of that year. .. Mr. Cotton took with him four stocks of
bees; and many marvellous stories are told of his mastery over his
favourites on ship board.” (p.4).

I wonder what these stories were? A pity that some details were not related
within the British Bee Journal. It would have been interesting to know if he
87
used all or only some of his proposed methods of transporting the bees.
The quotation continued “New Zealand is such a good country for bees,
that Mr. Cotton told me, one stock had increased to twenty-six in one
year.”

Nicholson states in The Log of Logs that the Tomatin departed Plymouth
on 16 December 1841 and arrived Sydney, New South Wales, on 14 April
1842. The ship stayed in port until 17 June 1842. Cotton is reported to
have arrived in Auckland on 29 May 1842. I have not been able to resolve
the inconsistency between these two dates.

Cotton also produced a beekeeping manual in 1848. Another manual was

published in Maori. More (1976) adds “Once there, Cotton soon produced
a Manual for New Zealand Beekeepers, for the craft was already
gathering momentum”. In it are described more methods for shipping bees
“.. if you want to take your bees to a great distance, down the coast for
instance, and the voyage may last a week or a fortnight .. tie it up
securely in a cloth .. The cloth which is tied over the bottom of the hive
must be of such an open texture as to admit air freely, and yet not so
open as to let any bees out. .. hang it somewhere in the ship out of the
light, or at all events, screened from the sun, where it can swing freely
without fear of knocking against the side of the vessel, and then you may
carry your treasure to the most distant part of these islands in safety. A
common straw hive is certainly the most handy for carrying bees any
great distances, for the cloth is more easily tied about it. You may look at
it every now and then to see whether the bees are forcing their way out.
They will try to do so, and when the cloth is taken off you will find that
portion of its surface which was exposed to the bees carded into a sort of
lint, by he action of their jaws. You will see their feelers pushed through
the canvas in great numbers, searching for a passage into the open air. If
you find that they are making a hole, through which they will soon force
a passage out, nothing is easier than to tie another fold of cloth over the
bottom of the hive.” (pp.9-10). The cloth Cotton referred to is clearly
described “The stuff which I use for the purpose is that which is, I
believe, called dairy canvas, and is made for straining milk.” (p.9).

He also provided instructions for box hives “Should the swarm be in a

wooden box, the best way of securing it is to lash it firmly to a bottom
board, with no door at all cut into it, and then push in little wedges
between the box and the board, so as to raise the hive about an eighth of
88
an inch all round. This will both tighten the lashings, and also give the
bees a sufficient supply of fresh air; as it is much better to give it them in
this way than at one single doorway, through a piece of perforated zinc
or tin. For, in this latter case, the bees seeing the light at only one point
will often crowd so much to it, as to prevent the free entrance of the air.
Such few bees as die on the passage will also be carried to the entrance,
where they will help to block up, so that at last the whole swarm may be
stifled. But by wedging up the box all round, the bees will have
breathing places everywhere, and you will see them, if you peep in, not
struggling to get air at one place only, but running about in every
direction on the floor board ..” (pp.10-11).

89
Was He Successful ?
More (1976) adds these interesting details on Cotton “He had written My
Bee Book two years earlier while at Oxford, and in it he explained
exactly how he proposed to carry his beehives to the Antipodes aboard
ship. .. He tried this, but the superstitious sailors thought the bad
weather they encountered was caused by the bees, which they threw
overboard, to Cotton's dismay.”

Daphne More, author of The Bee Book, replied to Chris Dawson of New
Zealand, in a letter dated 4 December 1977. The source for the ‘thrown
overboard’ story is revealed “I can recall where the story of the
superstitious sailors came from. I read of it in Bee World, wrote to the
author of the piece, and discovered his source was a letter from ‘A
Devonshire Beekeeper’ printed under the heading ‘The Late Rev. W. C.
Cotton’ in a magazine called The Cottage Gardener, Country
Gentleman’s Companion and Poultry Chronicle. The date is 1859.”

Cheshire (1886) identified the ‘Devonshire Beekeeper’. “M. Hermann, a

bee-cultivator, Canton Grison, Switzerland, transmitted the first
consignment of living Italians that reached our shores to Mr. A.
Neighbour - the late Mr. Woodbury, the ‘Devonshire Beekeeper,’
receiving in the same package, a queen and her attendants. These
arrived July 19th, 1859.” The article in Bee World referred to by More
was by D. A. Smith, Secretary of the Bee Research Association. It was
titled Reprints of Early English Bee Books. Smith’s comment on My Bee
Book was as follows “Cotton sets out his plan to take bees from
England to New Zealand. .. Cotton later made the attempt but the
sailors, believing that the presence of the bees in the ship was the cause
of bad weather, threw them overboard - to his great dismay.” (p.17)

Accounts of Cotton successfully bringing bees to New Zealand in 1842 may

be incorrect. This superstitious reaction by the sailors could have been the
reason for Captain John Boyce's earlier possible reluctance to carry bees for
Gregory Blaxland in 1805. By this time, whether Cotton was successful or
not, there were bees present on both North and South Islands. It appears that
Cotton imported bees from New South Wales. From Remarks on the Past
and Present State of New Zealand by Walter Brodie, 1845 “Mr. Cotton
(Chaplain to Bishop, Dr. Selwyn) had a hive of bees sent him from
New South Wales which in one year increased sevenfold.” Why would
90
Cotton send to New South Wales when he was supposed to have brought
his own bees? Was he supplementing his stocks, or was the story of his
hogshead of bees having been thrown overboard true. Hopkins (1886) was
adamant that Cotton was successful.

Hopkins relied upon a report in the British Bee Journal of 1 January 1880
“Mr. Cotton took with him four stocks of bees; and many marvellous
stories are told of his mastery over his favourites on ship board. .. Before
the introduction of the honey bee into New Zealand, they had to send
over to England every year for the white clover seed (Trifolium repens),
as it did not seed freely there, but by the agency of the bees they are now
able to export it. ” (pp.8-9). In The Honey Bee by Rev. Thos. James (1852)
“Mr. Cotton has taken out with him four stocks of bees” (p.56). The
mention of “many marvellous stories” is not consistent with his proposed
method of skeps of bees packed away inside a hogshead where no attention
was required until they were unpacked on arrival. Might Cotton have
abandoned his grandiose methods for some simpler technique where the
welfare of the bees could be closely monitored?

From Tucker (1879) is a letter from Bishop Selwyn to his mother, dated 13
April 1842, written while the Tomatin stood off Sydney “Our passage
through the tropics, contrary to my expectation, was exceedingly
pleasant; the thermometer never rose above 83 Fahrenheit in the shade;
and in general we were refreshed by the trade winds, which were
carrying us along at the rate of eight or nine miles an hour. Even during
a short calm which occurred on the line, we did not find the heat so
oppressive as we expected; our cabin, having two windows opening to
the stern and one to the side, was always cool and airy ..”. Such
conditions were in favour of the packed bees not being subjected to excessive
heat.

By 1842, importation of bees from New South Wales appears to have become
an organised business. In the New Zealand Journal of 19 October 1842, the
following advertisement appeared “Bees for Sale. Expected from Sydney, a
few hives of bees; orders will also be taken for the importation of bees to
the extent of from twenty to thirty hives. For price, apply at the ‘Gazette’
office. September 20 1842.” (p.4a) This notice ran for several weeks
throughout September and October. The name of the importer was not
provided.

91
Selwyn’s journal for 31 May 1842 noted “Went to stay with the Governor
and Mrs. Hobson, whom I found most hospitable and agreeable.” The
Hobsons had brought bees with them from Sydney in 1840, though Rev.
Taylor states that this hive did not increase.

Rev. Taylor (1868) leaves little doubt as to Cotton’s success: “Captain

Hobson brought the first hive of bees to the island, but they did not
increase. Mr. Cotton, The Bishop of New Zealand's chaplain, was more
successful, and from his hive both islands are now well stocked.” Note
that Taylor states “from his hive”. Whether this is a generic term for four
hives or it literally means one hive only, is unclear. Taylor gave no dates for
the Hobson introduction. From this report, it would appear that Captain
Hobson's hive failed to produce a swarm and the inhabitants died out. A
possible reason would have been their loss of resilience during the voyage
from New South Wales. Note the mention of Cotton’s one hive. What of the
other three hives? Neither Hobson or Cotton were the first. Miss Bumby has
than honour.

Taylor continued in an expansive state “They have increased to such an

extent, as to have become wild and fill the forest, so that the bee may be
said to be already more established in New Zealand than it is even in
England, where it requires much care to preserve it through the winter,
whereas in the mildness of the New Zealand climate it is quite as much at
home in its forest mansion, as in its artificial ones, and actually for
several years honey was far more reasonable in New Zealand than in
England.” Taylor was a fellow missionary. He wrote to Miss Bumby on 11
July 1840, sympathising with her on the recent and sudden death of her
brother. Why he made no mention in 1868 of her introduction of bees in 1839
is a mystery.

Lady Hobson, March 1840

In 1882, Isaac Hopkins stated in The New Zealand Bee Manual, following
correspondence from a reader, William Mason “Shortly after the first
edition was published .. I received a letter from a gentleman calling my
attention to the fact that I had made a mistake in giving the credit to
Mr. Cotton .. stating that the first bees arrived in the ship
‘Westminster’ in the early part of 1840, nearly two years before Mr.
Cotton came to this colony. These bees belonged to Lady Hobson, wife
of the first Governor, and were watched over on board the vessel by
Mr. McElwaine, the Governor’s gardener. They were landed in the
92
Bay of Islands.” (p.5). Captain Hobson had preceded her to the Bay of
Islands. “In the month of February, 1840, H.M.S. Herald arrived at the
Bay of Islands with Captain Hobson bringing full powers, as Lieutenant-
Governor ..” (Hunt, 1971).

That the bees were “watched over” and particularly by the Governor’s
gardener strongly suggests that the bees were not stowed and forgotten for
the duration of the voyage. Some care was obviously required. The most
likely assistance for the two week voyage would have simply been the
provision of water. Nicholson, in The Log of Logs, reports that the
Westminster arrived Sydney from Plymouth on 7 January 1840, stayed
until 4 March 1840 and arrived at the Bay of Islands 17 March 1840.
(p.583).

Hopkins (1886) did not trust alone in Mason’s first correspondence. “From
further inquiries made, I feel quite satisfied that to Lady Hobson
belongs the credit of being the first person who introduced bees into
this country;” Hopkins wrote “In a subsequent letter the gentleman -
Mr. William Mason, who was, at the period above-mentioned,
Government Architect and Inspector of Public Works - told me that
he distinctly recollected the bees on board the ship, and stated that
they were in straw hives, wrapped in blankets;” (p.8). Whether the
hives were on deck or below is not clear. The method of wrapping the hive
in blankets suggests to me that the bees were always contained within the
hive and in a manner which would allow adequate ventilation.

However, Hopkins was again to revise this statement in the fourth edition
of his work. Hopkins (c1904) “The difficulty of tracing the particulars of
most circumstances where public records have not been kept has been
exemplified in the matter of the first introduction of bees into New
Zealand. I did my upmost when getting the three previous editions of my
book ready for the press to obtain the true facts of the case, and each
time was led into error. I have, however, at last managed to get what I
feel certain is the correct information, and which I am very pleased to be
able to place on record.” (p.4).

George Graham, 1841

The Beekeeping Notes section of The New Zealand Farmer of October 1885
reported “Mr George Graham, in a letter to his son, states that the first
bees that came to New Zealand were brought at his request from Hobart
93
in 1841, not 1840. The bees did very well. A swarm from the hive settled
near Government House. Mr Cleghorn took it, and it did very well. The
vessel’s name in which the bees (two swarms) came was The Sisters;
captain’s name, Clark. One swarm died, but the other one, as above
mentioned, did well. Mr. Graham gave Bishop Selwyn the others
swarms as they multiplied. The cost of the two swarms was £5.”

Mr. John Carne Bidwill, 1842

The staff at Nelson Provincial Museum provided a copy of some pages of a
book to Chris Dawson in 1973, but they were unmarked with title and
author “.. The first bees actually landed alive at Wellington were
brought from Sydney, by Mr. John Carne Bidwill, in the same year.”
ie., 1842 (pp.170-175). No other information is available but the fact that
they were brought from Sydney and not England is interesting.

Dr. Pompallier, 1845

From notes supplied by Chris Dawson, there was an entry extracted from
Remarks on the Past and Present State of New Zealand by Walter Brodie,
1845 “It was many years before we could get flowers to seed, especially
clover, at the Bay of Islands and we only succeeded when Dr.
Pompelier (sic) (the Roman Catholic Bishop) introduced bees, which
by assisting in the impregnation of the different plants, were of
considerable use in the colony.”.

This is the only reference I have seen on Dr. Jean Baptiste Pompallier. The
mission’s achievement was therefore 1845 or earlier. I understand that the
hive or hives acquired by Pompallier’s Marist Fathers, among many other
items, were donated by members of the Catholic community in Sydney, as
the mission at the Bay of Islands was short of resources. My research in
this matter will continue.

SOUTH ISLAND - NEW ZEALAND

Dr. Imlay, 18 April 1842

Andrew Matheson, now Director of the International Bee Research
Association, wrote an interesting article for The New Zealand Beekeeper of
December 1982. He had earlier been researching some family history at
Nelson Museum. He quoted the Nelson Examiner for Saturday 8 October
1842 “When Dr Imlay visited Nelson in April last, he brought with him,
94
as a present to Captain Wakefield, a hive of bees. These interesting and
useful colonists are, as usual, among the busiest of our settlers.” This
extract then precedes the acclaimed introduction by Mrs. Allom, detailed in
the next section.

The extract continues “It is difficult to ascertain where they obtain their
wealth at this season of the year, but they do find it somewhere, and
return with well-laden thighs. The vessels from the Australia continent
will most likely bring us some hives after the coming swarming season;
at least it is hoped so. If there must be luxuries, let them be ‘home
made’.” This latest comment suggests that other consignments of bees may
have occurred, in that it may have been an irregular practice for bees to be
brought over on the relatively short ten day voyage from Australia.

Matheson stated “Dr. Imlay had chartered the barque Brilliant to bring
stock from Australia to Nelson for Captain Wakefield.”, arriving 18 April
1842. He quoted from The Nelson Examiner of Saturday 23 April 1842 “The
barque ‘Brilliant’, Captain Ritchie, arrived here on Monday morning
last in 10 days. Dr Imlay, by whom she was chartered arrived in her.
Her cargo was stock from his well-known herds and flocks.” Matheson
adds “The hive from Dr. Imlay must have survived the winter, as on
August 1, 1842 Captain (Arthur) Wakefield wrote to his brother William:
‘I have got a fine hive of bees doing very well’ ”.

In The New Zealand Journal of 25 November 1843 “Colonel Wakefield has

received bees from Sydney; in April last he had five swarms; he uses
Nutt’s collateral hives”. (p.305). These ‘Sydney’ sourced bees were possibly
those brought out in April 1842 (assuming ‘April last’ refers to 1842 and not
1843) by Dr. Imlay and the report corresponds with Matheson’s findings. It is
also consistent with Mrs. Allom and her dispatch of Nutt’s hives, sending
them under the care of Rev. Saxton.

The Australian Encyclopaedia (1958) provides more detail on the Imlay

brothers. There was Peter; George who was a surgeon-superintendent and
who arrived on the Roslyn Castle in February 1833; and Alexander, an army
surgeon (p.65, Vol V). They were described as pioneers of the coastal district
between Bega and Twofold Bay in south-eastern New South Wales. They
were involved in cattle stations, whaling and the shipping of cattle to Van
Diemen’s Land and New Zealand. It would also appear that they had an
interest in bees. From the investigations by Matheson, they became the first
95
to introduce them into the South Island of New Zealand, a matter of a few
weeks ahead of Mrs. Allom.

Mrs. Mary Ann Allom, April 1842

Hopkins (c1904) stated “the credit for sending the first bees from
England to the South Island successfully lies with Mrs. Allom, the
mother of A. J Allom, Esq., of Parnell. they arrived in the barque
‘Clifford’ in May, 1842 and were consigned to Captain Wakefield. For
her successful introduction .. the Society for the Encouragement of Arts,
Adelphi, London, awarded Mrs. Allom the silver Isis medal in 1845.”
(p.5).

Within the archives of what was the Hawkesbury Agricultural College, I

found a 1903 work of reminiscences by Captain Barry titled Glimpses of the
Australian Colonies and New Zealand. In it there is mention of Mr. Albert
James Allom, son of Mrs. Mary Allom. At the age of 16 he went to New
Zealand on 9 February 1842. In Barry’s words, Albert Allom “was a cadet
on the survey staff of the New Zealand Land Settlement Company in the
affairs of which Mr Edward Gibbon Wakefield, a close personal friend
of the Allom family, played so important a part” (p.187). Albert Allom
returned to England in 1848 and “during the next three years he resided
for the most part with Mr Edward Gibbon Wakefield at Reigate, Surrey,
acting as his private secretary, in preparation for the projected
Canterbury Settlement.” (p.188). The Wakefield and Allom families were
therefore well known to each other, possibly explaining why the hives were
consigned to Captain Wakefield.

Captain Arthur Wakefield of the Royal Navy arrived in Wellington on 18

September 1841 aboard the Whitby leading the Nelson colony. The Captain
should not be confused with his brothers Edward Gibbon Wakefield, who
“was one of the chief advocates and organisers of the colonization
schemes associated with the settlement of South Australia and of New
Zealand.” (p.ix) and Colonel William Wakefield, agent for the New Zealand
Company, or Edward Gibbon's son, Edward Jerningham Wakefield.

The integrity of the details supplied by Hopkins first edition is high as he

was in contact with her son. “Mrs. Allom .. sometime in 1842, (as I am
informed by Mr. Allom) sent some colonies of bees to Nelson and
Wellington; those sent to Nelson were consigned to Captain Wakefield,

96
the then head of the settlement, and reached their destination safely,
while those forwarded to Wellington died before arrival.” (p.4)

In Matheson’s 1982 article from the New Zealand Beekeeper of December

1982 (p.13) he mentioned the journal of J. W. Saxton, brother of Rev.
Charles Saxton. Charles was the chaperone of the hive being forwarded by
Mrs. Allom on the Clifford. The journal, held at the Nelson Museum, has
in Saxton’s words, written in London, 17 December 1841 “Miss
Wakefield came on board with a party of friends. One of them, a Mrs
Allom, explained to me an ingeniously contrived hive of bees which
was going to New Zealand in the charge of Charles who had not yet
arrived on board.”

This ingeniously contrived hive is described as follows in The New

Zealand Journal of 1 October 1842 “we invented a glass feeder, so that
any of the persons who chose might enjoy the sight of their feeding on
the passage, and accordingly sent one half hundred of honey (ie. 56
pounds, half a hundred-weight) for their food. .. These I conveyed safely
on board the ship ‘Clifford,’ on the 18th or 19th of December, but
entrusted to the care of the Reverend Mr. Saxon (sic), .. in January I
sent out a second hive by the London, .. which sailed, on I believe, the
first of that month.” (pp.237-8). The Clifford began its voyage 18
December 1841, arriving Nelson, April 1842. The London departed 2
January 1842, arriving Wellington, 1 May 1842. Remember that T. B.
Wilson was reputed to have fed his bees also.

Matheson cleared the confusion regarding the bees, in Hopkins words,

having been “consigned to Captain Wakefield”, which it appears they
were not. “J.W Saxton records that the bees were sold to Wakefield.
On June 3, 1843 he wrote: ‘Went to a sale of Charles’ effects. Captain
Wakefield bought the hive.”. I wondered if Matheson had related all the
details from the diary, so I wrote to the Nelson Museum. The reply stated that
there was no further detail about the hive in the diary. Matheson observed that
Wakefield did not buy the Clifford hive until the next year, having first
acquired the Imlay hive, which arrival pre-dated the Allom hive.

It would seem then that both Arthur and William Wakefield were beekeepers.
William received a hive in April 1842 from Imlay and Arthur purchased the
Saxton hive in June 1843.

97
I have a photocopy of some pages of a book, title and author unknown,
sent to Chris Dawson from the Nelson Provincial Museum in 1973. “The
earliest attempt to introduce bees from England was made by Mrs.
Wills, in May, 1842; but this first colony died on the passage. Shortly
afterwards, a healthy hive, sent by Mrs. Allom, of London, arrived
safely, and was established at Nelson. ..” (pp.170-175). The article goes
on to discuss beemaster Cotton and his Essays on the Management of Bees
which were published in newspapers, but makes no mention of Cotton’s
introduction of bees, successful or otherwise.

In the New Zealand Journal of 10 December 1842 there is an article on

bees by “W” recommending the sending of bees to New Zealand as
practiced by Mrs Allom “It is to be hoped that many will follow her
example, since Mr A. Perry states that some which Mrs. Wills had
taken had arrived alive and well.” (p. 293).

From The New Zealand Journal of 1 October 1842 (and reprinted in the
British Bee Journal, 28 June 1969, pp.150-151), under a banner titled
“Bees for New Zealand”, is Mary Allom’s description of how she
organised the shipment of the bees:

“To The Editor of The New Zealand Journal

Sir,-
As I am a constant reader of your interesting Journal, I trust you will
not deem the following out of place; and should opportunity and space
offer in your forthcoming Journal, you perhaps may like to make
some reference to it. You are aware that my son formed one of the ten
cadets who sailed last year, in the Brougham, for Wellington, Port
Nicholson. ..
After he had gone, I began to reflect upon the many things he would
feel at a loss for when he arrived, one among the many, butter; this I
thought might be remedied by substituting honey, when I found there
was no bees, at least honeybees, in New Zealand, I accordingly deter-
mined that I would send some if possible; but many friends attempted
to dissuade me, thinking it could not be accomplished; but I still
persevered, and after some little trouble procured a hive and bees
from Kennington, and this in December.

I had them removed to my house at Hart Street, Bloomsbury, and sent

for a person who had long made the rearing of bees his study, and in
98
my presence remove a small portion of the cement which is generally
placed round the straw hive to keep them secure from vermin. We
soon found they were uncommonly healthy, and quietly captured
them.

Then came the consideration how they should be packed for a long
voyage; and I at last determined upon placing the whole within the
wooden case, the top to be of perforated zinc, and room left for them
to get exercise, but without getting out to annoy any one, should they
by possibility swarm on the voyage; and we invented a glass feeder, so
that any of the persons who chose might enjoy the sight of their
feeding on the passage, and accordingly sent one half hundred of
honey for their food, with several extra hives, called improved Nutts
hives. These I conveyed safely on board the ship Clifford, on the 18th
or 19th of December, but entrusted to the care of the Reverend Mr.
Saxon (sic) .. In January I sent out a second hive by the London, with
a greater quantity of extra hives, which sailed, on I believe, the first of
that month.
- I have the honour to be Sir, yours very truly, Mary Ann Allom.”
(pp.237-8)

A version of the Nutt ‘Collateral’ hive, as used by Colonel Wakefield

This was followed by a note from the Editor “We are very much obliged
to Mrs. Allom for her very interesting letter. .. By this time, we hope
the colonies swarm with the offspring of her proteges. Let her excellent
example stimulate others.”

99
A letter from ‘A Subscriber’ to the Journal on 12 November 1842, raised
doubts as to he true success of Mrs. Allom’s initiative “I fear her
praiseworthy attempt .. will not be attended with the beneficial results
it so richly deserves; and that the winged emigrants, if they reached
Port Nicholson alive, will be in so unhealthy a state as to render the
chances very few of their surviving so long a voyage, exposed to
temperatures so varied as those they must experience in the varied
latitudes through which the vessels must pass on their passage out.
The alterations of torpor and animation resulting from the passing
through cold and warm latitudes, cause greater exhaustion and loss of
physical power than would be occasioned by a continuance of uniform
torpor.” After long justification of the above, the Subscriber wrote
“dysentery .. proceeding from long confinement in bad air, is
invariably fatal .. this is another reason why I fear for the success of
Mrs. Allom’s praiseworthy efforts.” The author then suggested that
should her experiment be a failure “They might be transported .. (from)
New Holland .. in a much shorter space of time, without being
subjected to frequent variations of temperature, and without being
confined in a close and unwholesome atmosphere, the consequences of
which are so fatal.” (p.273). Cotton, already in New Zealand for six
months, would have had the knowledge to write this letter, but the author
remains a mystery.

In The New Zealand Journal of 10 December 1842 “All must

acknowledge their obligation to Mrs. Allom, for the pains which she
took to forward a hive to Wellington; and not only in doing so, but
described the manner of doing it.” (pp.293-4).

In The New Zealand Journal of 10 December 1842 “The season has

commenced for sending out bees; if those gentlemen would procure
some hives, and adopt Mrs. Allom's plan as to what may be called
packing them, it would remain for them to find some emigrant who
would undertake their care during the voyage. The ships going with
cheap passages afford an excellent opportunity of doing this. Any
passenger engaging to take care of five hives, should receive one for his
or her trouble; that is, suppose (one) were to send six hives properly
packed on board, the care-taker is to deliver five to the agents of these
gentlemen; if one is lost out of the six, the loss must fall on the care-
taker, if more than one is lost, the agent at New Zealand should be
authorised to remunerate the care-taker with 5s. per hive, for those
100
delivered. This mode of payment would insure care being taken of the
hives during the whole voyage. .. there are other ladies who have
maternal feelings besides the excellent Mrs. Allom, and many a mother
upon reading this will send her sons a hive of bees. .. let all be asked
when an engagement for the passage is made at New Zealand House,
whether they will undertake the care of bees. If this is done, few
vessels will part during the season without many hives of bees; and
many to whom it may not be exactly convenient to purchase a hive,
and the honey wanted for the food during the voyage, will arrive at
New Zealand, the owners of a hive of bees, or in the care of single
hives, will receive 5s." (pp.293-4).

This scheme was suggested by a contributor identified as ‘W’. A

possibility is that this contributor could have been either Captain or
Colonel Wakefield. A postscript by the Editor “If any reader .. would
favour the Editor with information as to the readiest manner of
buying bees, it would be useful at this season.” Both writers were
unaware of the earlier September/October advertisements in the Journal
advertising bees for sale which were imported from Sydney.

A short article in The Dominion of 14 May 1938, by H. Maynard, Hataitai,

Wellington, stated: “The first hive sent out was lost, all the bees died.
They were on the London, which arrived at Wellington on May 1,
1842, on her second visit. Prior to this bees had been brought to the
Bay of Islands in 1840.”. Hopkins supported the view that the first lot of
bees died..

Hopkins quoted the letter that accompanied the award presented to Mrs.
Allom by the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, London. I assume he
was shown it by her son, Mr. A. J. Allom, then of Parawai. It was dated 23
May 1845 and is as follows:

“Madam,
I have the pleasure to inform you that the Society have awarded you
their silver Isis medal for your communication respecting your
successful introduction of bees to New Zealand. I enclose your card of
admission, and am
Your obedient servant,
(Signed) Francis Whishaw
Secretary.”
101
The method by which the bees were transported safely, was to remain
cryptic until I found the following entry during a visit to the Alexander
Turnbull Library in Wellington. It appeared in the New Zealand Journal,
1845 “Society of Arts: The Secretary read a paper, by Mrs. T. Allom,
‘On the Introduction of Bees to New Zealand.’ The attention of the
author was first drawn to the subject by hearing from her son of the
high price of butter in the colony, for which article she conceived
honey would form an excellent substitute. The danger of the bees
being neglected on the voyage was urged by many as a reason why she
should abandon her project. She, however, set to work to contrive a
method of transporting her ‘tiny colony’ to New Zealand. The
contrivance is as follows - a large oblong box of wood having its top,
and also front of perforated zinc, containing in the centre a common
straw hive, which answers as the pavilion, and has an entrance in
front; on either side is a wooden breeding box communicating with the
pavilion; on the top of the case is a circular feeding trough, furnished
with a cylindrical passage from the interior of the case, through which
the bees pass to a perforated zinc floating stage above the hive, on
which they rest while feeding; the feeding trough is filled with liquid
honey, through a funnel-shaped opening on the side - a glass top
enables the apiarian to inspect the insect while feeding. During the
voyage the bees were fed twice a week, with two-thirds of honey and
one-third of water - they arrived safely.” (p.143d).

Mrs. Wills, May 1842

From a a photocopy of some pages of a book, title and author unknown,

sent to Chris Dawson from the Nelson Provincial Museum in 1973 “The
earliest attempt to introduce bees from England was made by Mrs.
Wills, in May, 1842; but this first colony died on the passage.” (pp.170-
175). In The New Zealand Journal of 10 December 1842 there is an article
on bees by “W” recommending the sending of bees to New Zealand as
practiced by Mrs Allom, and saying “It is to be hoped that many will
follow her example, since Mr A. Perry states that some which Mrs.
Wills had taken had arrived alive and well.” (p. 293) The “alive and
well” description is inconsistent with the previous report that the hive
perished on the voyage.

102
Part III - The Italian ‘Apis ligustica’
Langstroth (1889) supplied details on the earliest importations of Italian
bees into America. Without attempting a detailed investigation into this
topic, the dates provided give a good guide as to how close the
Australasians were in tapping into the benefits of the Italian race “An
attempt was made in 1856, by Mr. Wagner, to import them into
America, but, unfortunately the colonies perished on the voyage. The
first living Italian bees landed on this continent were imported by Mr.
Wagner and Mr. Richard Colvin, of Baltimore, from Dzierzon’s
apiary. Mr. P. G. Mahan of Philadelphia, brought over at the same
time a few colonies. .. the first large successful importations were made
by Adam Grimm of Wisconsin, in 1867, from the Apiary of Prof.
Mona of Bellingona, and by us in 1874, from the Apiary of Signor
Giuseppe Fiorini of Monselice, Italy.” (pp. 287-288).

NEW SOUTH WALES

T. W. Woodbury, 1862

Hopkins (1886) “It is stated by Dr. Gerstaecker, that four stocks of

Ligurian bees were shipped in England by Mr. I. W. Woodbury (sic), in
September, 1862, and that they arrived safely in Australia, after a
passage of seventy-nine days. It does not appear, however, that these
stocks succeeded and propagated their race ..” (p.15).

Rayment says of Woodbury’s effort “.. they arrived in good condition.”

(p.271). In Root’s 1947 edition of The ABC and XYZ of Bee Culture “..
Neighbour (1866) reported that colonies of bees shipped by him from
England to Australia arrived there safely after being 79 days on a sailing
ship.” (p.444). More (1976) wrote, using his correct initials of ‘T.W.’ “The
first Italian bees to arrive in Australia were sent out by T. W. Woodbury
of Exeter, England, in 1862: the voyage took 79 days.” So the success or
failure, according to the conflicting opinions, must remain in doubt.

As Woodbury was involved in the exportation, the bees may have been
packed in a hive of his design which carried his name. It adhered to
Langstroth principles with a top bee-space which held ten 13 1/2 inch x 8 3/4
inch frames. More (1976) supplies this note “To make it more acceptable to
103
people who still felt that straw was the proper material for hives, one
version had sides covered with a sort of straw matting - and very
attractive it was.” (p.108)

Unknown, 1876
James Stanley Eagland, a former president of the Victorian Apiarists’
Association, supplied the following in The Australian Encyclopaedia of
1958, “The Italian bee was first introduced in 1876, since when
numerous importations have been made.” (p.472). No further details are
provided as to when and by whom these introductions were made. Beuhne
(1916 ) from Victoria stated “The Italian Bee was introduced in the
seventies.” No more information is supplied. This may be a reference to this
1876 introduction, given that Eagland and Beuhne were both based in
Victoria.

Peterson, 1877
Henry Neary (1940), in Ghosts of the Goldfields - Pioneer Diggers and
Settlers of the Turon, tells of a beekeeper from the goldfields of New South
Wales. “Bee-farming at Wattle Flat would seem, at first thought, a
somewhat incongruous industry to spring up in a mining centre, yet
Peterson, the man who first interested himself in this enterprise, lived
to make quite a fortune out of it. The scene of his operations was at a
place called ‘Nuggety’ at Wattle Flat. Peterson began with the
common black bee, caught in the surrounding bush; in the year 1877
he sent to Italy for an Italian queen bee which cost him only thirty-five
shillings .. from this single queen evolved an apiary of hybrids.
Peterson later imported more queens, which he would lovingly place
on the palm of his hand and fondle, much as one would admire a rare
jewel. His hives were not the miniature castles provided by present-
day apiarists, but were made from a number of crude wooden boxes
obtained from the local store-keepers.”

Peterson was personally known to Neary, so his information would seem to

have been gained at first hand. “In 1893 Peterson built a new house for
himself with some of the profits from bee-farming .. Peterson, in those
days, had full control of the honey market, there being no opposition,
and he made thousands of pounds from this business. He .. did not
resort to the practice in operation to-day of engaging stands in various
districts to catch the different flows of honey.”

104
Mr. S. McDonnell, 1880
Gale (1912) quoted from Hopkins (1886) “Mr. S. McDonnell, of Sydney,
imported two colonies from America in 1880, and succeeded in raising
stock from them.”. This was prior to the arrival of W. Abram and the
establishment of the Italian Bee Company at Parramatta with McDonnell.

Mr. W. Abram, 1881

Hopkins (1886) states “Mr. Abrams, a German bee-master, brought some
colonies with him from Italy in 1883, settled in Parramatta, and having
succeeded in rearing a pure race from his queens, started an apiary for
the Italian Bee-Farming Company, of which he is the manager and Mr.
McDonnell secretary.” (p.15). Gale (1912) repeated these details,
mentioning that Abram was now located at Beecroft. In Pioneers of Hornsby
it is stated that at the Horticultural Show in 1893 “There were non
competitive exhibits including a trophy of honey from the Beecroft Bee
Farm.” (p.163). By 1893 it would appear that Abram already had a presence
at Beecroft. Dorothy Carmichael in Tales of Beecroft (1965) states “W.
Abram, of the Italian Bee Co., importer of bees, moved from Pennant
Street, Parramatta, in 1889 to the house which he built in Railway
Parade. On his land extending from Beecroft Road to Railway Parade
and Chapman Avenue, he grew an orchard and vineyard and
established his bees. However, the site was too windy for his bees, so he
moved to Malton Road (no. 32) and built the first house there in the
bush.” (p.6).

An article included in the New

Zealand Farmer, Bee and Poultry
Review of August 1885, under the title
‘Tasmania News’, supplied “At
Kissing Point, below Sydney, a bee
farm has been established by the
Italian (or Ligurian) Bee Company,
and it bids fair, at no distant date, to
be so profitable a concern that
similar establishments may be
anticipated throughout that and the
other colonies. .. In the Kissing Point
apiary .. there are now over 80
colonies of Ligurian bees at work,

105
and the establishment is being conducted on the most approved method;
and the common species has been totally eliminated from the premises.”

In The Australasian Beekeeper of May 1956, F. L. Morgan supplied one

section of his series ‘History of Australian Beekeeping’. He was quoting from
the Australian Bee Journal of 1886 “Mr. Abram arrived in Australia in
1882. Writing in the July issue of the ‘A.B.J.” in 1886, he stated that
before his arrival in Sydney, no well known bee master had landed in
Australia, with the express intention of making beekeeping his only
occupation. He claimed that in consequence of his company’s
persevering efforts, beekeeping then stood acknowledged as an
industry.” Well, Abram was very likely correct. Shallard would not have
disagreed. Morgan’s paraphrasing continued “He stated he had commenced
operations with only a few stocks and now, in 1886, he had 250 hives and
that season had produced 60,000 lb. of honey, and had raised 500
queens.” (p.79).

M. A. Shallard had a great liking for Abram. In one of Shallard's numerous

communications with the editor of the Australasian Beekeeper, he wrote “the
‘Yanks’ did not know what a correct bee space was. The Germans did,
and I got my knowledge from old William Abram. For a long time Mr.
Abram used only Berlepsch hives, but subsequently worked into
Langstroths. The Berlepsch hive is difficult to work, but excellent for
queen rearing.”

The Italian Bee Company was formed with six shares of 600 pounds each.
Mr Abram was given a share, presumably in recognition of the skills he was
able to contribute to the venture. “Mr. Abram was appointed managing
director, and Mr. S. McDonnell secretary. He then started the
queen-breeding industry, and in a very short time this was the chief
business of the Parramatta apiary. The first stock of the apiary was
bought out by Mr. Abram, and he imported from Italy up to a recent
date. After managing the apiary for ten years he decided to start of his
own account. Mr. Abram decided to move to Beecroft, where he carried
on the apiary until recently with the aid of a son.” His son enlisted at the
outbreak of the First World War and “on his return, son and father decided
to go into partnership.”

A letter from a customer of Abram, to the Editor of The New Zealand

Farmer, Bee and Poultry Review of June 1891 “I procured two choice stock
106
hives of Italian bees from Mr W. Abram, of the Italian Bee Farm,
Beecroft, .. and being close to the northern railway line, it is very
accessible to those who are desirous of visiting it.”

During a talk on my research, given at the Bee Garden clubhouse of the

Illawarra Beekeepers, a member, one Peter Ramm, sensibly suggested, as
many others have done, that the village of Beecroft gained its name from the
presence of Abram. The prefix 'Bee' added to 'Croft', being the Old English
for a small farm or an enclosed field, was possible to have been the root of
'Beecroft'. Carmichael (1965) sets the record straight “many people think
Beecroft was so named after his bee farm, but this was just happy
co-incidence.” Sir Henry Copeland, Minister for Lands at the time, married
in sequence the sisters Mary and Hannah Beecroft. When his first wife died
he sometime after married her sister. Their maiden name was Beecroft, thus
endowing their name on the suburb.

From the Daily Telegraph of 6 June 1918, in the obituary on Abram, it states
that he “started bee-farming at the age of 13. After serving a six years
apprenticeship at a large apiary in Italy he received the appointment of
manager of one of the largest queen-breeding apiaries in Europe. After
four years' successful management there he came to Australia.” Mr.
Abram's son, Mr. E. E. Abram carried on with the queen-breeding apiary
after his father's death.

Of interest is “Abram's first house became the police station from

1898-1916.” The house was demolished in the 1960s. The obituary states
“Mr. Abram was awarded by the Government a certificate and bronze
medal for the best and most up-to-date bee farm in New South Wales.”

Much discussion and conjecture abounded in the bee press of the early 1900s
dealing with the success and, more often, failure, of the shipment of queen
bees to Australia. Since Chas. Fullwood's first attempt in 1862 until as late as
the early 1940s, the success of bee imports fluctuated. The Australian Bee
Bulletin of 1894 and 1895 contains some interesting correspondence from
those striving in this area. The participants in the attempts would all have
been well advised to refer to Mr. Abram who successfully brought Italian
bees with him to Australia as early as 1881. The advertisement below, taken
from Hopkins’ 1911 fifth edition of his Australasian Bee Manual, declares
that Abram’s bee farm was “Established 1881”. This would be a reference to
the Parramatta apiary, before he moved his operation to Beecroft. The bees
107
were carried in the bulky Berlepsch hive, reputed to be very suitable for
queen breeding. It was in this hive type that Angus Mackay chaperoned bees
from the Harbison apiary in California in 1877.

The Rydalmere Agriculture Research Institute today would be very close to

the site of Abram's bee farm as its grounds are bordered by Pennant Street
and the busy thoroughfares of Victoria Road and James Ruse Drive. The
railway came to Parramatta in 1855 and reached Hornsby in 1886. This
service would have facilitated the safe relocation of Abram's bee
establishment to nearby Beecroft. This would have made the relocation of
hives and equipment much easier than by road transport.

108
In an article in the Town and Country Journal of 24 November 1883, the
following article appeared, titled ‘Bee Farming in N. S. Wales’. The
illustration is a caricature of Abram with his pipe hive smoker.

“The operations in bee culture going on in Parramatta, and depicted

by illustrations in this issue, are well deserving of being ranked as bee
farming; and as will be seen, the operations are carried on after the
most approved system of the German apiarians, which differs only in
the form of hive used, and a few minor details from the approved
system followed in Britain and America.

The advantages of following any system which the bar-frame hive is

used intelligently are so manifest, in comparison with the keeping of
bees in ordinary boxes, that, as the former become more common in
the colonies, we can see a great future for the honey industry in this
country, and an early approach of the time when, instead of
importing, we shall be heavy exporters of honey of quality
unsurpassed by any in the world.

But to get to the history of the company whose operations are

illustrated in this issue: It appears that in December, 1881, a skilled
bee master, Wilhelm Abram, arrived in Sydney from Germany, where
bee-culture is a recognised industry. There are institutions which are
subsidised by the State, and are under the care of scientific
entomologists, for the purpose of teaching the art of bee-culture to
those desirous of making it their study, and at such an institution Mr.
Abram was trained. he brought with him certificates of qualifications
from no less an authority than that of the celebrated Dathe.

109
 On his arrival in Sydney Mr. Abram
placed himself in communication with
Mr. S. MacDonnell, of this city, an
enthusiastic amateur bee-keeper. Mr.
MacDonnell saw the opportunity which
the advent of Mr. Abram gave to
establish a bee farm on a commercial
scale and conducted by a skilled
apiarian, and conceived the novel idea
of working it as a joint stock venture.
Four well known gentleman in Sydney
joined him and Mr. Abram in the
venture. As it was intended that the
operations of the company should
eventually be with Italian bees, a race
superior in many important respects to
the ordinary black bee, the concern was
named the Italian Bee Company. Mr. Abram was appointed salaried
manager, and Mr. MacDonnell honorary secretary.

Mr. Abram, before leaving Germany, had purchased some of the prize
swarms at an exhibition of Italian bees in Germany, and the Italian
Bee Company commenced operations with these on a rented piece of
ground at Parramatta, in January, 1882. An importation of prize
queens from America was made, and the operation o queen rearing
was entered on. In the meantime a number of colonies of the common
black or English bee afterwards had been secured, and transferred to
frame-hives, and as Italian queens were reared, the black queens were
removed and replaced by Italians, the progeny of which replaced the
black bees, as the latter died out.

Much attention was not paid to producing honey until the race of
Italian bees should have been firmly established, and the result was
that in the spring of last year there were about 80 colonies of gold-
banded Italians actively at work. The company before this secured the
fee simple of a piece of ground in Kissing Point-street, Parramatta,
where operations are now conducted. There, a few weeks since, on
visiting the establishment, we saw the hives opened, the frames
containing beautiful sheets of comb removed (the gentle Italian bees
showing no signs of anger during the operation) the comb was then
110
placed in a centrifugal machine, which threw the honey out by
centrifugal force, leaving the comb undamaged and ready to be
returned to the hives for the bees to fill over and over again with
nectar.

The bee-master is an adept at his profession. Pipe in mouth, he opens

hive after hive, blowing a whiff of smoke upon them, to give the bees
something else to think about when they seem any way refractory, a
projection from the stem of the pipe allowing this to be done
conveniently. The hives used are of the German bar-frame kind. They
open from the back, and each hive is two stories high, so that ample
space can be given to the bees when they are storing honey rapidly.
The main house is about 150ft in length, 10ft high, 10ft wide, and two
tiers of hives are arranged on each side, as shown in the sketch.

The queen-breeding
hives are much
smaller than the
others, and are
arranged at
distances of about
20ft apart alongside
the fences. Two or
three frames of
brood-comb are put into each hive, with a queen well coming to
maturity. When the queen bee hatches out of the cell she makes a
flight (the only flight of her life) in order to meet a drone or male bee.
She is then fertilised and becomes the mother and queen of a family,
laying eggs at the rate of 2000 daily when the season is good, and
stores abundant.

111
One of the objects of the bee farm at Parramatta is to send out queens
and improve the race of bees, as well as the hives, and the quality of
the honey. There is abundant room for improvements of this kind.
From this country the very finest honey ought to be exported in
quantity .. The bees at Parramatta are doing excellently well this
season, as are also the Italians recently received by us from
Queensland. The plucky effort of the bee company deserves the most
abundant success.” (p.985)

From The New Zealand Farmer, Bee and Poultry Review, of August 1885,
an article titled “A Beekeeper’s Rambles” by C. Fullwood, a description of
Abram’s apiary was provided. “When in New South Wales I visited the
apiary at Parramatta managed by Mr. Abram, a German, on what we
know as the Stander Hive System, as given and illustrated in
Dzierzon’s celebrated work. The hives are mostly twin stocks, two
storey, opening from the back. The frames of combs slide in and out. I
cannot say I admire the plan. The hives are ranged in rows under a
shed, the shed having two rows on each side and scantling shelves, one
above the other, the lower one about 18 inches from the ground; the
rows facing in opposite directions, with sufficient space between the
rows for all requisite manipulations. The apiary is well kept, the
gravel path fronting each side of the shed and within being free from
weeds and rubbish, evidence of order and method all round. The bees,
with one or two exceptions, were nice looking, lively, healthy Italians.
Unfortunately the manager was not at the apiary during our visit;
hence we could only obtain information by personally prying into
things as we found them. We observed in a window some jars of what
we supposed to be orange blossom honey.” (p.238).

TASMANIA

Thos. Lloyd Hood, 1884

Hood credited himself with the first introduction of Italian bees into
Tasmania. . In the August 1885 issue of The New Zealand Farmer, Bee and
Poultry Journal, Hood responded to Isaac Hopkins’ request as follows
“Italian bees were first introduced into Tasmania by Thos. Lloyd Hood
of Hobart, on 4th October, 1884. Note, they have done remarkably well
though kept in the city, and increased to five strong colonies and two
rather weak ones, but progressing; two, if not three, swarms were lost.
Though living in the city I have at my residence a good sized garden, but
112
being away from home most of the day, and there is not always
somebody in the garden, hence lost swarms.” (p.239).

Also in the same issue of the New Zealand Farmer, additional details are
supplied on Hood. “It is with pleasure, therefore, we learn that Mr. T. L.
Hood, who is an enthusiastic amateur apiarist, has imported a colony of
Ligurian bees, with all the requisite improvements in the shape of bar
frames, and other latest contrivances in hives, so that the acclimatisation
of this favourite species will receive a fair trial in Hobart. The hive,
which contains a very large and healthy colony, was obtained in Sydney,
and brought over by Captain Bennison, of the S.S. Flora , to the order of
Mr. Hood, who informs us that, thanks to Captain Bennison's care, the
little imports arrived in first class condition. So much so, indeed, that
within half an hour of the frames being opened the industrious little
fellows were observed returning to their new home laden with pollen.”

These details were repeated in the 1886 third edition (p.16) and the c1904
fourth edition (p.6) of his Bee Manual. Hopkins (c1886) quoted Hood
“Though kept in the city they increased the first season to five strong
colonies and two rather weak ones. Most of the young queens are
hybrids.” (p.16)

The information on Hood supplied by the Tasmanian Beekeepers'

Association, corroborating the S.S. Flora introduction, was possibly drawn
from an 1885 issue of The New Zealand and Australian Bee Journal, (Vol II,
No. 19), edited by Isaac Hopkins. This journal ceased publication in June
1885 and was merged into the New Zealand Farmer.

VICTORIA

Edward Wilson, 1862

In the December 1885 issue of The Australian Bee Keepers Journal, I found
an entry reporting that Edward Wilson had imported Italian bees into Victoria
around 1865. Hopkins (1886) states “In Victoria, we are told that the late
Mr. Edward Wilson had a stock of Ligurians sent out to him in 1862, by.
Messrs. Neighbour and Sons;”. This attempt must have failed as Hopkins
report continues “But I am informed that no successful attempt had been
made to establish the race until quite recently ..” (p.15).

113
Mr Herman Naveau, 1884
Hopkins continued from his mention of Edward Wilson “.. when, in he
latter part of 1884, Mr. Herman Naveau, of Hamilton, obtained some of
those bees from Queensland, and has had great success with them.”
(p.16).

QUEENSLAND

James Carroll, 1872, 1873, 1881

Weatherhead (1986) reports from an article he found in The Queenslander
of 6 December 1873 that James Carroll was unsuccessful “.. Mr Carroll
has again failed in an attempt to introduce Italian bees to Queensland.
Last year he had two stocks forwarded from one of the largest apiaries
in America, per Californian mail; and upon arrival nothing but a
mass of dead bee-moths and their refuse was found in the hives ....
earlier this year, finding that a friendly Queenslander was about to
visit England, he arranged for a stock of Italians, under his care, from
the famous apiarians, Messrs. Neighbour and Sons, of London. The
stock arrived by last mail - every bee dead.” (p.11). Weatherhead further
supplies “In 1881, in The Queenslander, it is stated that the Italian
bees had been landed in the Colony by Mr Carroll but they proved a
failure, most likely through the enfeeblement of the queens owing to
long confinement.” (p.11).

James Carroll through Angus Mackay, 1877

Hopkins (1886), after mentioning the failure of Woodbury’s 1862 venture,
states “It does not appear, however, that these stocks succeeded and
propagated their race, any more than a colony which Mr. Angus
Mackay .. subsequently brought with him to Brisbane, at great expense,
from America.” (p.15). Gale (1912) repeated this opinion. Weatherhead
(1986) states that in an article in The Queenslander of 1881 “.. there is doubt
cast on the purity of the 1877 consignment.” (p.11). An article in the
Australian Bee Bulletin of 23 September 1893 also expressed doubt on the
success of this importation.

Mr. Chas. Fullwood, 1880

Hopkins (1886) stated “Mr. Fullwood .. determined to introduce Italian
bees .. In the year 1880 he brought five queens with himself from
Liverpool to Melbourne, and thence to Brisbane. In 1882 he got twelve
114
queens sent direct from Charles Bianconcini of Bologna, and of these
five arrived alive; and again in 1883 he got a second consignment of
twelve, of which seven arrived safely.” (p.15). Weatherhead (1986) supplies
the following on the 1880 importation “They all survived and credit is
given to the constant daily attention by Mr Fullwood when on board
ship.” (p.11). These details appear to have been sourced from The
Queenslander of 1881.

Queen breeding must have been good business in those days as Gale (1912)
states “In these early years of the introduction of the Italian bee into
Australia, the price of pure-bred tested queens, reared in the colony, was
from £2 to £3 each; and I have heard that in some cases as high a figure
as £5 had been asked. Of late years I have seen three advertised for 7s
6d.” (p.5).

Hopkins (c1904) states “Although it is said that Italian bees were

introduced into Australia as early as 1862, it is pretty certain there were
none there in 1880, until Mr. C. Fullwood, then of Brisbane, brought
some queens with him from the Old Country in that year. He
subsequently imported a number of others direct from Italy.” Hopkins
adds “In the same year (1883) Mr. C. Fullwood sent a colony of Italians
to Adelaide, from whence they were sent to Kangaroo Island.” (p.6).

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Chamber of Manufactures, 1883

Hopkins (1886) states “In South Australia, as Mr. Bonney informs me,
the Chamber of Manufactures imported a colony of Italian bees from
Mr. Fullwood, of Brisbane, in December, 1883, and succeeded in
establishing them on Kangaroo Island, where they are doing remarkably
well.” (p.16).

The Kangaroo Island Sanctuary, the oldest bee sanctuary in the world, is
protected by the Ligurian Bee Act of 1885. In The Modern Encyclopaedia of
Australia and New Zealand (1979), some out of date information may be
found “The discovery of large swarms of a pure Ligurian strain of bee
(strain is docile enough to be handled without smoke) in caves on
Kangaroo is (S.A.) probably introduced by early German settlers ..”.
This reference cannot be correct as the bees were introduced by Chas.
Fullwood of Brisbane in 1883 at the request of the South Australian Chamber
115
of Manufactures. A summarisation of this erroneous entry also appears in The
Concise Encyclopaedia of Australia (1979)

From The New Zealand Farmer of October 1885, the origin of the Italian
bees on Kangaroo Island is made quite clear “That the South Australians
are determined to propagate a pure race of Italian bees may be gathered
from the fact that a bill has just been introduced into their House of
Assembly, the object of which is to exclude all other bees from Kangaroo
Island. The Chamber of Manufactures, Adelaide, have already
distributed Italian bees among the residents there, and, we are informed,
have just sent an order for another 12 queens for further distribution. ..”

In The Australian Encyclopaedia of 1958, James Stanley Eagland, a former

president of the Victorian Apiarists’ Association, supplied the following “To
ensure the maintenance of pure stock, sanctuaries have been established
for the Italian type on Kangaroo Island, S.A., and for Carniolans on a
portion of the Coorong, S.A., and at Rottnest Island in Western
Australia.” (p.473). The Concise Encyclopaedia of Australia “Bee-farming
is still one of the island's industries however, and Ligurian strain
protected in Flinders Chase, a large flora and fauna sanctuary on the
island.”

In The Sydney Morning Herald of 1 February 1977, an article appeared

mentioning some nominations to the Heritage Commission for inclusion
on the Heritage List as areas deserving of preservation. “Among the most
unusual nominations is the habitat of the Ligurian bee on Kangaroo
island, South Australia. The Australian Honey Board, which
submitted this nomination, said Kangaroo island was the only habitat
of this variety of bee in the world.” (p.10g).

Mr. Bonney, 1884

Hopkins (1886) “Mr. Bonney .. successfully imported queens direct
from Italy, a parcel of twelve from Bologna, to his order, having
arrived safely in September, 1884, at Adelaide.” (p.16)

NEW ZEALAND - NORTH ISLAND

Hopkins (1886) “Previous to the year 1880 several unsuccessful
attempts were made to introduce ligurian bees into this colony. I
believe the Honourable Thomas Russell, C.M.G., spent a large sum of
money to secure this object, but in vain. The hot weather encountered
116
in the passage from America to this country, and also the imperfect
knowledge as to the best mode of packing bees to travel long distances,
acted as almost insuperable barriers to their introduction. By these
repeated failures, however, apiarists gained knowledge, and as a result
..” (p.9).

J.H. Harrison, Coromandel, Sept. 1880

Hopkins continued “.. two splendid colonies of Ligurians were landed in
Auckland - one consigned to the Acclimatisation Society,
Christchurch, the other to Mr. J. H. Harrison, Coromandel. Too much
praise cannot be given to Captain Cargill, who took charge of the little
creatures from the moment they were shipped and personally attended
to all their wants on the passage across. The hives came from Los
Angeles County, California ..” (p.10).

Isaac Hopkins, 1880, 1884

Hopkins (1886) reported that following the successful importation to
Harrison and the Acclimatisation Society “.. owing to the method of
packing, having been so successful, Messrs. Hopkins and Clark, of the
Parawai Apiary, took steps to procure some colonies, and two were
received in due course from Ventura County, California. These, too,
were received in splendid condition, thanks again to the care taken of
them by Captain Cargill. Following upon this I obtained from
America two other consignments, in all twenty nuclei and two full
colonies.” (p.10).

“An event of considerable importance in the history of bee-keeping in

New Zealand was the first successful importation of queens direct
from Italy. After some correspondence with Mr. Fullwood, of
Brisbane, I decided to give the matter a trial, and the result was that
four out of eight queens shipped at Naples by Mr. Chas. Bianconcini
on 10th November, 1883, arrived in good condition at the Matamata
Apiary on the 11th of January, 1884. Another shipment was made
later in the same year, when six out of twelve queens arrived alive.”
(p.10).

117
NEW ZEALAND - SOUTH ISLAND

Acclimatisation Society, Christchurch, Sept. 1880

Hopkins (1886) “.. two splendid colonies of Ligurians were landed in
Auckland - one consigned to the Acclimatisation Society, Christchurch
..” (p.10).

Part IV - Bees Afloat

ACROSS THE ATLANTIC TO NORTH AMERICA, 1622

Root (1983) reports on North America “The Black bee from Northern
Europe and Central Russia was probably the first one imported here by
the early settlers. They are believed to have been brought here before the
middle of the sixteen hundreds. It was the bee that the settlers had
known from the 'Old Country'. The first importation was from the
vicinity of London.” (p.559)

Crane noted the introduction of the honeybee to the east coast of North
America around 1622 “Once a colony of bees had survived the Atlantic
sea passage, the bees could themselves colonise any area with adequate
nesting sites and bee forage, where the winter was not too long or harsh.
The bees often moved inland ahead of the settlers, especially towards the
south and west.” Cotton (1842) reprinted a story of an 1832 prairie bee hunt
which includes “It is surprising in what countless swarms the Bees have
overspread the far West within but a moderate number of years.” Crane
(1975) “Honeybees were taken to the west coast of North America in the
1850s, both in ships and overland at the rear of covered wagons.”

Smith (1976) in Bee World magazine, supplied an article titled ‘The first
honeybees in America’. Details of a letter dated 5 December 1621 from the
Council of the Virginia Company to the Governor and Council in Virginia,
stated “We have by this ship and the Discovery sent you divers sorte of
seed, and fruit trees, as also Pidgeons, connies (rabbits), Peacock
maistives (mastiffs), and Beehives, as you shall by the invoice perceive;
the preservation and encrease whereof we recommend unto you. ..
Whether the bees had arrived safely I cannot discover.” He goes on “In
Part 1 of his article 'Bicentennial Bees' (Am. Bee J. 116(2):70 (1976)), Dr
Oertel assumes 'that at least some of the colonies could have arrived
118
alive' after a voyage in winter; colonies are known to have survived 79
days on board ship to Australia in the 1800s.”

This is a good assumption by Oertel, however Gale (1912) does not believe
that the attempts in the 1860s and 1870s by Chas Fullwood of Brisbane were
successful, despite the colourful account of the 1877 voyage from Harbison’s
California apiary to Brisbane via Honolulu and Sydney. Certainly the 1880
attempt was successful.

Root (1983) reports the following regarding North America, giving no details
on the method of importation: “The first Italian queens are believed to
have been imported here in 1859 or shortly thereafter .. Langstroth
participated in supervising importations in 1860.” (p.558)

HOW WERE BEES SHIPPED TO THE 1850S ?

Dawson’s question, 1995

From Chris Dawson’s notes there is the beginning of a story, unpublished,
about how the bees were transported “Early immigrants had successfully
introduced shrubs and plants from the old world but those requiring
insect pollination did not thrive until after the first bees arrived. How to
care for bees during a sea journey of five to nine months was a problem
that had been considered by prospective settlers. Bees cannot be
confined for long periods if their surrounding atmosphere is warm
enough to encourage them to eat their food after which they absolutely
must fly to make excreta.

It is not known how the bees were cared for on the journey but the first
bees to arrive were seven months on the way and sufficient arrived in
healthy condition to start the first colonies of bees in New Zealand on
Hokianga Harbour in March 1839. The big question - how was it
done?”. Very simply, in some cases, would seem to be the answer.

The methods of shipping the bees prior to the 1860's was a mystery to me
until research slowly uncovered a variety of methods. Rev. Charles Cotton
described his hogshead ‘ice box’ technique in 1839. He also proposed to take
a hive cooled by evaporation, one kept level on a set of gimbles and another
in an observation hive in his cabin. Blaxland and Camfield proposed the use
of a wire cage and Wilson is reputed to have used one to contain his bees.
Mrs. Allom placed her skeps in a box capped with punched zinc sheets.
119
Skeps wrapped in blankets seems to have been another means as used by
Lady Hobson. Cotton recommended skeps be wrapped in dairy canvas. These
were either swung from a beam or possibly carried upside down in some sort
of a stand. Feeding the bees with a mixture of sugar and water or honey was
sometimes used. Ventilation was always important.

Mr. R. B. Gulliford, Editor of The Australasian Beekeeper wrote to me as

follows “A gentleman I met while in South Australia in 1976 told me that
he believed that a good many sailing ships carried bees. But most of
them died for one or more of several reasons. This gentleman was more
of a local historian than a beekeeper and therefore could be right. He
believed that the long journey and more importantly the time of year
when the colonies left England and the time when they arrived provided
our first quarantine barrier (diseased bees died before they could be
landed .. He even believed attempts were made to get bees from South
America and/or the Cape to reduce the time but he could never confirm
it.” Gulliford closed with “Unfortunately that gentleman is now deceased”.
Well, this gentleman was certainly on the right track as demonstrated by
Marsden’s importation from Rio de Janeiro.

The reason why Lady Hobson is said to have delivered her hives wrapped
in blankets is made clear from Quinby (1865) in Mysteries of Beekeeping
Explained. “Have ready some carpet tacks, and pieces of thin muslin
about half a yard square. Invert the hive, put the cloth over, neatly
folded and fastened with a tack at the corners, and another in the
middle of each side. .. If bees are to be taken some distance, and must
be confined for several days, the muslin will hardly be sufficient, and
wirecloth must be substituted. .. Whatever conveyance is employed,
the hive should be inverted. The combs will then rest on the top, and
are less liable to break than when right end up, because in the latter
case the whole weight of the combs must come upon the fastenings at
the top and sides, and these are easily broken.” (p.338).

The method of skep inversion for transport on land by wagon is also

supported by Dzierzon (1882) in Rational Bee Keeping as this
demonstrates “Ordinary skeps it is usual to reverse or put on their
crowns, so as to prevent the combs breaking down.” (p.215)

120
Blaxland’s ‘wire cage’, 1805
Blaxland wrote in 1805 to the ship's captain detailing the goods he intended
to take which included “swarm of bees in cabin with wire cage over the
hive”. Was this method Blaxland's idea or a commonly known technique?

Blaxland's method in 1805 of using a wire cage would have allowed him to
supply water and syrup via sprinkling over the wire. Wilson in 1831 may also
have had the bees confined within a cage. Information supplied by the
Tasmanian Beekeepers’ Association states, regarding Wilson’s introduction
“During the voyage the bees were allowed to fly within the constraint of a
large wire frame until shortly after they had ‘passed the torrid zone’,
when the bees were confined to the hive. The aperture was opened
weekly to allow the dead bees to be removed. Although the mortality rate
had been high, there were enough bees to propagate their race (The
Mercury 31 March 1874)” I would like to know where the newspaper
acquired these details so as to add credibility to the method thus described.

Skeps or Boxes?
Apart from Wilson’s mysterious box and the combination method of a skep
within a ventilated box as used by Mrs. Allom, bees were typically
transported in straw skeps. However, Tarlton Rayment (1925) argued “We
doubt very much whether any of the straw skeps ever reached Australia
with bees in occupation, for the Stewarton Octagonal Hive which had
lead bar frames, was invented by Robert Kerr, of Ayrshire, in 1819”.
Straw hives certainly reached New Zealand in 1839. I believe that it is most
likely Captain Wallis also used this simple method in 1822.

Rayment continued with the following reasoning “All these hives of the
period, it is safe to say, were well-known to progressive beekeepers of the
day, and only one in the forefront of apiculture would attempt the task
of transporting bees over the long journey to Australia. It is probable
then that the first hives that arrived were of the Stewarton pattern.”. He
let his imagination run with “.. her skipper, Captain Wallace, has on
board the greatest population he has ever carried, for, stowed away in
the best place, are an uncountable number of industrious insects now
furiously demanding their liberty. Over the side they go in queer shaped
boxes ..”. What is equally likely is that everyday people wanted to take bees
with them to the Colonies. They did this by using the simplest technology
known to them - a skep wrapped in some form of sturdy cloth.

121
Regarding tiered hives such as the Stewarton, as shown on the left, Crane
reports “The first of these hives was designed by the Rev. William Mew in
Gloucestershire in 1649, and Christopher Wren made a drawing of it
which was published in 1655 in Samuel Hartlib's book The Reformed
Commonwealth of Bees. This hive was used by a number of educated
and influential people.” This hive could equally have been the mechanism
by which the bees were carried, either with a form of wire tent or cage over it
or with the entrance and ceiling ventilated with gauze thus blocking the bees
flight.

Another hive type was that devised by Rev. Stephen White in 1756 where
“three 9 inch cubical boxes set side by side, with adjustable passage-ways
between; the central box was the brood chamber and the side boxes were
for honey. When the honey in one box was to be removed, access for the
bees was adjusted so that they flew out of this box and returned to the
central box.” Later came “Thomas Nutt, whose 1832 book Humanity to
Honey Bees made it widely known.” (Crane, 1983)

Were the Bees Allowed to Fly at Sea?

Many beekeepers, when questioned on the method of transportation of bees
over the oceans, are stunned into silence by the technical difficulties such a
trip would present. I put the following question to various people, some with
considerable beekeeping experience “How were the bees transported to the
Colonies where the trip took one hundred days plus up to eight weeks of
stopovers?”. Some answered along the following lines “they came over in
dome shaped straw hives. The bees were allowed to fly as the ship sailed

122
and they were fed with sugar.” Others added “When in port the bees were
allowed to fly and forage. Anyway, they would have clustered for most of
the trip if they left in the winter time.” Some couldn't see any problems in
transporting bees on long voyages. I was sceptical of the view that the bees
were allowed to fly free, but this doesn’t appear to have been too far from the
truth.

As Rayment points out in his 1935 A Cluster of Bees “The hive-bee will not
foul the interior of the home, and detention in the hive, from any cause,
always results in dysentery, with severe mortality, when the condition is
prolonged.” (p.532). Someone bringing hive-bound bees such a long
distance taking over three months in the first half of the nineteenth century
would have been keen to land the bees as soon as possible. This would have
allowed them cleansing flights and thus avoid the risk of dysentery.

I originally believed that the bees were kept continuously confined, except
possibly when provisioning stops were made at the Cape and Rio or
elsewhere. A ship swinging at anchor, either from the tide or the wind, would
have repositioned the ship in such short periods as to make the hive difficult
for returning bees to find, especially if it was anchored in the vicinity of other
ships. A relocation of a ground situated hive by more than three feet or a
metre can leave the returning bees gathering on the ground to die, unable to
find their home.

Even though a sailing ship would be at anchor while visiting such ports as
Rio de Janeiro or Cape Town, there would be nothing to prevent the hives
being rowed ashore and the bees released for the days that the ship remained
in port to take on provisions. The bees could perform their cleansing flights
and add to their provisions, just as Angus Mackay allowed his previously
confined bees their one day of shore leave once the City of New York was
tied up to the wharf in Honolulu.

There may have been no problem releasing the bees on becalmed days, as
long as the threat of storm or strong winds was not present. I thought that
allowing the bees to fly while the ship was under sail, even at a speed of five
knots, would see the ship removed around 90 metres, allowing a bee flight of
only 30 seconds. Except for short orientation flights, to the bee, the ship
would no longer be where it was when the bee left the hive, and thus would
be unable to find its way back.

123
Bees aren't attuned to their hive being constantly on the move. Trees
containing a hive in a hollow certainly don't walk the countryside. The bee
would simply return to where the ship was, not to where it had subsequently
sailed. All such flying bees would have to land on the water and drown, or
would they? Chris Dawson of New Zealand, an accomplished queen bee
breeder with thirty years experience, saw no difficulty in allowing the bees to
fly in good weather, even though the ship was on the move. The very
featurelessness of the ocean, with the only identifiable object available, the
ship, would provide an easy marker for the bees to home onto.

I came across a letter to the Editor of the Australasian Beekeeper from a

sailor on a coastal motor vessel that sailed the east coast of Australia. A
swarm had alighted on the ship while it was in port. The seaman hived the
swarm and kept it on deck. The bees were at liberty to fly even when the ship
was underway. The seaman claimed that little or no loss of bees resulted.

Wilson’s Box, 1831

The route taken by ships from Great Britain to the Australian colonies took
them south past the western extremity of Europe, down past the north west
coast of Africa, south through the Atlantic Ocean to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil,
east, again traversing the Atlantic to the Cape of Good Hope on the southern
tip of Africa, across the Indian Ocean, below the Australian continent, to
swing round Van Diemen’s Land for Hobart Town or north to New South
Wales. Some voyages were direct. The first landfall in the Australian
Colonies that had some form of settlement was either at Swan River or
Hobart.

Wilson’s voyage with the bees to Hobart took 106 days. The bees would have
been confined for a period of days before departure. Having left on October
17 in the middle of Autumn, the bees activity would have been slowing down
in preparation for Winter. On approaching the equator and passing it, the
calendar for the bees as governed by temperature would have accelerated
towards Spring and Summer in the Southern Hemisphere, whereby the bees
activity would have livened. In a more active state and denied the ability to
fly they would have consumed the food stores far more rapidly than in their
Winter cluster of low energy use and low food consumption. Supplementary
feeding would then have been necessary as administered by Mrs. Allom.

A ‘fact sheet’ generously supplied by the Tasmanian Beekeepers’ Association

states the following “Dr. Wilson R.N. set up a hive (skep, box or gum) on
124
the deck of the ship .. The bees were free to fly on the voyage from
England to Van Diemen’s Land. They were fed on sugar syrup and were
conveyed to Sydney. However, they were off loaded and presented to
Governor Archer and placed in the Government Gardens because of the
flora present. (now Franklin Square).” No reference is given for the source
of this information. The mention of Governor Archer is an error, Sir George
Arthur being the Governor between 1824 and 1836.

I suspect the bees were set ashore at Hobart rather than Sydney, to allow them
to be released earlier due to the suspected or actual high level of mortality.
The bees could then fly to cleanse themselves and gather nectar. The time
required to complete the voyage to Sydney may have been seen as too great a
risk to their welfare after the long voyage to Hobart. In John Rawson Elder’s
work of 1929 The Pioneer Explorers of New Zealand, in the chapter on
‘Missionary Pioneers and Explorers’ “It is to be remembered that the
voyage in small sailing vessels over the tempestuous waters of the
Tasman Sea occupied usually a fortnight, and frequently involved
considerable hardship”. (p.17)

Wakefield in New Zealand used the Nutt collateral hive. Might the box used
by Wilson have been a Nutt hive or the Stewarton hive? Don Wilson, great-
grandson of Dr. David Wilson, one of Dr. T. B. Wilson’s brothers, responded
to Don Norman in May 1995 in his search for information for me on how
Wilson might have transported his bees. “Don Wilson is an expert on the
Wilson family, and .. I phoned him in connection with the problem of the
transportation of the bees, which were undoubtedly brought to Van
Diemen’s Land by Thomas Braidwood Wilson. Don told me that there is
no doubt whatever that the bees came in a box. When Thomas
Braidwood left Van Diemen’s Land for N.S.W. he gave the box to his
younger brother, George, at Mt Seymour, now Ceres, a beautiful stone
mansion still standing in good repair today. The box was at Mt.
Seymour for many years. The present Don Wilson never saw it himself
but he heard tell of it many times by his grandfather and father. He told
me that many people called at Mt Seymour to see the box before it was
lost forever. After George Wilson senr’s death on March 27th 1874, long
after he had left Mt Seymour, the box was never heard of again. Don
Wilson has no idea whatever happened to it. All he is quite sure of, and I
am too, because my grandmother told me so, is that the bees came out in
the John in a box.” This must have been an interesting box to have drawn

125
the attention of many people over the years and also to have generated family
lore.

Don Wilson added “they sprinkled water about so that the bees would
think it was raining and, if out, would go back into the box again.” This
is a little puzzling. If the bees were in a wire cage, what did it matter whether
they were in or out of the hive? After contacting the Beekeepers’ Association,
Don Norman then wrote to me “It is quite true that Surgeon Thomas
Braidwood Wilson brought the bees out in the John in a box which was
enclosed in a large wire box like frame which allowed the bees to leave
the wooden box and fly about but not to escape. The bees were much
cared for when the ship was in the tropics when the bees were lightly
sprayed with water.” I am not clear on how much of this is conjecture and
how much truth. Were the bees in a wooden box or a wire box, or was a
wooden box contained within another ‘box’ of wire? Were they allowed to fly
free or only ‘free’ within the confines of a wire cage? The supply of water to
cool the bees certainly makes sense.

A Season for Shipping to the Colonies, 1838

An article from Bee Craft of August 1979 was a paraphrasing of Dawson’s
1979 New Zealand Beekeeper article. The author wrote a line of conjecture
on the preferred time of departure for shipping bees to the colonies “As far as
packing the colonies for the voyage was concerned the sailing of the ship
was timely. It left Gravesend on September 20th, 1838. The bees would
have their winter stores by then, but presumably they had already made
a less than comfortable journey from Yorkshire to Kent. They were not
due then for a quiet winter rest for the next six months. Not only were
they to be tossed about in a sailing ship during the storms, but would
also have to endure the heat of the tropics, through which the ship had to
pass.” (p.182).

Bevan (1870) in his book The Honeybee gives some clue on the time of
year in which bees could be shipped safely “.. if the interment were to
take place before midwinter, the mortality which regularly takes place
towards the close of every year would be productive of great and fatal
evil, for the hive-floor would be so strewed with dead bees as to cause
both putrefacation and an obstructed portal. This is a condition of the
bee-hive which I once experienced.

126
Having once sent my apiary down the Bristol Channel late in October
(two thirds through Autumn) the vessel was wind-bound for nearly two
months, during the whole of which time the bees were confined to their
respective boxes; and, on reaching their destination, three-fourths of
them lay dead on the floor, completely obstructing the ingress of air
through the regular passage, and, but for a wire-guage opening in the
lids of the boxes, I have no doubt that every bee would have perished.”
(p.109)

Ruttner (1990) provides some answers supporting why the dark European
bees were able to survive long voyages. On wintering he states: “All
authors unanimously attest to an excellent wintering ability of the
dark bee even under harsh conditions. As the colony size is moderate
throughout the season the winter cluster is small but very tight. In
consequence of the restricted brood activity, the bees excel by their
longevity and by a moderate food consumption. The colonies have a
high chance of survival with a minimum of assistance. .. Winter bees
are physiologically different from summer bees; they have
accumulated protein, fat and a substance called Biopterin in the food
glands and the fat-protein body of the abdomen. The capability of the
rectum to store large quantities of faeces seems to be improved by an
increased catalase production by the rectal glands in autumn.” (p.21).

This facility may partly explain why Dark bee importations had relatively
more success than the Italian bee importations during the reign of sailing
ships. Where the journeys were commenced in Autumn or Winter, the
recognised season for sending bees to the Colonies, the Dark bees, being in
‘Winter’ mode, were more resistant to the dangers of dysentery, caused by
the over long retention of faeces. Once steam ships were used for the
transport of the Italian bees, either from Italy or California, the faster
journeys significantly lessened the sometimes fatal incidence of dysentery.
During Angus Mackay’s voyage in 1877 to Brisbane on the City of New
York, the bees, when released in Honolulu, spilled onto the deck,
depositing faecal matter: “.. they fell sprawling on the deck in masses,
ejecting matter which their bodies were gored, for want of exercise.” The
temperature on the voyage had been high and so food consumption was
correspondingly high. The Dark bee it would seem was better suited to
enduring long confinements during sea voyages of 15,000 miles.

127
“The Dark bee is suited to long confinement on a diet which contains
much solid matter, the foreign bee requires a diet free from waste
matter.” (p.24). I assume ‘waste matter’ is a reference to crystallised
honey, ignored by ‘foreign’ or Italian bees unless there is a supply of water
with which to liquefy the crystals for use as food.

Rev. William Charles Cotton, 1842

Cotton wrote a book titled My Bee Book, which was published in 1842. It
contained detailed instructions as to how he would take skeps of bees on the
long voyage to New Zealand. Were these methods in use many years prior to
1842 or were they Cotton's invention? The way he wrote of his plans, the
impression given is that he thought through the problem and came up with his
own solutions.

Cotton's idea of packing the bees over ice was a result of observation of the
bees behaviour during winter when the temperature dropped to such a level
that all flying ceased, the bees formed a cluster (imagine a hollow spherical
formation of bees transposed over the combs) so as to maintain the
appropriate hive temperature. Activity was largely curtailed with a slow
circulation of the cooler outside bees to the centre and the warmer ones
moving to the outside. The rate of food consumption reduced dramatically. A
rise in outside temperature beyond the 'clustering temperature' would have the
bees disbanding the cluster, moving about the hive and consuming food
stores at a faster rate.

LATE 19TH CENTURY BEE SHIPPING

The North American Experience, 1874

In the section titled ‘Shipping Queens’, Langstroth (1889) supplied the
following “It was in the numerous and partially successful attempts,
which we made before 1874, to import bees from Italy, that we became
acquainted with the conditions necessary to the shipping of queens.

When they are to be confined a long time, the question of food is the
most important. Many were the blunders made by the first shippers,
who imagined that they required a large amount of food, and literally
drowned them in honey. By repeated and costly experiments, we
ascertained that the bees that arrived in the best condition were those
that were fed on the purest saccharine matter. Those that suffered the

128
most, were those that had the most watery, or the darkest, honey.
Water, which some Italian shippers persisted in giving them, in spite
of what we could say, was noxious; as the consumption of it, with the
food, helped to load their abdomen with matter that could not be
discharged, causing what is improperly called dysentery. Water is
needed only in brood rearing.

Old bees, or rather, bees that have begun to work in the field, will
stand a longer trip than young bees, as the latter consume more honey,
and need to discharge their abdomen oftener.

The shipping boxes in which bees are usually sent from Italy, are
about three inches deep, by three inches in width, and four inches in
length, with two small frames of comb, one with thick sugar syrup, the
other dry. From fifty to seventy-five bees are put with one queen in
each box. Air holes are cut into the sides of the boxes, and these are
fastened together in a pyramidal shape, with an outer covering of tin,
to which is fastened the handle. Queens thus put up, have reached us
after thirty-six days of confinement with very little loss, and it is in this
way that the greatest number of imported queens are received.

The usual transit from Italy to New York, takes from ten to fourteen
days. If the importer receives his bees, through a custom-house
broker, they will not be delayed in the custom-house, but, if this
precaution is neglected, the bees may be held at the custom-house for
clearance, and the poor insects will die, martyrs to the protection (?) of
the country’s interests.

We might mention in connection with this, an oft-repeated incident, so

touching and sweet, as to seem more like a romancer’s fable, or a
poetic idyl, than a mere fact. On receiving the boxes containing Italian
queens, we noticed that frequently all the bees shipped with the queen
had died, she being the only one alive in her prison. We afterward
found out that the faithful little subjects had denied themselves
nourishment, and starved to death, sacrificing themselves, that their
queen might not be deprived of food.” (pp. 310-311)

Langstroth mentioned in 1889 having received queens and attendants after

a voyage of thirty-six days “with very little loss”. The Australasian
experience was of a similar nature, as illustrated by the following article in
129
The New Zealand Farmer of October 1885 “Already a good deal was
done in the way of importing bees from Italy, and inasmuch as they
could not be carried a longer voyage than about thirty days without
considerable loss, Kangaroo Island would form a useful depot for the
culture of the bee, whence the other Australian colonies and New
Zealand could draw their supplies of pure stock.” (p.311)

The British Experience, 1859

Cheshire (1886) supplied the following interesting detail regarding the
British experience “M. Hermann, a bee-cultivator, Canton Grison,
Switzerland, transmitted the first consignment of living Italians that
reached our shores to Mr. A. Neighbour - the late Mr. Woodbury, the
‘Devonshire Beekeeper,’ receiving in the same package, a queen and
her attendants. These arrived July 19th, 1859.”

Voyage of the Berlepsch Hive, Angus Mackay, 1877

Angus Mackay described his 1877 voyage from California, accompanying a
hive of bees aboard the City of New York is worthy of inclusion here. Trevor
Weatherhead found the following article which appeared in the Australian
Bee Bulletin of 23 September 1893. Angus Mackay was an Instructor in
Agriculture at the Technical College in New South Wales. Trevor
reproduced Mackay’s article in his book Boxes to Bar Hives. It describes
one technology of shipping bees and says a great deal about the
knowledge, or lack of it, that surrounded the shipping of bees up to 1880.

“In 1877, it was my good fortune to bring from California the first lot
of Ligurian bees, so far as I know, that have reached this section of
Australia. I got them from Harbison, of the Santa Clara Valley! They
were in a Harbison hive, about 20" square at sides and about 3 1/2 feet
high. There were millions in it! The Pacific Mail Company very
considerately gave me the use of a cabin forward on deck of the fine
ship City of New York. Captain Cobb, a grand old American salt, was
in command. We had heavy, muggy, hot weather, after leaving the
American coast.

The bees suffered fearfully. During several days I took out fully a 1/4
of them daily, assuming they would all perish, as 3 or 4 previous lots
sent out as freight had done. I got up early in the morning, very early,
before daybreak and edged the big hive out on deck, to give the bees
air. The sailors noted quietly what I was about, but said little. But the
130
news spread, and was noted that some of the passengers located where
the bees were, and I was asked if anything serious would happen to
the ship if they got loose! If they would slaughter all hands! Captain
Cobb somehow was interviewed, and with his first officer he came to
see about it.

“It's a big, big job you've on hand”, he said. “I hope it's alright and
there's no fear of a rampage from them insects, as you say. It's the
first time, though, I've run such a livestock farm on this ship, and I do
hope nobody will get hurt. Though some of the folks are mighty
scared. I tell you that's so!”

The poor bees were having a fearful time. It's really a cruel procedure
sending or taking them on a big journey. They suffer so badly from
want of water and from their dead. It was then I learnt how short is
bee life, and how confinement kills them. I made a cage promenade for
them by wiring in the top, and it was a sight to see the little maiden
workers come up in the mornings and drink the water sprinkled upon
them. The weather was hot as we approached the Sandwich Islands,
and the bees able to come up, soon as drops of water are sprinkled on
them, ran below the God given fluid to the suffering hosts. From
under the cage attached to the bottom board in the hive I took away
the dead and dying several times daily, as the workers carried them
out.

Interest soon began to be taken by the ships company in the bees, and
some days before reaching Honolulu ring bolts were fixed in various
parts of the deck for fastening the hive in favourable places for air and
shade, and the livestock had become the biggest attraction on the ship.
Even the chief engineer, who for a time, had doubts on the subject,
became convinced that, should a lot of the bees get loose at any time,
they would not make for the engine room and machinery room first
thing!

Captain Cobb was a man; his first officer, engineer, cabin room bosun
were men also. To this day I believe it was arranged amongst them to
reach Honolulu at daybreak, and leave before nightfall, to give the
bees a chance. Perhaps the ship might have got in during the night,
and left next day. The City of New York was tied up at the wharf
about 4.30 am. The bees were then located up on the promenade deck.
131
I knew the ship would not leave till after nightfall. The bees were let
loose! Poor things! Thousands of them had been born at sea, and they
fell sprawling on the deck in masses, ejecting matter which their
bodies were gored, for want of exercise. But, within a half hour of
arrival, they were streaming back to the hive loaded with pollen and
honey! Very few were picked up dead. After a struggle for a few
minutes, they got wing and were off.

The town visited in Honolulu was a garden then! It may be so still.

How the bees worked that day! I tried to keep the proceedings as quiet
as possible, and comparatively few knew of the livestock farm on the
upper deck. I was asked seriously, “Now are these bees likely to come
off from such a glorious shore, and into the box again at night? They
look as though they had more sense”. Well, by the time the word
“Let's go!” was given it was dark then. I do not think there was an
absent bee that was able to fly back. The good old City got all her
passengers that trip.

The remainder of the voyage was easier upon the livestock. They had
a spell in Sydney of a week, and landed safely in Brisbane. What a
delighted man was Jas Carroll to get the first lot of Ligurian bees, and
the bees were then as full, to all appearance, as when Bee Master
Harbison put them up.”

Angus Mackay travelled in style on his trip from California on the City of
New York. His forward cabin on deck was in the first-class section on the
upper deck. From The History of Ships by Peter Kemp, the style of passenger
ship taken by Mackay “the main passenger lounge and the first-class
cabins were accommodated in wooden deckhouses built .. on the upper
deck, with the less expensive cabins and the steerage accommodation on
the deck below” (p.174). A ship similar in design to the City was the White
Star liner Oceanic. She had “her first-class accommodation amidships
with larger cabins and scuttles (windows) than ever before. She also had
a promenade deck extending the full width of the ship above the cabins
and lounges, and thus set a pattern which was to be followed in all future
liner design.” The Oceanic can be taken to be very close to that of the City
of New York and her sister ship the City of Paris. Owned by the Inman Line,
they were built of steel and powered by steam having “two engines, driving
two shafts, with two propellers, one on each quarter. When the ships

132
came into service they were voted the most comfortable and the most
handsome ships on the Atlantic run.”

Parsons (1979) stated that the City of New York and another sister ship, City
of Sydney, flew American colours and were owned by The Pacific Mail
Steam Ship Company. These ships ran on a mail service to the South Pacific
from San Francisco to Hawaii and on to Sydney via New Zealand.

The City was 560 feet (170.7m) long with a beam of 63 feet (19.25m) and a
displacement tonnage of 14,500. Using Captain Cook's Endeavour as a guide
to the size of convict transports, she was but 98 feet long with a beam of just
over 29 feet and of 368 tons, dwarfed by the size of the large passenger liners
of 100 years later.

It is no surprise that his cabin was as far away as possible from most of the
other passengers, being “forward on deck”. The booking agency being
“very considerate” were more likely being very careful of this delicate and,
to their mind, potentially hostile cargo.

The loss of “3 or 4 previous lots sent out as freight” had obviously

demanded that some skilled person accompany this consignment. When the
bees spilled out on deck in Honolulu, he recorded “It was only then I
learnt .. how confinement kills them”. His voyage from California on a
modern and luxurious liner at a speed of more than twenty knots would have
been very different from that suffered by the first bee hive custodians fifty
five years earlier, travelling in much slower and smaller sailing ships. Yet it
would seem more knowledge on bee hive transportation was possessed by
those earlier bee men and women.

The cage provided at the hive bottom for removal of dead bees suggests that
he must have expected casualties. Unless Mackay had supplied the bees with
water and rigged a wire “cage promenade” in the top of the hive, which
allowed through ventilation from the wire cage beneath, this colony would
almost certainly have perished.

The City of New York tied up at the Honolulu wharf, a luxury most likely
unavailable to the earlier sailing ships that would have had to swing at
anchor. This situation provided a fixed platform for the bees to be released
and thus be able to return to a hive in the same position as where they left it,
not tens of yards away as the ship swung with the tide and breeze. Such
133
displacement, greater than one yard, may have made it impossible for the
bees to find their home.

When the bees were released “they fell sprawling on the deck in masses,
ejecting matter which their bodies were gored, for want of exercise.” Bees
do not foul their home. In a healthy state they only defecate on the wing. The
bees on deck were voiding themselves. If this condition had been left to
continue then they would have likely succumbed to dysentery, if not to the
heat, water shortage or starvation.

The spell of a week in Sydney, presumably where the bees were allowed to
fly would have enabled them to bring pollen, water and nectar back to the
colony. Without the chance to fly to the garden shores of Honolulu or at least
the provision of improved ventilation and a supply of water by Mackay, this
cargo would likely have seen the same fate as the earlier unaccompanied
hives. It is surprising that Isaac Hopkins did not believe that this 1877
importation was successful.

The Harbison hive was a copy of the design invented by a German, Baron of
Berlepsch, of Seebach, Thuringia. The picture shows a rear ventilation panel,
however, from Mackay's description, his Harbison version does not appear to
have had this facility.

Isaac Hopkins relates that this

hive “was known in California
as the 'Harbison' hive, after
the name of one of the original
and most extensive
beekeepers of that State, who
was using such hives. It was,
however, as I afterwards
discovered, a German hive,
made and used by the Baron
of Berlepsch, and known as the 'Berlepsch hive'.”

From Crane (1975), a little is learned of the beekeeper from whom Fullwood
sought to obtain Italian bees. “A development that gave the buyer comb
honey as the bees made it, but in a much smaller package than the
honey-super, was originated in 1857 by J. S. Harbison of California: the
‘section honey-box’ ”
134
Hopkins went on to describe the Berlepsch hive. “It consisted of a long box
standing on end, with a door at the back, exactly like a small cupboard;
the moveable-frames were in a compartment at the bottom; it was a
difficult job to remove them.” Hopkins, who first saw this hive style in
1876, was not impressed “I gave them a trial later on, but soon discarded
them.”

Albert Gale (1912) provides more on the Berlepsch “The hives are worked
from the back, where the manipulator stands. The back is a moveable
door or shutter; in some cases it swings upon hinges, but more
frequently it can be detached and removed.” The frames “instead of being
placed in position from above, they are inserted from the back of the
hive. One great drawback to these hives is the difficulty in manipulating
them. If there are eight or ten frames in a hive, and you wish to remove
the one nearest the entrance, all the others must be lifted out .. and again
replaces in the same order as they were taken out.” No wonder Hopkins
“soon discarded them” as well as Gale who “soon abandoned it for the
Langstroth.” (p.230)

Thos. B. Blow, Cyprus to England 1882

The Rev. Jenyns (1888) provided the following story concerning Apis
mellifera cypria “A well known bee-keeper went to Cyprus in 1882,
taking the long voyage for the purpose of bringing home to England a
great many of these bees. He tells us how, after much trouble, he bought
forty hives in one place, and carried them a long way over rough
mountain roads, on the back of mules, each mule carrying two colonies
in the earthen hive of the country, slung, one on each side of the mule.”
(p.26)

As I began to read Jenyns words I thought I had stumbled on the manner in

which he had shipped his bees. My anticipation was not to be rewarded.
Unfortunately he leaves the reader hanging and doesn't provide any detail of
the return sea voyage.

Two days later I picked up Jeremy Evans (1989) book The Complete Guide
to Beekeeping, for a browse. I found a reproduction of an advertisement, circa
1929, from a catalogue by Thos. B. Blow, Welwyn, Herts. Shown is a ‘Box
for Travelling Bees, No. 12f.’ Its price is 5/- (five shillings). The
accompanying text states “In this box with Combs secured with Rakes
135
bees will travel safely for an unlimited distance. Bees brought from
Cyprus in 1882 by me were conveyed in similar boxes.” (p.179).

Blow's illustration shows a full depth nucleus box of around 5 to 6 frames

width, topped with a carrying handle. The entrance is closed with what
appears to be wire gauze and the lid is heavily perforated with holes for
ventilation, and possibly for the provision of water.

I had found a link in my research. The words of Thos. B. Blow, undoubtedly

identifies Jenyns 'well known bee-keeper'. Using a Langstroth style hive,
Blow moved his hives in a manner identical to that which I have used -
gauze wire closed entrance with a top screen for ventilation and the supply of
water simply by sprinkling it over the top.

Blow’s adventure was not without its mishaps as Jenyns relates “On one
occasion, however, the bees quite lost their temper. Perhaps he shook
them, or disturbed their homes in too rough a manner; and then, to
teach him to be more gentle and careful, they punished him with a
hundred stings.” (p.27). Root (1983) describes their nature, describing the
Cyprian bee as “.. more reddish. It has largely disappeared because it was
aggressive in stinging ..” (p.560).

On Cyprian bees, Jenyns states “Unfortunately, they are very bad-

tempered” and “notwithstanding their angry disposition, some say they
136
are the best of all bees.”. These were the bees which, after already giving
him an illustrative ‘hundred stings’, Blow proceeded to transfer with combs
from the earthen hives into his Langstroth style hives. Did he again suffer
their anger?

An illustration of cylindrical clay hives in Cyprus, 1977, appears in Crane's

archaeological work “The Roman recommendation of three tiers on a
platform is still adhered to.” (p.72) The picture shows stacked rows of
baked clay hives. For Blow to transfer the bees and comb, it is possible that
he had to smash the clay cylinders. Alternatively, the presence of a rear
detachable door for robbing may have enabled him to cut out the combs. Yet
again, he may have drummed them out first into a frame hive then cut the
combs away from within. Either way he likely got a good stinging.

Benton Mailing Cage, 1883

Root (1891), on the Benton shipping and mailing cage “This cage was first
introduced to the public in 1883 by Frank Benton, formerly of Munich,
Germany, and was devised by him solely for the purpose of sending
queens across the ocean to the United States by mail; and, furthermore,
it is used by him for that purpose with remarkable success. .. The queen
breeders of this country have now tested it for long distances in shipping
queens. In our queen-breeding department we use it successfully for
sending queens across the continent - nay, even across the ocean, clear to
the other side of the globe. We have sent queens in it by mail to
Australia, New Zealand, and the West Indies, with entire success. In the
first instance, the queens were on their journey 37 days. They arrived in
good order, and were successfully introduced. The great secret of success
lies in the fact that, with the exception of the wire cloth, it is constructed
entirely of wood. The compartments are small. The end hole is filled with
Good candy. The two other holes are used for the occupancy of the
bees.” (pp.186-187). The ‘Good’ candy referred to was a preparation made of
warmed honey mixed with pulverised sugar, stirred and kneeded and supplied
in the cage as a food for the bees.

There are two or three sizes of Benton cages, the smallest being used for
ordinary distances, say a thousand miles; the medium size for two or
three thousand miles, and the largest size for trips across the ocean or to
the islands of the sea.”

137
 Illustrations of Doolittle and Benton
Mailing Cages (c1881)

Charles Dickins, Travelling Nucleus Boxes, 1887

Charles Dickins of Charles Dickins & Son, Manufacturers of Beekeeping
Supplies, Adelaide, produced a book titled Australasian Bee Keepers Guide
Book for Amateurs in 1887. An illustration in it shows a ‘box for travelling
bees’. The supporting text states “In this box, with combs secured with
rakes, bees will travel safely for an unlimited distance.” (fig.39, p.27).

The illustration and words are identical to that in Blow’s catalogue. Dickins
states “In packing bees for travelling, particular attention must be paid
to ventilation. Skeps are to be turned bottom upmost and strong cheese
cloth tied over them.”

Blow managed to take his bees from Cyprus in such a ventilated box. The
instructions for an 'unlimited distance' may have held for a voyage of
thousands of miles to Australia. The inversion of skeps covered in cheese
cloth is a variation of the method used by Cotton and Hobson, and possibly
Bumby.

Some Australian Queen Bee Importers

A. C. Bonney, 1885
From The New Zealand Farmer of October 1885, in a letter to the Editor “I
have just received another package of twelve Italian queens from Mr.
Bianconcini, Bologna. The bees were shipped on board the Sorata at
Naples on 31st July, and reached me 2nd Sept. (a trip of 34 days) Eleven

138
queens were alive, but one was so weak that she died a few hours after
being released. The remaining ten are very lively. It was delightful to see
how healthy the accompanying bees were in most of the boxes. On
removing the lids they promptly rushed out and stung me. I notice a
different arrangement for the water supply in this shipment. Instead of
the necks of the zinc bottles being turned down into little troughs, a piece
of calico was simply tied over the mouth of each bottle. In all twelve
boxes the honey in one only of the three combs had been consumed.”.
The bees were transported in three comb boxes. Water was observed as a
necessity and the calico provided a damp base from which the bees could
drink.

Mr. Mansfield, 1894

From The Agriculturist of 1 February 1894, a monthly agricultural
newspaper, a visitor to the Hunter River Apiary of Mr. Mansfield of Largs,
near Maitland, in The Hunter Valley, provided the following interesting
details “As a visitor passes with his guide down the lines of colonies he
cannot fail to pick up useful hints from so experienced a beemaster, and
in answer to questions respecting the method employed for transmitting
queens long distances we get some interesting facts. For importing
queens from Italy for instance: a small hive about six inches square is
prepared. It holds three combs containing honey for food on the journey
and two small tin tanks of water are placed inside with their mouths
downwards. The whole is freely ventilated, and a package containing
several of these small boxes is placed on the deck of the steamer. The
queens are in a laying condition when sent from Italy .. these queens are
used for breeding other queens from.”.

I am thankful to this visitor for asking this particular question of Mr.

Mansfield and again for reporting the answer as details on the methods of
importing bees have been most difficult to find in what remains of
beekeeping literature from this period. “.. Mr. Mansfield and others are
constantly importing new queens from Italy and America to improve the
strains they already possess.”. The methods used had obviously improved
greatly since 1877 when Angus Mackay chaperoned a queen and bees in their
hive from California, where the hive, rather than six inches square, was three
and a half feet tall.

139
M. A. Shallard, 1894
In an 1894 issue of The Agriculturist, M. A. Shallard of the Blue Mountains
Bee Farm at Glenbrook, offered one year old “choice pure breed queens” at
15 shillings each or two for 25 shillings. Untested queens were 7 shillings and
sixpence each or 4 for one pound. Shallard's advertisement ran almost every
month throughout 1894 “Here is a chance for you to get stock bred from
the best imported strains at half cost.” He followed the practice of
re-queening all his hives each Spring and therefore did not keep queens over
one year old. Shallard had no problem singing his own praises “I have built
up the largest bee concern in Australia, and I did not do it by keeping
poor stock.”. Tested queens from D. Campbell of the Black Ranges, Stawell,
Victoria, were 8 shillings.

An entry in the June 1894 issue of The Agriculturist was headed

“Importation of Queen Bees” giving the following details “On her last trip
the Mariposa brought a shipment of queen bees for Major Shallard, of
Glenbrook. These are from the well-known apiary of Mrs. Jennie
Atchley of Texas, U.S.A. This lady has come to the front as a queen bee
breeder during the last two years, and last season she despatched
upwards of 5000 queens to various parts of the world.”. The SS Mariposa
was operated by the Oceanic Steam Ship Company on the San Francisco,
New Zealand and Sydney service. She was a passenger steamer of 3,158 tons,
with a single screw and capable of 15 knots.

Shallard could boast the quality of his queens as he quoted from another
source he obviously rated highly, G. M. Doolittle “Just as soon as the
Queen marked xxx reaches you, go to breeding from her, for she is all
right, BEING ABOUT THE BEST BREEDING QUEEN I HAVE
EVER OWNED, and worth 50 dols or £10 for that purpose.”

140
 The method by which Shallard
received his bees from California
was superior to the use of cages
such as the Benton. Queen bees
travelling within a hive have a far
better chance of arriving in a
healthy state than those within a
mailing cage “with attendants
and candy enclosed in the cage
with the queen” due to the ability
of the larger number of bees
within a hive to cluster and
therefore maintain the optimum
temperature for the queen.
Dunhum (1988) gives the
following details. Multiple queen
cages are packed within a box
containing a mass of attendants
clustering around the cages
“Optimum temperature for a queen is around 90 degrees F. A laying
queen should never get below 60 degrees, if that low, but it gets a lot
colder in the back of a mail truck. A few attendants can't do much to
keep a queen warm, but half to three-quarters of a pound of bees
clustering around the queen cages can maintain the temperature”.

The April 1895 The Australian Bee Bulletin carried the following letter from
G. M. Doolittle, headed ‘Shipping Queens to Australia’. It is very descripitive
of the method he used to ship queens, not in a small cage just with candy for
their food, but in a small hive containing candy and comb “Previous to the
summer of 1894, the best success I ever had in shipping queens to foreign
countries, was 65 per cent reaching their destination alive. Before trying
shipping queens long distances, to any great extent, I experimented very
largely here at home, putting the queens and bees up in cages such as I
would use in shipping queens to foreign countries, and then keeping
them in my shop and elsewhere, subjugating them to all the rough usage
and elements I thought they would receive on any voyage.

The result of this was that in no case did I succeed in getting a queen to
live longer than 26 days. When orders came to me from Australia I
feared that none would go alive, but I was very gratified, when all of the
141
reports were in for 1891, to find that I had actually succeeded in getting
65 per cent of all the queens sent that year to their destinations alive,
considering that they must travel 11,500 miles at least, and to be from 35
to 40 days en route. .. during the past season of 1894, I find, .. that 70
per cent of all queens sent to Australia and New Zealand reached their
destinations alive. I even succeeded in having them live to reach Western
Australia, a distance of 14,000 miles from here, the time of confinement
being 45 days from the day they were put up for shipment till they were
released at their journey’s end.

I attribute this success to the fact that the past season I put in each cage a
small piece of comb having a part empty cells and a part containing
unsealed honey. My reason for putting in this piece of comb was, that I
had noticed years ago, when wintering bees on candy, that all went well
as long as there was some honey to help them moisten the candy, but
when the honey was gone the bees would often die with plenty of candy
remaining. .. I reasoned that should the candy be too hard the bees could
use the honey in the unsealed cells to moisten the candy, and should it
become too soft they could lick it up and deposit it in the empty cells, the
same as they would were dripping candy placed in a hive. That this
reasoning had some logic in it, is proved by a 5 per cent greater
attainment of live queens over this 11,500 miles distance than ever
attempted before.

Another thing. A party in Australia instructed me to how to make a

shipping cage to go by express, to his liking, and among the other things
he told me was to allow one of the three little combs to contain nearly
hatching brood to the amount of from 50 to 100 bees, and to put in about
that number of hatched bees. His directions were carried out and the
queen sent. Through some blunder on the part of express officials the
bees were not placed on the first outgoing steamer they were intended
for, so lay over one month for the next steamer, in San Francisco,
California. This made them 64 days en route, and yet, much to his
surprise and still more to my surprise, that queen went through alive,
and with her were about a dozen live bees, while all the brood had
hatched out of the comb.” (pp.13-14).

142
Pender Bros., 1894
In the July 1894 issue of The Agriculturist, W. S. Pender was advertising “26
IMPORTED QUEENS To arrive in August From AMERICA and
ITALY” for breeding purposes. Pender claimed “Bees and Queens bred by
me have always given satisfaction”. The 1 October 1894 issue was headed
“15 IMPORTED QUEENS 15” and went on to announce “That is the
number arrived alive, and were sent onto me by my Italian Agent .. and
were obtained from others bred in Romagna, Roscana, Ferrarese and
Wodenese all well distributed regions in Italy.” It would appear that 11
other queens died in transit. Untested queens were five shillings, tested eight
shillings and select tested twelve shillings and sixpence. Pender, of Drumfin
Apiary, West Maitland, N.S.W declared “Safe arrival guaranteed to any
Post Office in Australia and New Zealand.”. Pender may have been
involved in the importation of queen bees before this date.
Left, part of an
advertisement of April
1895.

In the Australian Agriculturist of January 1895, a notice announced that “R.

L. Pender is arranging to have a large consignment of Italian Queens
from America for next season, and in order to get the best of the
American strains have arranged for the well-known apiarist, Mr. W.S.
Pender, to go to America, personally select, and bring out the queens. By
such arrangement there will be little hardship to the queens on the
journey.” Obviously they wanted to improve the success rate and a skilled
chaperone seemed the best way of achieving it.

143
It is likely that Penders may well have been involved in the importation of
bees some time prior to 1894. A letter from Bob Gulliford, dated November
1995, where he made comment upon my manuscript, supplied the following
on the Penders’ operation “Penders company started in 1892 as a timber
mill, their beekeeping enterprise some years earlier. .. A family company
with many members, Penders was started by Mr. J. W. Pender and his
sons William and Robert. The Penders owned a model farm not far from
Maitland and bees were one of the enterprises. William Stanley Pender
took to the bees with enthusiasm right from his early years and it seems
he was largely responsible for expanding the bee goods manufacturing
side of the business. He personally ran the foremost queen breeding
apiary in Australia, a position he held for many years until the 1920s
when age and other younger breeders gradually assumed prominence.
He became one of the founding members of the Hunter River Beekeepers
Association in 1887.”.

H. L. Jones, 1895
A letter from H. L. Jones of Goodna, Queensland appeared in the February
1895 The Australian Bee Bulletin, describing the means he used to send
queens to America “.. a cage large enough to contain about 50 escort bees
comfortable, will give much better results than a smaller one. Up to date
I have received some 52 queens from America by mail, and out of that
lot only 10 came through alive. Cages of all sizes and modifications were
sent, some of them quite unique in construction, while others were the
most unsuitable that could be possibly devised. I consider a six hole cage
superior to any other, two holes to contain the candy, two holes to be
thoroughly ventilated, while the remaining two holes to receive no
ventilation, except through the two ventilated holes. Free access should
be allowed to the candy from at least two different points, and the
entrance so arranged that the bees as they die off did not roll into and
block up the passages.” (pp.262-263).

Part V - The Bees Spread Over The Land

Hacker (1935), in implied compliance with Hopkins (1904), mentions the
March 1822 importation by Captain Wallace on the Isabella and thus the
commencement of the bees dramatic spread “.. the first swarming is
recorded as taking place in the following October. These black or
English bees have since spread over the entire continent, and are now
locally known as the bush bee.”

144
CUNNINGHAM, ROYAL NAVY SURGEON, 1827
Royal Navy Surgeon P. Cunningham, in Two Years in New South Wales,
1827, states “A number of swarms have escaped at different times into
the woods, where they will doubtless breed fast, and wild wax and honey
may hereafter become common; indeed the country and climate being
exceedingly favourable for bees, we may hope to see such products
added another day to the list of our exports.” He was not wrong. (See page
Part VI - Exports of Honey, Bees & Wax, page 150 for production details for
the years 1891 through 1896 and export details for 1895.)

The following anxiety certainly did not eventuate “It is feared by some, that
being able to procure honey all the year round, they may cease hiving,
and become solitary; but in this apprehension I do not participate; for
no animal, naturally gregarious, ever, I believe, becomes otherwise.”

He was a keen observer “Our wild bees are shaped like the European bee,
but are little larger than a blow-fly, and without a sting. They live in
hollow trees, and produce very fine honey and wax, which is much
sought after by the natives. We have also solitary bees and solitary
wasps, but I know not if they possess stings.” (p.339).

Cunningham must have been a bee fancier as he described other insects

comparing them to bees “Gadflies are often as large as tame bees” (p.343).
On ants “I have seen a swarm of these fliers extending two hundred
yards, as thick as a bee-swarm” (p.346). Caterpillars “do not spread
widely over the field, but proceed in a compact line often several inches
wide and deep, huddling over each other like a hive of bees.”

ACROSS THE BLUE MOUNTAINS

John Hughes, 1839

It wasn't until at least 1839 that bees were taken across the Blue Mountains.
Rayment (1925) “Mr. John Hughes, of Sussex Farm, near Bathurst, was
struggling to take some colonies over the Blue Mountains, and the hardy
pioneer was successful” (p.271). Heaton (1879) supplied the date as 1839. It
is not surprising that Mr. Hughes struggled over the mountains. Firstly, the
Blue Mountains were first traversed by William Charles Wentworth, Gregory
Blaxland and William Lawson in 1813, twenty five years after the arrival of
the First Fleet.

145
In 1815, Governor Macquarie was determined to have “a good practicable
Cart Road made with the least practicable Delay” across the mountains.
Rather than have the task take three years to finish by contracted free labor or
the 'Government stroke', the punishment by lashes of unmotivated prisoners,
the road of one hundred and twenty six miles took six months to construct by
sixty good behaviour convicts. They earned themselves conditional pardons
for their efforts and were set free.

Mrs. Louisa Anne Meredith, writing after her arrival at Port Jackson in late
September 1839, paints a graphic picture of the sad state of the road over the
Blue Mountains “The main portion of the road is bad beyond an English
comprehension; sometimes it consists of natural step-like rocks
protruding from the dust or sand, one, two, or three feet above each
other, in huge slabs the width of the track, and over these ‘jumpers,’ as
they are pleasantly termed, we had to jolt and bump along as we best
might. How our springs stood such unwonted exercise is an enigma still”.
(Mackaness, 1978)

Secondly, according to Robert Hughes (1987), the descent of Mount York

was so steep “that loaded bullock-carts had to go down with big logs
hitched to them as brakes; and the ascent could only be made if the cart
were dragged up in stages, by a chain run through iron ringbolts in the
rock face harnessed to a second bullock team pulling downhill” (p.299).

In Fourteen Journeys Over the Blue Mountains of New South Wales 1813-
1841, a letter from Mrs. Sophia Stranger to her Mother in England, dated 15
July 1841, mentions her pioneering trip with husband and children in a dray.
The descent of Mount Victoria is thus described “And now we had reached
the long-looked-for hill, which, report says, is like going down the side of
a house, it being three miles long, and as steep as you can imagine. At the
sight of it the most stout-hearted bullock driver owns that he shudders.”

Mrs. Stranger relates that at a milestone “eight miles from Bathurst .. we set
off to make a call on a Mr. Hughes .. my dear husband thought we
would do well to see Mr. Hughes, who was able to give his advice, his
opinion being generally worth having.” This Mr. Hughes is very likely the
same man that Rayment was referring to above “of Sussex Farm, near
Bathurst.”.

146
Rayment drew his facts about John Hughes carting bees across the Blue
Mountains from Heaton’s 1879 Dictionary of Dates. In a 1949 book by an
anonymous Hughes descendant, John Hughes “took passage for them in the
barque John Craig of 375 tons, which sailed from London via Cape of
Good Hope on 9th August arriving at Port Jackson on 12th December,
1834.” (p.9) The Hughes family bought land for farming in the Bathurst
district within two years of their arrival. (p.10)

John Hughes and his son John Wesley Hughes would have been well used to
the difficulties of crossing the mountains as “A store was kept so the teams
went to and from Sydney carting goods.” (p.10) “Hares, cattle and
poultry were also imported and the first bees taken over the mountains.”
(p.11). Hughes died in 1875 in his 76th year. One of his sons, John Wesley
Hughes was also skilled in the trip to Sydney and return over the mountains
“In his early ‘teens he came with his parents to the Bathurst district and
took up his residence with them at Sussex Farm, near George’s Plain.
They came by slow and tedious means of bullock drays, the only means
of transport then in existence between Sydney and the west. Young
Hughes was associated with many such trips and at the early age of 14
years he was commissioned to go to Sydney with a bullock dray”. John
Wesley died at Kelso on 18 August 1921, aged 94. He was buried at Oberon
(p.15).

Thomas Arkell, Campbells River, 1840

No date is given for the following quote, but it appears to be around 1840.
“Thomas Arkell, of ‘Charlton’, Campbells River, received a hive from
Nathaniel Payten, of Parramatta, and drove home with the bees in his
gig”. Campbell's River is in the Bathurst district.

How Arkell moved his hives may have been similar to the following advice
given by Isaac Hopkins in his 1886 Australasian Bee Manual “Where bees
are to be moved in a cart or wagon a good thick layer of straw to stand
the hives on will prevent jarring to a considerable extent.” (p.108). In the
1891 edition of The ABC of Bee Culture “You may haul bees on almost
any kind of vehicle. Some use wagons with springs; some use a hay-rack
with two or three feet of hay on it, while others use a common
lumber-wagon, or a hay-rack with neither hay nor springs ..”.

147
Richard Nancarrow, 1894
There must have been many others who moved bees across the Mountains in
the early days. Neary (1940) supplies “Richard Nancarrow, I think, was
the first man to bring bees over the mountains from Sydney. In 1894 this
courageous and enterprising pioneer of the bee industry set out from
Sydney with a load of bee colonies packed on a strong spring cart in
search of fresh fields and pastures new for the treasure trove of which he
was an expert guardian. Selecting a stand at Musgrave farm, Wyagdon,
he began operations, and with his first season’s gathering cleared several
hundred pounds. He afterwards settled on a plot of land directly beneath
the old Wyagdon hill, some twenty miles from Bathurst on the Hill End
road. His courage and industry were rewarded in due course and he
became a wealthy bee-farmer.” Remember that Nancarrow was repeating
the feat of Hughes and Arkell some fifty years later. Nancarrow’s
grandchildren carry the tale of his exploits. His five sons were also
beekeepers.

JERVIS BAY SETTLER, 1840

In 1840, according to Gale (1912) “a settler at Jervis Bay, New South
Wales, paid £4 for a colony of bees, and then hired aboriginals to carry
them home, a distance of over 40 miles.”. I’ve not seen any earlier
authenticating reference to this event.

HONEY FOR SALE, 1840

In The Australian of 17 September 1840 is this advertisement “Honey - To
be had, at the Medical warehouse of F. Jessett & Co Lower George-
street, pure Honey, at eighteen-pence a pound, by the pound or ton.
September 16, 1840” (p.3). The advertisement also appeared on September
17 (p.3e) and September 29 (p.2g) “The best Honey to be had of F. Jessett
and Co. Chemist ... at 1s 6d per lb”.

ELIZABETH STREET, RACECOURSE, SYDNEY 1842

In The Australian of 15 January 1842 appears the following advertisement
“TWENTY HIVES OF ENGLISH BEES These are of the famous
English Honey Bee, or 'Apis Melifica', of both Ancient and Modern
Naturalists. Several families are already congregating and clustering,
and there cannot therefore possibly be a better time of the season for
‘grouping’ them than at this very moment. Mr. Stubbs will sell at
Auction at the Mart, King street on Wednesday, 19th Instant, at twelve
148
o'clock The above Stock of Bees. PS. The Proprietor parts with them
solely on account of unexpectedly removing from her residence, Juliana
Cottage, Elizabeth street, Race Course, where the Hives may be seen any
day after two o'clock in the afternoon. The Parent hive cost ten guineas.
Persons desirous of purchasing the whole stock will apply at the Mart,
King street.” (p.3).

Mention of the ‘Parent hive’ suggests that the other hives were swarms from
it. Based on the cost of this hive, a good return on the sale may have been
expected. The mention of Race Course describes the vicinity today known as
Hyde Park, Sydney. The advertisement was repeated in the January 18 issue.

AN ANONYMOUS CLERGYMAN, 1866

An Anonymous Clergyman (1866) had some spirited words on the bees
spread “There are none of the flying insects so much deserving of notice
as the bees. Hives of English bees were regarded, until a comparatively
recent period, as great curiosities. It is most surprising how fast those
bees have multiplied here, and how rapidly they have spread. Farther
and farther every year they are found making their way into the interior,
to the great delight of many who had not anticipated the arrival of such
welcome visitants. With the countless numbers of milch kine and the
honey lodged in the trees, it almost ceases to be a figurative expression,
to say of Australia, that it is ‘a land flowing with milk and honey.’ ” The
term ‘milch kine’ is old English for a milking cow.

With no lack of momentum, he continues “There are none who have

benefited so much from the introduction of English bees as the
shepherds and their families. Out all day with their flocks of sheep, and
straggling after them amongst the trees, it is a pleasant recreation, and a
profitable way of spending their superabundance of spare time, to look
for the treasures of honey. There was one hut which I entered, where the
man employed as hutkeeper had been very industrious in laying up a
large store of it in casks for sale.” (p.38). The clergyman has more to say
“The atmosphere in some quarters is strongly impregnated, at a certain
season, with the smell of honey; and this is the case especially where a
heath much resembling the Scottish heather abounds.”

He goes on to describe the suitability of the land for bees “The mammosa
tree is one mass of sweet-scented golden blossoms and sprigs, and there
are other flower-bearing trees of a larger kind, furnishing no end of
149
pasturage for bees; the climate would also appear to be highly
favourable to their increase and spreading. There are many of the trees
hollow, in consequence of the destruction effected by the white ant, and
these hollow up-standing trees are as excellent places of shelter for bees
as they are for possums.”

RYDE, NSW, 1870

Geeves (1970) in celebrating the Centenary of Ryde “Many families kept
bees in their gardens for pollination and honey. They were usually hived
in gin cases or in picturesque straw skeps and, because movable frame
hives were then unknown, the honey was extracted in a crude and
wasteful fashion.”. These details certainly describe conditions prior to the
1870s. In a later chapter “Many orchardists kept their own bees as a
practical aid to pollination and the natural increase of their colonies
eventually encouraged these people to become part-time apiarists, so it is
hardly surprising to learn that Ryde produced substantial quantities of
honey and beeswax for commercial sale.”.

Part VI - Exports of Honey, Bees & Wax

HONEY & WAX

In the Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser (Vol. III, No.
122) for Saturday 3 May 1845, S. Elliot advertised to buy quantities too small
to export “Export of honey, wax gum, leather ..” (p.1).

Government statistician T. A. Coghlan, in a section titled ‘Honey Farming’

from The Wealth and Progress of New South Wales 1895-96, reports in 1897
“The industry of honey production has acquired sufficient importance in
New South Wales to deserve notice in these pages. Hives are not only
kept on many of the farms devoted to general agriculture, but there are
also in the colony a certain number of establishments of which the sole
business is the production of honey and beeswax.” (p.367). No such entry
appears in the volume for 1892 and I have been unable to find the volume for
1893. A similar entry appears in the 1894 volume which also mentions the
distribution of hives “Most of the latter are to be found in the Blue
Mountains, near the main Western Line of Railway, in the
neighbourhood of other main trunk lines, and in the districts
surrounding the metropolis.”.

150
The opening up of rail transport over the Blue Mountains from 1866 must
have made moving large numbers of hives a much easier and quicker
proposition compared to single axle drays, bullock wagons and the arduous
track that John Hughes had experienced. From Full Steam Across the
Mountains, “the railway extended from Penrith, through Emu Plains and
over the Nepean” and climbed Lapstone Hill “a 1-in-33 grade from 87ft
elevation of the Bottom Road to 613 ft at the Top. .. The line .. was
opened to Weatherboard (later Wentworth Falls) on July 11, 1867. .. It
reached Kelso in 1875 and, the Macquarie having been bridged,
Whitton's steam trains made it to Bathurst on April 14, 1876.”.

John D. Lang (1875) in the Historical and Statistical Account of New South
Wales Vol. II , in the section on the export of natural productions following
the mention of live stock - horses, horned cattle, sheep and pigs “There were
many other items, doubtless, in the export list of the colony for the year
1872, but the only other I shall mention is that of honey, of which there
were exported in that year 15,299 pounds.” Almost seven tons of honey
exported just fifty years after the arrival of eight hives in 1822!

The 1895-96 report continues “The number of hives in the colony, and
their production of honey and wax for the past six years, are shown in
the subjoined table.”.

Year Hives. Production Total

Value
Honey. Wax.
No. lb. lb. £
1891 35,749 765,332 23,610 10,780
1892 39,728 894,583 33,786 12,850
1893 48,204 1,395,350 48,178 19,400
1894 53,483 1,139,557 39,242 16,100
1895 49,040 1,135,128 29,326 15,500
1896 37,742 1,123,209 27,520 14,200

“The total quantity of honey exported from the Australasian colonies

during the past five years is shown below.” The quantities are in pounds
weight.

Colony. 1891. 1892. 1893. 1894. 1895.

New South Wales 2,451 7,543 6,620 13,241 12,504
151
 Colony. 1891. 1892. 1893. 1894. 1895.
Victoria 52,070 31,154 17,426 14,571 204,435
Queensland 15,608 64,754 18,636 18,214 22,546
South Australia 32,948 30,582 33,097 86,112 246,533
New Zealand 197,261 74,070 32,712 43,888 52,976

Not all the hives were productive “Of the hives given for 1894, 1895 and
1896, there were 8,790, 13,355, and 10,350 respectively returned as
unproductive .. The average yield for the season ending March, 1896,
from 27,392 productive hives, was 41 lb. of honey per hive; and the
total yield showed a decrease of 11,919 lb. of honey, and 1,806 lb. of
wax from the production of the preceding year.” In the section titled
“Food, Cost of Living, and Prices” (p.800) the values in pence per lb. for
honey and wax were provided for 1896. Honey ranged between 2 3/4 and
3 1/4 pence per pound while wax was between 12 and 12 1/2 pence per
pound.

“The total exports to the United Kingdom of the five colonies shown ..
was 344,694 lb., valued at £4,040.” The Old Country was not the only
destination. “In 1895 South Australia exported 84,178 lb. to the United
Kingdom, 23520 lb. to Norway and Sweden, 93,562 lb. to Western
Australia, and 29,540 lb. to New South Wales;”

TRIGONA (NATIVE BEES)

Captain Macarthur, 1825

In The Australian Encyclopedia (1958), the entry under ‘Bees’ by Tarlton
Rayment includes this fascinating entry “It is interesting to note that a
colony of stingless bees was exported to the Horticultural Society of
England by Captain Macarthur, son of John Macarthur, as early as
June 1825. The bees were almost certainly Trigona carbonaria. They
are said to have arrived in ‘excellent order’.” For Rayment to include
the quote ‘excellent order’ implies he was working from a source
document, but I have not been able to discover what this was.

John Armstrong, 1842

In the Australasian Beekeeper of May 1988, Les and Anne Dollin reported
from Port Essington in Arnhem Land (pp. 219-223) on the Trigona bee at
what was known as Victoria Settlement in the Northern Territory between
152
1838 and 1849. Two specimens of the bee, Trigona T. essingtoni were sent to
the British Museum in 1842. It is believed that they were sent by “John
Armstrong, the gardener and botanical collector at Victoria Settlement
from 1838 to 1840”. (p.221)

153
T. W. Woodbury, 1870
Bevan (1870) mentions another export of native bees “Mr. Woodbury
had a nest of Trigona sent from Australia. The brood was fed with
honey and water; but they all died on the voyage, and it is probable
that they would never survive in this country through the winter.” No
date is supplied nor are there details of the agent in Australia who acquired
the bees and prepared them for passage. (p.287)

INTO INDIA, 1880

Singh (1962) supplies “Since 1880 considerable interest has been taken in
the importation of Italian bees into India. About two dozen separate
consignments of Italian queen bees, nuclei and colonies from colonies
from England, Italy, the U.S.A. and Australia are on record. Generally,
the bees arrived in this country depleted in strength and fell a prey to the
robbing Apis indica bees, the ravages of wasps, monsoon weather” (p.46).

Assuming the same methods were used to ship the bees to India from
Australia and from England to Australia then the bees ‘arriving depleted in
strength’ is certainly the condition suffered by one of the hives that Parr
purchased at auction in 1822. This may have been typical of what would have
been found in unaccompanied consignments and indicates that long distance
sea transportation for bees was not without its hazards. The statement that
“about two dozen consignments .. are on record” is interesting because
later works on the subject of bees imported into India do not appear to be very
aware of these earlier attempts.

The result of these importations typically ended in failure “However, both

the introduced as well as the locally raised colonies eventually petered
out.” This was usually due to lack of forage or the custodians moving on and
the intensive management that was required was no longer devoted to the
bees

Part VIII - Conclusion

There is no evidence that bees were taken with the First or Second Fleets.
There is evidence of the fruit trees taken on at the Cape but no mention of
bees. The 1822 Isabella account appears indisputable. There is no indication
that Blaxland got his bees on board in 1805. Marsden may have brought Apis

154
mellifera bees in 1810, but whatever type he did introduce, they did not
survive to reproduce.

Black in 1920 must not have been aware that Isaac Hopkins first four
editions of his work from 1881, each updating some previously supplied
'facts' on the introduction of bees as incorrect. Hopkins reminiscences titled
Forty-two Years of Bee-keeping in New Zealand 1874-1916 would have
satisfied some of his questions.

Hopkins had difficulty discovering the facts regarding the introduction of

bees both into New Zealand and the colony of Tasmania when he wrote in the
1880s. He had it wrong that Wilson brought bees from New South Wales to
Tasmania. They came direct from England, but he did get the year of 1831
correct. The uncovering of history had its pitfalls for Isaac Hopkins, 60 years
before R.A. Black sought answers. So it is today, 75 years after Black’s
query. I wonder who Black was and why he was asking. Maybe some
Tasmanian descendant knows?

Mentioning old but incomplete sets of beekeeping magazines in the libraries

of Australia, Trevor Weatherhead in his ‘Intermission’ closing page, made a
call that I wholeheartedly agree with. He said “I believe it should be a
National project of the beekeeping groups throughout Australia to try to
make complete sets of these old magazines in the appropriate libraries.” I
add to this by saying that the National Library of Australia in Canberra could
be this repository.

In Queensland at Longreach is the Stockman’s Hall of Fame. Beekeepers too,

deserve such a national monument. In such a place would stand a National
Museum to these hardy agricultural pioneers. Whatever organisation takes up
this task will undoubtedly create a popular tourist drawcard, both nationally
and internationally and a magnet for much of beekeeping history that may
otherwise be lost.

The year 1997 is the 187th anniversary of the first though unsuccessful
introduction of foreign bees to the Australian mainland by Marsden, the
166th anniversary of their successful introduction to Tasmania and the 175th
anniversary of the first successful introduction to the Australian mainland.
What a golden opportunity to advertise such a milestone for the benefit of the
honey and bee breeding industry and the preservation of its history. To this
end I have written to Australia Post suggesting a postal issue. The anniversary
155
is eligible under their rules for consideration of inclusion on a pre-paid
commemorative postal envelope. I wait in anticipation.

Langstroth (1889) adds mystery in the following “According to an article

in the Scientific Review of England, although bees have been sent from
this country and Europe to Australia, there is an Australian native
bee, which builds its nest on the Eucalyptus. The bees gather immense
quantities of a kind of honey, although very sweet, can be used as a
medicine, to replace the cod-liver oil, used with so much repugnance
by consumptives.” (p.289)

Another puzzler. It is possible that the Apis honeybee was already a native of
Australia in the form of Apis aenigmatica Raym. (1935, pp.554-561). This
social honey bee reputedly built combs whose cells measured nine to the
inch, midway between those of the dwarf-bee of India, Apis florea Fabr,
whose combs measure ten to the inch and Trigona carbonaria whose
hexagonal brood cells measure eight to the inch. Aenigmatica's combs,
typically three, were each “the size of the palm of one's hand. The cells
were truly hexagonal, and large enough to admit the head of an ordinary
pin; wonderfully neat; marvellously small.” (p.556). “The bees were
small and black, and I cannot recall one instance where they had built
inside a hollow; all, without exception, were open to the air” (p559). “the
cells were exactly like those of the honey-bee, only much smaller” (p.560).
This reputed find of a new variety of honeybee may never be resolved.

I have enjoyed my hunt for the hunt for the ‘facts’. The full answer lies buried
in the past, once living history in the minds of pioneers now long deceased.
Waiting to be discovered by the persistent researcher in public archives and
family papers across the nation, may lay more of the story.

This brings to a close my research findings to date. I will be pleased to

receive feedback. I hope you have enjoyed the read as much as I did the
search.

156
Selected Bibliography

BOOKS
Aston, Nell (1988) Rails, Roads and Bridges, History of Lapstone -
Glenbrook

Backhouse, James (1843) A Narrative of a Visit to the Australian Colonies,

London

Barry, Captain (1903) Glimpses of the Australian Colonies and New Zealand

Barrett, Rev. Alfred (1852) The Life of the Rev. John Hewgill Bumby, with a
Brief History of the Commencement and Progress of The Wesleyan Mission
in New Zealand, Second Edition, John Mason, London

Bassett, Marnie (1954) The Hentys, An Australian Colonial Tapestry,

Melbourne University Press, 1962 reprint

Bateson, Charles (1969) The Convict Ships

Belbin, Phillip & Burke, David (1984) Full Steam Across the Mountains,
Methuen, Australia

Beuhne, F. R. (1916) Bee-Keeping in Victoria, Government Apiarist,

Department of Agriculture, Victoria, Bulletin #31, 1916

Bevan, E (1870) The Honey Bee

Brodie, Walter (1845) Remarks on the Past and Present State of New
Zealand, London

Butler, Colin G. (1954) The World of the Honeybee, Collins, London

Chambers, W. A. Samuel Ironside

Cheshire, F. (c1886) Bees and Beekeeping, Scientific and Practical, The

Bazaar Exchange & mart, London

157
Clark, Manning & Hooper, Meredith & Ferrier, Susanne (1988) The Ashton
Scholastic History of Australia, Gosford, Australia

Clarke, Patricia (1986) A Colonial Woman, The Life and Times of Mary
Braidwood Mowle 1827-1857, Allen & Unwin, Sydney

Clergyman, a (1868) Australia in 1866. Facts & Features, Sketches and

Incidents of Australia and Australian Life with Notices of New Zealand, by ‘a
Clergyman’, Longmans

Coghlan, T. A. (1897) The Wealth and Progress of New South Wales 1895-9,
William Applegate Gullick, Government Printer, Phillip Street, Sydney

Collins, David (1798, 1975) An Account of the English Colony in New South
Wales, Vol I, Royal Australian Historical Society, AH & AW Reed, Sydney

Cotton, William Charles, M.A. (1842) My Bee Book, London

Cotton, William Charles, M.A. (1848) A Manual for New Zealand

Beekeepers

Crane, Eva (1963) Beekeeping, Past and Present, The Hive and the Honey
Bee Dadant & Sons

Crane, Eva (1975) Honey William Heinemann, London

Crane, Eva (1983) The Archaelogy of Beekeeping Duckworth, London

(Sydney City Library 638.1 CRA)

Crane, Eva (1990) Bees and Beekeeping. Science, Practice and World
Resources, Heinenmann Newnes

Cumpston, J. S. (1977) Shipping Arrivals and Departures 1788-1825,

Sydney

Cunningham, P. Surgeon R.N. (1827) Two Years in New South Wales; A

series of letters comprising sketches of the actual state of society in that
colony; of its peculiar advantages to wmigrants; of its topography, natural
history, &c. &c. Colburn, London

158
Dunham, Marshall (1988) Australasian Beekeeper, February 1988 (p.168)

Dzierzon, J (1882) Rational Bee Keeping

Elder, John Rawson (1934) Marsden’s Lieutenants, Otago University

Council, Dunedin

Elder, John Rawson (1929) The Pioneer Explorers of New Zealand, Blackie
and Son Limited, London

Evans, Jeremy & Berrett, Sheila (1989) The Complete Guide to Beekeeping
Unwin Hyman, London

Fenton, James (1891) Bush Life in Tasmania Fifty Years Ago reprint 1970,
Regal Publications, Launceston, Tasmania

Gale, Albert (1912) Australian Bee Lore and Bee Culture William Brooks &
Co.

Geeves, Philip (1970) A Place of Pioneers, The Centenary History of the

Municipality of Ryde Ryde Municipal Council

Gerstaecker, Dr. A. (1862) Geographical Distribution of the Honey-bee and

its Varieties, Berlin

Gillett, Ross & Melliar-Phelps, Michael (1980) A Century of Ships in Sydney

Harbour

Guenther, Konrad, A Naturalist in Brazil

Hacker, Henry (1935) An Introduction to Beekeeping, Queensland

Department of Agriculture and Stock, Division of Entomology and Plant
Pathology, Bulletin No. 11, May 1935

Hasluck, Alexandra (1955) Portrait with Background, Alexandra Hasluck

Hassall, James Samuel (1822) In Old Australia

159
Heaton, J. H. (1879) Australian Dictionary of Dates and Men of the Time
Containing the History of Australasia from 1542 to May, 1879, Robinson,
Melbourne

Henderson, John (1832) Observations on the Colonies of New South Wales

and Van Diemen's Land, Calcutta, 1832 (1965 facsimile edition, p.134)

Hopkins, Isaac (1881) The New Zealand Bee Manual, 1st ed.

Hopkins, Isaac (1882) The Australasian Bee Manual, 2nd ed.

Hopkins, Isaac (1886) The Illustrated Australasian Bee Manual and

Complete Guide to Modern Bee Culture in the Southern Hemisphere , 3rd ed.
Published by the Author.

Hopkins, Isaac (c1904) The Illustrated Australasian Bee Manual and

Complete Guide to Modern Bee Culture in the Southern Hemisphere , 4th ed.
Gordon and Gotch.

Hopkins, Isaac (c1916) Forty-two Years of Bee-keeping in New Zealand

1874-1916, Some Reminiscences

Hopkins, Isaac (c1925) Practical Bee-Keeping, The Australasian Bee

Manual, 6th ed. Whitcombe & Tombs.

Hughes, Robert (1987) The Fatal Shore Collins Harvill

Hughes & Whalan (1949) Pioneers .. Hughes and Whalan and Descendants,
by One of Them, Sydney

Huish (1817) Treatise on Nature, Economy and Rational Management of

Bees

Hull, Hugh Munro (c1870) Chronology of Tasmania (ML A588 p.13, reel
CY 1269)

Hull, Hugh Munro (c1870) Experiences of 40 Years in Tasmania

Hull, Hugh Munro (c1870) Tasmania in 1870

James, Rev. Thos. (1852) In The Honey Bee, John Murray, London
160
Jenyns, Rev. F. G. (1888) A Book About Bees Wells Gardner Darton & Co,
London

Kemp, Peter (1978) The History of Ships, Orbis Publishing, London

Khalifman, I. (1951) Bees. A Book on the Biology of the Bee-Colony and the
Achievements of Bee-Science Foreign Languages Publishing House, Moscow

Langridge, D. F. & Ilton, C. D. (1958) Beekeeping in Victoria Department

of Agriculture, Victoria

Langstroth, L. Langstroth, on the Hive and Honey Bee, 1889

Mackaness, George (1942) Some Private Correspondence of the Rev. Samuel

Marsden and Family 1794 - 1824, Privately printed by the Author, Sydney

Mackaness, George. (1978) (editor) Fourteen Journeys Over The Blue

Mountains of New South Wales 1813-1841, Part III, 1835-1841

Mamre Plains Limited (1991) The Mamre Project Foundation Book 1984-
1991 St. Marys, N.S.W

Manning, Rob. (1992) Honey Production, Economic Value and

Geographical Significance of Apiary Sites in Western Australia, W.A.
Department of Agriculture

Marsden, John Buxton (1913) Life and Work of Samuel Marsden Whitconme
and Toombs, Christchurch. N.Z. (994.02 Mars, Sydney City Library local
history reading room)

Meredith, Mrs. Charles (1852) My Home in Tasmania, During a Residence

of 9 Years, John Murray, London

Meredith, Mrs. Charles (1844) Notes and Sketches of New South Wales
During a residence in that Colony from 1839 to 1844, reprinted by National
Trust of Australia, Ure Smith, Sydney, 1973

Michener, Charles D (1974) The Social Behaviour of the Bees, Harvard

University Press, Massachusetts
161
More, Daphne (1976) The Bee Book, Douglas David & Charles Limited,
Canada

Neary, Henry. (1940) Ghosts of the Goldfields - Pioneer Diggers and

Settlers of the Turon

The New South Wales Calendar and General Post Office Directory of 1832
(facsimile edition 1966, p.49)

Nicholson, Ian (nd.) The Log of Logs

Nogueira-Neto (1962) The Introduction of Beekeeping to Brazil Biol. Agric.

S.Paulo (49:5-14)

Parsons, Ronald (1979) Steamers in the South Pacific. The Great Days of
Steam Around Australia and New Zealand Rigby

Pollen, Frances (1983) Parramatta, The Cradle City of Australia. Its History
from 1788 published by the Council of the City of Parramatta (p.303).

Quinby (1865) in Mysteries of Beekeeping Explained

Ramsay, Charles (nd) With The Pioneers

Rayment, Tarlton (1921) Profitable Honey Plants of Australasia, Whitcombe

and Toombs, Melbourne

Rayment, Tarlton (1922) Centenary of the Honey Bee in Australasia, 1822-

1922, The Australasian Beekeeper, Pender's, Maitland Oct. 15, 1922

Rayment, Tarlton (1925) Money in Bees in Australasia, 2nd ed. Whitcombe

and Toombs

Rayment, Tarlton (1935) A Cluster of Bees, The Endeavour Press, Sydney

Root, A. I. (1891) The ABC of Bee Culture, 2nd ed. Medina, Ohio

Root, A. I. (1983) The ABC and XYZ of Bee Culture, 39th ed. A. I. Root
Company, Ohio
162
Rutherford, J (ed.) (1940) The Journals of Felton Mathew, first surveyor-
general of New Zealand and his wife, 1840-1847, A.H. & A.W. Reed,
Denedin & Wellington

Ruttner, Friedrich & Milner, Eric & Dews, John E. (1990) The Dark
European Honeybee, Apis mellifera mellifera Linnaeus 1758, British Isles
Bee Breeders Association, England

Singh, Sardar (1962) Beekeeping in India, Indian Council of Agricultural

Research, New Delhi

Smithers, C. N. (1987) Backyard Beekeeping in Australia and New Zealand,

Angus & Robertson

Statham, Edwin J. (1921) Who Introduced Bees, Parramatta and District

Historical Society, Journal and Proceedings, Vol 2, 1921 (991.2/P Mitchell
Library, Sydney)

Steele, Jas. (1916) The Early Days of Windsor, Tyrell's, Sydney, 1916

Taylor, Rev. R. (1868) The Past and Present of New Zealand, London

Tucker, Rev. H. H. (1879) The Life and Episcopate of George Augustus

Selwyn D.D., Vol. I

Victorian Department of Agriculture (1991) Beekeeping

Wadey, H. J. (1948) The Behaviour of Bees and Bee-keepers, (editor of Bee

Craft) W & J Mackay, Chatham, Great Britain.

Wakefield, Edward Jerningham (1845) Adventure in New Zealand, edited by

Joan Stevens, Golden Press, Auckland, reprint 1975

Wannan, Bill (1972) Early Colonial Scandals, The Turbulent Times of

Samuel Marsden, Lansdowne Press, Melbourne (previously published as
Very Strange Tales, 1962

West, History of Tasmania

163
Windross, John & Ralston, J. P. (1897) Historical Records of Newcastle
1797-1897, Newcastle, reprint Library of Australian History, 1978

Yarwood, A. T. (1977) Samuel Marsden, The Great Survivor, Melbourne

University Press

Young, Lynette (1967) The Melody Lingers On, Biography of Tarlton

Rayment, The Hawthorn Press, Melbourne

Historical Record of Australia, Series I, Vol. V, July 1804 - August 1806.

Viscount Castlereagh to Governor King, Despatch No. 2 per transport
William Pitt, 13 July 1805

The Historical Records of New South Wales, Vol. 6, p.97 & p.304

OTHER WORKS REFERENCED

Baldwin Spencer, Sir W. Native Tribes of the Northern Territory of Australia

Baldwin Spencer & Gillen, F.J. (1946) Across Australia, Dymocks,

Sydney(Vol II., p.467)

Brewster, Mabel N. & Brewster, Agnes A.(1946) Life Stories of Australian

Insects, 1946 (p.171)

Gillies, William (nd.) First Studies in Insect Life in Australasia, Whitcombe

& Tombs, Melbourne, nd

McKeown, Keith C. (1944) Insect Wonders of Australia, Angus &

Robertson, Sydney

McKeown, K. C. (1947) Australian Insects

Tillyard, R. J. (1926) The Insects of Australia and New Zealand

UNPUBLISHED MANUSCRIPTS
Dawson, Christopher (1995) a private collection of research materials
gathered over a period of 30 years
Gurner, Henry Field (1824) Miscellaneous Papers 1817-1873, (ML index
A1493 pp.390b Reel CY 907)

164
Hunt, C. G. (c1971) Some Notes on the Wesleyan Mission at Aotea, An
Unpublished Manuscript

JOURNALS
The Agricultural Gazette of 1900 (p.1121)
New South Wales
The Agricultural Gazette of 1901 (pp.213-217)
New South Wales
The Australasian Beekeeper October 1922
The Australasian Beekeeper July 1985
The Australasian Beekeeper December
1986
The Australasian Beekeeper Dec. 1987
The Australasian Beekeeper March 1995
The Australian Bee Bulletin 28 Sep. 1893
The Australian Bee Bulletin Apr., Feb.
1895
British Bee Journal 28 June 1969 ‘The First Bees in New
Zealand’ (pp.150-1)
The Bulletin 24 Jan. 1924
The Leisure Hour 25 Nov. 1852 ‘An Anecdote from
Australia’
The New Zealand Beekeeper May 1964 ‘125 Years of Beekeeping
in N.Z.’ (p.2)
The New Zealand Beekeeper March 1979 (pp.19-22)
The New Zealand Farmer, July, Aug.
Bee and Poultry Review 1885
The New Zealand Methodist 1891 (Vol. 8. p4)
The New Zealand Journal 1 Oct. 1842 (pp.237-8)
Town and Country Journal 24 Nov. 1883
Victorian Bee Journal 15 June 1920
Western Stock and Station 7 Nov. 1949
Journal

NEWSPAPERS
The Australian 17 Sep. 1840
The Australian Agriculturist January 1895
The Australian Agriculturist February 1894
The Australian Agriculturist July 1894
165
The Daily Telegraph Mirror 25 Feb. 1995 p.115. Monica Heary
Historical Supplement
The Farmer & Settler
The Hobart Town Courier 5 Feb. 1831
The Hobart Town Courier 27 July 1832
The Hobart Town Courier 10 August
1832
The Hobart Town Courier 17 August
1832
The Hobart Town Courier 16 May 1834
The Hobart Town Gazette 7 April 1821
The Mercury Supplement 18 April 1874
Nepean Times 18 July 1896
Nepean Times 3 June 1943
Nepean Times 20 Dec. 1951
The New Zealand Farmer August &
Bee and Poultry Review October 1885
Northern Advocate 22 July 1972
Sydney Gazette 15 March 1822
Sydney Gazette 19 Mar. 1822
Sydney Gazette 12 April 1822
Sydney Gazette 2 June 1822
Sydney Gazette 14 June 1822
Sydney Gazette 21 June 1822
Sydney Gazette 1 Nov. 1822 (p.3a)
Sydney Gazette 30 Jan. 1823
Sydney Gazette 6 Nov. 1823 (p.3. col.1)
Sydney Gazette 17 Feb. 1829
Sydney Morning Herald 10 August
1863

166
ENCYCLOPAEDIAS
The Australian (1958) Angus & Vol. I
Encyclopaedia Robertson
The Australian (1958) The Grolier Society Sydney
Encyclopaedia of Australia
The Australian (1988) Australian Vol. Two.
Encyclopaedia Geographic Society Fifth Edition
The Australian Junior (1951) Georgian House Vol. Two
Encyclopaedia
The Concise Encyclopaedia (1979) Horwitz Group Vol. 1
of Australia
The Illustrated Australian Horwitz Group (1979) Vol. I
Encyclopaedia
The Illustrated Australian Angus & Robertson Vol. I
Encyclopaedia (1925)
The Modern Encyclopaedia (1964) Horwitz Grahame.
of Australia and New Sydney
Zealand
The World Book Encyc. (1985) World Book Inc. Vol. 15. p.620

A
Abercrombie Caves..................................................................................................55
Abram............................................................................................102, 103, 104, 105
Mr. E. E.............................................................................................................104
Wilhelm.............................................................................................................106
William.............................................................................................102, 103, 104
Acacia melanoxylon.................................................................................................71
Acclimatisation Society..........................................................................58, 113, 114
Adams, Patricia.......................................................................................................79
Adelaide........................................................................................111, 112, 113, 134
Africa...............................................................................................................22, 120
Agricultural Gazette of NSW...........................................................................42, 160
Agriculturist...................................................................................135, 136, 138, 139
Alexander Turnbull Library.............................................................16, 17, 18, 79, 99
Allom
Mr Albert James.....................................................................................85, 93, 98
167
 Mrs. Mary Ann.....................16, 85, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 116, 117, 121
America........................................................................100, 105, 107, 135, 138, 139
North..................................................................................................................115
Ann...........................................................................................................................37
Antipodes.................................................................................................................87
apiary...................7, 11, 52, 53, 59, 71, 72, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 115, 123, 136
Apiculture................................................................................................................43
Apis.....18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 41, 52, 71, 100, 131, 144, 149, 151, 158
Dorsata................................................................................................................21
florea...............................................................................................22, 23, 25, 151
indica.................................................................................................................149
melifica (mellifera)...........................................................................................144
mellifera.................................................................................19, 52, 71, 131, 158
mellifera cypria.................................................................................................131
mellifera ligustica...............................................................................................40
mellifera mellifera..............................................................................................40
Archer, see Arthur. Sir George.............................................................................121
Arkell, Thomas.......................................................................49, 53, 54, 55, 56, 143
Armstrong, John....................................................................................................148
Arnold Grove...........................................................................................................52
Arthur
Sir George...................................................................................................67, 121
Aston, Nell.............................................................................................................152
Atchley, Mrs. Jennie.............................................................................................136
Atlantic..........................................................................................................114, 120
Auckland.................................................................................................85, 114, 158
Augusta....................................................................................................................72
Australasia................................................14, 15, 28, 41, 45, 50, 151, 155, 157, 159
Australasian Beekeeper......7, 11, 14, 15, 17, 19, 27, 29, 38, 41, 45, 103, 116, 120,
148, 157, 160
Australasiatic............................................................................................................65
Australia...1, 2, 9, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 20, 22, 25, 26, 30, 31, 33, 34, 36, 41, 44, 50,
52, 53, 56, 57, 58, 61, 62, 66, 67, 71, 72, 75, 82, 92, 93, 100, 103, 104, 111, 112,
113, 115, 116, 117, 118, 120, 126, 133, 134, 136, 137, 139, 145, 147, 148,
149, 150, 151, 152, 153, 154, 156, 157, 158, 159, 160, 162
Australian Agriculturist................................................................135, 136, 138, 139
Australian Agriculturist, The.......................135, 136, 137, 138, 139, 140, 160, 161
Australian Bee Bulletin.................................................104, 111, 126, 137, 140, 160
Australian Encyclopaedia...................................................................................43, 44
Australian Honey Board........................................................................................113
Ayrshire..................................................................................................................118
B
Backhouse, James...........................................................................................66, 152

168
Badger Head............................................................................................................70
Bailey, Mr................................................................................................................76
Baltimore...............................................................................................................100
Baron of Berlepsch................................................................................................130
barque
Brilliant...............................................................................................................92
Barrett
Marjorie...............................................................................................................11
Rev. Alfred..........................................................................................................78
Barry, Captain.........................................................................................................93
Bathurst..........................................................7, 50, 54, 55, 141, 142, 143, 144, 147
Bay of Islands........................................................................................76, 90, 91, 98
bee
black.......................................................................13, 23, 34, 41, 58, 71, 72, 101
Cyprian........................................................................................................19, 133
Bee Craft.......................................................................................................122, 158
Bee World.......................................................................................................87, 115
Bee, newspaper..............................20, 21, 32, 36, 50, 82, 83, 87, 90, 101, 140, 157
Beecroft.........................................................................................102, 103, 104, 105
Beecroft Bee Farm.................................................................................................102
Beecroft Road........................................................................................................102
Beekeepers Supplies.................................................................................................11
bee-master.............................................................................................................107
Beer..........................................................................................................................66
Bees
wild....................................................................................................................141
beeswax, see wax............................................................................................39, 146
Bega.........................................................................................................................92
Bell, Mrs. B...............................................................................................................7
Bellingona.............................................................................................................100
Benton, Frank........................................................................................133, 134, 137
Berlepsch...............................................................................103, 104, 126, 130, 131
Berlin.......................................................................................................................41
Beuhne, F. R...............................................................................18, 34, 56, 101, 152
Bevan, Dr. Edward..........................................................................37, 122, 149, 152
Bianconcini, Charles.............................................................................111, 114, 134
Biopterin................................................................................................................123
Bishop of New Zealand
chaplain...............................................................................................................89
Black Ranges.........................................................................................................136
Black, R. A.........................................................................................14, 34, 67, 150
Blaxland
Mr. Gregory...............................30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 43, 62, 73, 87, 116, 117, 141
Bloomsbury.............................................................................................................96

169
Blow, Thos. B...............................................................................131, 132, 133, 134
Blue Mountains..................................7, 11, 25, 53, 54, 55, 135, 141, 142, 146, 156
Blue Mountains Bee Farm......................................................................................135
Bologna, Italy........................................................................................111, 113, 134
Bonney, Mr...........................................................................................112, 113, 134
Botanic Garden.....................................................................................60, 66, 70, 75
Botanic Gardens.................................................................................................60, 75
Hobart............................................................................................................58, 70
Botanical Garden.....................................................................................................30
Bothwell...................................................................................................................66
Bottom Road.........................................................................................................146
box...24, 63, 64, 69, 86, 99, 101, 116, 117, 118, 121, 122, 128, 131, 132, 134, 137
ice......................................................................................................................116
shipping.............................................................................................................125
ventilated...................................................................................................117, 134
wooden........................................................................................................86, 101
wooden breeding.................................................................................................99
Boyce, Captain John.............................................................................31, 32, 62, 87
Braidwood................................................................................................................58
township...............................................................................................................61
Braidwood Farm................................................................................................61, 62
Braybrook, Laurie...............................................................................................7, 71
Brazil...................................................................................34, 35, 39, 120, 154, 157
Brazilian......................................................................................................35, 38, 39
Brilliant....................................................................................................................92
Brisbane............................................................55, 75, 111, 112, 114, 115, 123, 128
Governor.............................................................................................................55
Bristol Channel......................................................................................................123
Britain....................................................................................................................105
British.......................................................................................................................57
British Bee Journal.....................................................................................85, 88, 160
British Museum.....................................................................................................148
Brodie, Walter...........................................................................................87, 91, 152
Brougham................................................................................................................95
Brunswick Street......................................................................................................76
Buenos Aires............................................................................................................39
Bulletin...............................................44, 48, 53, 111, 126, 137, 140, 152, 154, 160
Bullock drays.........................................................................................................143
Bumby
Miss Mary Anna.......................................................16, 17, 33, 76, 77, 78, 79, 89
Rev. John Hewgill.....................................................................76, 77, 78, 79, 152
C
cage....................................30, 31, 73, 116, 117, 118, 122, 127, 129, 133, 137, 140

170
 mailing......................................................................................................133, 137
wire.....................................................................................30, 116, 117, 122, 129
Calcutta...........................................................................................................82, 155
California.....................105, 113, 115, 123, 126, 128, 129, 130, 131, 135, 137, 138
Calista......................................................................................................................74
Cambria....................................................................................................................71
Cambridge...............................................................................................................33
Camden....................................................................................................................53
Camfield
Henry...................................................................................................................74
Campbells River..............................................................................................56, 143
Canberra............................................................................................................7, 150
Candles..............................................................................................................52, 66
candy......................................................................................................................133
Canney, Captain Thos.............................................................................................60
Canterbury................................................................................................................93
Canton Grison, Switzerland............................................................................87, 126
Cape of Good Hope......................................28, 31, 41, 60, 116, 119, 120, 142, 149
captains
Barry....................................................................................................................93
Boyce, John......................................................................................31, 32, 62, 87
Canney, Thos......................................................................................................60
Cargill................................................................................................................114
Clark.........................................................................................9, 29, 91, 113, 153
Clarke..................................................................................................................38
Cobb..........................................................................................................126, 128
Cook, James.......................................................................................................129
Macarthur....................................................................................................53, 148
Molloy, John.......................................................................................................75
Nosworthy, John...........................................................................................60, 62
Ritchie.................................................................................................................92
Stirling, James.........................................................................................60, 61, 75
Wallis, John...................................21, 29, 41, 42, 44, 46, 47, 50, 53, 54, 62, 118
Carcoar....................................................................................................................51
Cargill, Captain.....................................................................................................114
Carmichael, Dorothy.....................................................................................102, 104
Carniolan.................................................................................................................19
Caroline...................................................................................................................74
Caroline Place.........................................................................................................36
Carroll, James (Jas.)..............................................................................110, 111, 128
case.................................................56, 68, 75, 81, 84, 86, 90, 96, 99, 117, 137, 145
Castlereagh......................................................................................................32, 159
Catherine Stewart Forbes..................................................................................59, 60
Catholic church.......................................................................................................39

171
Caucasian.................................................................................................................19
Ceres......................................................................................................................121
Chamber of Manufactures.....................................................................................112
Charlton...................................................................................................................55
cheese cloth............................................................................................................134
Chile........................................................................................................................39
Christchurch....................................................................................17, 113, 114, 156
Chronos....................................................................................................................50
Church Missionary Society.....................................................................................36
Cider........................................................................................................................37
Circular Quay...........................................................................................................35
City of New York..........................................................119, 123, 126, 128, 129, 130
City of Paris...........................................................................................................129
City of Sydney.......................................................................................................129
City of the Plains......................................................................................................54
Clark
Captain......................................................................................9, 29, 91, 113, 153
Mr......................................................................................................................113
Clarke
Captain................................................................................................................38
Patricia......................................................................................................7, 58, 63
Cleghorn, Mr...........................................................................................................91
Clergyman..............................................................................................................145
Clifford..............................................................................................................94, 96
Cobb, Captain................................................................................................126, 128
Cockatoo..................................................................................................................21
Coghlan, T. A................................................................................................146, 153
Collins, David...........................................................................28, 32, 152, 153, 155
Colvin, Mr. Richard..............................................................................................100
comb.............................................................................20, 22, 23, 66, 133, 135, 138
convict...........18, 29, 41, 42, 43, 44, 51, 52, 53, 54, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 65, 129
Convicts...................................................................................................................29
Cook, Captain James..............................................................................................129
Coombing Park........................................................................................................51
Coorong..................................................................................................................112
Copeland
Hannah..............................................................................................................104
Mary..................................................................................................................104
Sir Henry...........................................................................................................104
cork..............................................................................................................34, 35, 41
Cornell University................................................................................................8, 17
Cottage Gardener....................................................................................................87
Cotton, Rev. William Charles....16, 33, 49, 80, 81, 82, 84, 85, 87, 88, 89, 95, 114,
116, 124, 153

172
Crane, Eva........................................17, 22, 33, 34, 35, 39, 114, 118, 131, 133, 153
Creed, Bro...............................................................................................................79
Crown.......................................................................................................................61
Crystal Palace...........................................................................................................66
Cunningham............................................................................................................37
Don..................................................................................................................7, 71
P. 37, 140
Curetes.....................................................................................................................50
Cyprian............................................................................................................19, 133
Cyprus...........................................................................................131, 132, 133, 134
D
Daily Telegraph.....................................................................................................104
dairy canvas...............................................................................................83, 86, 116
Dathe......................................................................................................................106
Davis, Thos..............................................................................................................65
Dawson, Mr. Chris............7, 12, 16, 17, 77, 78, 87, 91, 95, 99, 115, 120, 122, 160
Department of Agriculture...............................................18, 34, 152, 154, 156, 158
Victorian..............................................................................................................34
Department of Environment and Land Management, Tasmania...........................72
Department of Primary Industry and Fisheries, Tasmania................................8, 72
Derwent River.......................................................................................66, 70, 71, 78
Devonport................................................................................................................69
Devonshire Beekeeper....................................................................................87, 126
Dickins...................................................................................................................134
Discovery...............................................................................................................115
Dollin, Les and Anne...................................................................................7, 27, 148
Dominion.................................................................................................................98
Doolittle, G. M..............................................................................................134, 137
Dr. T. B. Wilson R.N...............................................................................................71
Drumfin Apiary.....................................................................................................139
Dunhum.................................................................................................................137
dysentery.................................................................................97, 119, 123, 125, 130
Dzierzon................................................................................................100, 108, 117
E
Eagland, James Stanley..........................................................................34, 101, 112
Edinburgh..........................................................................................................10, 32
Elder, John Rawson...............................................................................................154
Elizabeth Farm..................................................................................................51, 53
Elizabeth street......................................................................................................144
Elliot
S 146
Ellis, Netta...........................................................................................................7, 62

173
Ellison
Sue.............................................................................................................7, 10, 55
Emu Plains.......................................................................................................11, 146
Endeavour......................................................................................................129, 157
England....13, 14, 16, 28, 30, 31, 33, 34, 38, 47, 48, 50, 52, 53, 58, 60, 61, 73, 74,
75, 76, 82, 88, 89, 91, 93, 95, 99, 100, 110, 116, 121, 131, 142, 148, 149, 150,
151, 158
English...................18, 28, 32, 33, 34, 41, 69, 72, 77, 104, 140, 142, 144, 145, 153
Eucalypti............................................................................................................66, 69
Eucalyptus........................................................................................................71, 151
Europe.............................................................................21, 38, 40, 41, 75, 104, 120
Northern.............................................................................................................114
European..........................................................................................................71, 141
honey bee.............................................................................................................39
Evans, Jeremy........................................................................................................132
Executive Council...................................................................................................61
Exeter.....................................................................................................................100
F
Fanny.................................................................................................................42, 50
Fenton, James...............................................................................56, 60, 69, 70, 154
Ferrarese.................................................................................................................139
Fiorini, Signor Giuseppe.......................................................................................100
First Fleet..................................................................................................28, 32, 141
Flinders Chase.......................................................................................................112
Flood Creek..............................................................................................................61
Flora, S. S...............................................................................................................110
Forth, River..............................................................................................................69
frame.......................................................................................83, 117, 122, 133, 146
Franklin Square.....................................................................................................121
Fremantle...........................................................................................................72, 73
Frogmore..................................................................................................................69
Fullwood, Mr. C..............................................................75, 111, 112, 114, 115, 131
G
Gale, Albert.................18, 33, 42, 49, 51, 52, 58, 59, 102, 111, 115, 131, 144, 154
Garrett
Mr. E...................................................................................................................25
Mr. John...............................................................................................................23
Geographe Bay.........................................................................................................73
George’s Plain........................................................................................................143
George Street...........................................................................................................50
German.................................................................18, 28, 41, 75, 102, 105, 112, 130
Germany............................................................................................41, 72, 106, 133

174
Gerstaecker, Dr. A............................................................................39, 41, 100, 154
Gilmore, Leslie........................................................................................................78
gin cases................................................................................................................146
Gippsland...........................................................................................................22, 24
Gittos
Mrs................................................................................................................76, 77
Rev. W.................................................................................................................76
Glenbrook........................................................................................25, 135, 136, 152
Gloucester................................................................................................................29
Gloucestershire.......................................................................................................118
Goebel, R. L............................................................................................................27
Good.........................................................................................................................36
Good candy............................................................................................................133
Good, Dr. John Mason............................................................................................36
Government Gardens..........................................................................54, 68, 71, 121
Government House...................................................................................................35
Government-garden..................................................................................................66
Governor Archer, see Arthur. Sir George.............................................................121
Governor Macquarie.............................................................................................141
Governor Ready......................................................................................................65
Graham, George......................................................................................................90
Gravesend..................................................................................................77, 78, 122
Great Britain................................................................................34, 50, 56, 120, 158
Great War................................................................................................................22
Gregory
Albert...................................................................................................................11
Janette..................................................................................................................11
Grimm, Adam........................................................................................................100
Gulliford
Bob..............................................................................................................39, 139
Gulliford, R. B......................................................................................7, 16, 41, 116
gum.............................................................................................20, 38, 66, 121, 146
Gum-tree..................................................................................................................66
Gurner, Henry Field........................................................................................43, 160
H
Hacker, Mr. Henry......................................................................30, 33, 34, 140, 154
Hamilton, Victoria................................................................................................110
Harbison, J. S................................................................105, 115, 126, 128, 130, 131
Harrison, Mr. J. H...................................................................................................113
Hart Street................................................................................................................96
Hartlib, Samuel......................................................................................................118
Hasluck, Alexandra..........................................................................................73, 154
Hassall

175
 James Samuel......................................................................................................36
Thomas................................................................................................................36
Hataitai....................................................................................................................98
Hawaii....................................................................................................................129
Hawkesbury Agricultural College....................................................................42, 93
heather...................................................................................................................145
Heaton..............................................................38, 47, 48, 49, 54, 56, 141, 142, 155
Henderson, John..................................................................................20, 21, 22, 155
Henty, James.....................................................................................................74, 75
Herald, H.M.S.........................................................................................................90
Heritage Commission............................................................................................113
Hermann, M....................................................................................................87, 126
Herts......................................................................................................................132
Hill End.................................................................................................................144
Hindoostan (India)....................................................................................................21
Hindson, Matthew.............................................................................................54, 57
hive....11, 13, 14, 20, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 30, 34, 35, 37, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 50,
54, 56, 58, 60, 61, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 78, 80, 85, 86, 87,
89, 90, 91, 92, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 103, 105, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120,
121, 122, 123, 124, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 135, 137, 138,
141, 144, 148
collateral............................................................................................................121
cylindrical..............................................................................................34, 99, 133
earthen.......................................................................................................131, 133
German bar-frame.............................................................................................107
gourd....................................................................................................................35
grocery box..........................................................................................................69
Harbison....................................................................................................126, 130
Nutt...............................................................................................92, 96, 118, 121
octagonal............................................................................................................117
queen-breeding..................................................................................................108
rectangular...........................................................................................................34
straw..........................................................................................76, 86, 90, 96, 119
Hobart 14, 49, 52, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 70, 75, 78, 79, 90,
109, 120, 161
Hobart Town....................................................49, 56, 57, 58, 61, 64, 65, 66, 78, 79
Hobart Town Courier............................................49, 56, 57, 61, 62, 64, 65, 75, 161
Hobart Town Gazette.......................................................................................56, 161
Hobarton..................................................................................................................71
Hobbs
Mrs......................................................................................................................77
Rev. John.......................................................................................................76, 77
Hobson
Captain....................................................................................................80, 89, 90

176
 Mrs. (Lady)...........................................................................................80, 89, 116
hogshead.................................................................................16, 82, 83, 84, 88, 116
Hokianga River.......................................................................16, 17, 76, 77, 78, 116
Hollow trees.............................................................................................................66
Home.........................................................................................................51, 70, 156
Homebush................................................................................................................51
honey..11, 15, 18, 20, 21, 22, 24, 27, 28, 29, 33, 34, 36, 39, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 50,
52, 54, 57, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 71, 73, 79, 80, 81, 83, 85, 88, 89, 94,
95, 96, 98, 99, 101, 102, 103, 105, 116, 118, 124, 125, 128, 131, 133, 135,
138, 140, 141, 145, 146, 147, 148, 150, 151
honey badger...........................................................................................................22
honey-box..............................................................................................................131
Honolulu...............................................................115, 119, 123, 127, 128, 129, 130
Hood, Mr. Thos. L.................................................................14, 22, 59, 60, 109, 110
Hopkins, Mr. Isaac....11, 13, 16, 17, 18, 22, 39, 41, 44, 58, 59, 75, 76, 77, 80, 85,
88,
89, 90, 93, 94, 98, 100, 102, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 130, 131, 140, 143,
150, 155
Hornsby.........................................................................................................102, 105
Horticultural Society of England....................................................................53, 148
House of Assembly..................................................................................................65
Clerk....................................................................................................................65
Hughes...................................................................................................................141
John.........................................................................49, 54, 56, 141, 142, 143, 146
John Wesley.......................................................................................................143
Mr......................................................................................................................142
Robert..........................................................................................................33, 142
Hull..........................................................................................................................66
Hugh....................................................................................................................66
Hugh Munro..................................................................................................56, 65
Samuel.................................................................................................................64
Hunt, C. G...............................................................................................................77
Hunter River..................................................................................................135, 146
Beekeepers Association....................................................................................140
Hunter River Apiary...............................................................................................135
Hunter Valley.........................................................................................................135
Hurburgh, Dr. Marcus.............................................................................................30
Hyde Park (Race Course)......................................................................................145
I
Iberian......................................................................................................................40
Icely and Hindson....................................................................................................54
Icely, Mr...................................................................................44, 47, 49, 50, 53, 54
Illawarra Beekeepers.............................................................................................104

177
Imlay
Alexander............................................................................................................92
Dr............................................................................................................91, 92, 94
George.................................................................................................................92
Peter.....................................................................................................................92
Imlay Brothers......................................................................................44, 91, 92, 94
India....................................................................8, 21, 22, 23, 56, 82, 149, 151, 158
Indian Ocean..........................................................................................................120
Indicator indicator..............................................................................................21, 22
Inman Line.............................................................................................................129
International Bee Research Association.............................................................17, 91
Ireland......................................................................................................................41
Isabella...............................................................41, 42, 43, 44, 47, 50, 51, 140, 149
Isis medal.................................................................................................................98
Italian.....................................................................................................104, 109, 115
Italian Bee Co., see Italian Bee-Farming Company....................................102, 103
Italian Bee Company.............................................................................................106
Italian Bee Farm....................................................................................................103
Italy..............................101, 102, 104, 111, 113, 114, 123, 125, 135, 138, 139, 149
J
James...........................................................................................................76, 77, 78
James Ruse Drive...................................................................................................105
James, Rev. Thos.....................................................................................................88
Jenyns, Rev...........................................................................................131, 132, 133
Jervis Bay........................................................................................................49, 144
Jessett & Co. Chemist...........................................................................................144
John.......................................................................................................60, 63, 64, 65
Jones, Captain Phillip...............................................................................................59
journals
Agricultural Gazette of NSW......................................................................42, 160
Australasian Beekeeper. 7, 11, 14, 15, 17, 19, 27, 29, 38, 41, 45, 103, 116, 120,
148, 157, 160
Australian Agriculturist............................................................135, 136, 138, 139
Australian Bee Bulletin....................................................111, 126, 137, 140, 160
Bee Craft...................................................................................................122, 158
Bee World...................................................................................................87, 115
Bulletin..........................................44, 48, 53, 111, 126, 137, 140, 152, 154, 160
New Zealand and Australian Bee Journal........................................................110
New Zealand Journal.............................................80, 81, 88, 92, 95, 97, 99, 160
New Zealand Methodist...............................................................................77, 160
The Cottage Gardener.........................................................................................87
The New Zealand Farmer
Bee and Poultry Review.....79, 80, 90, 102, 103, 109, 110, 112, 134, 160, 161

178
 Victorian Bee Journal............................................................................13, 14, 160
Western Stock and Station Journal.....................................................................54
Juliana Cottage......................................................................................................144
K
Kangaroo Island............................................................................111, 112, 113, 126
Katherine Stewart Forbes, see Catherine Stewart Forbes......................................60
Kelso..............................................................................................................143, 147
Kemp
A. F......................................................................................................................64
Peter...................................................................................................................128
Kennington..............................................................................................................95
Kent.................................................................................................................33, 122
Kerikeri....................................................................................................................16
Kermode, Mr. William.............................................................42, 56, 57, 59, 65, 67
Kerr, Robert...........................................................................................................118
King
Gilbert.................................................................................................................65
Governor...............................................................................................32, 34, 159
street..................................................................................................................144
Kissing Point.........................................................................................................102
Kissing Point-street...............................................................................................107
L
Lang, John D.........................................................................................................147
Langstroth.............................................................100, 103, 115, 124, 131, 132, 133
Lapstone........................................................................................................146, 152
Largs......................................................................................................................135
Latrobe.....................................................................................................................69
Latrobe Library.......................................................................................................17
Launceston......................................................................................................61, 154
Lawson, William...................................................................................................141
Legislative Council..................................................................................................59
Lieutenant Governor................................................................................................56
Ligurian....................................................18, 19, 100, 102, 109, 112, 113, 126, 128
Lincoln Library.......................................................................................................17
Liverpool..........................................................................................................56, 111
livestock..........................................................................................................73, 147
London 34, 41, 46, 60, 94, 95, 96, 98, 110, 114, 142, 152, 153, 154, 155, 156, 158
London Missionary Society....................................................................................34
Longreach, Queensland.........................................................................................150
Lord, Mr............................................................................................................45, 47
Los Angeles County..............................................................................................113
Lumsdaine, Mrs. R..................................................................................................55

179
Lyon, W. T..............................................................................................................76
M
Macarthur
Captain........................................................................................................53, 148
John.......................................................................................................51, 53, 148
MacDonnell, Mr. S................................................................................................106
Mackaness
George.................................................................................................................35
Mackaness, George..................................................................................................35
Mackay, Angus............................105, 111, 119, 123, 126, 128, 129, 130, 135, 158
Macleay. Alexander. Colonial Secretary................................................................61
Macquarie
Governor...........................................................................................................141
River..................................................................................................................147
Magdalen College...................................................................................................33
Mahan, Mr. P. G....................................................................................................100
Maitland....................................................................................9, 135, 139, 146, 157
Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser....................................146
mammosa tree.......................................................................................................145
Mamre Homestead.....................................................................................34, 38, 156
Mangunga, see Mangungu......................................................................................76
Mangungu..........................................................................................................16, 77
Manning, Robert......................................................................................................73
Mansfield, Mr........................................................................................................135
Maori.......................................................................................................................85
Mariposa, S. S.......................................................................................................136
Marist Fathers..........................................................................................................91
Marsden, Rev. Samuel. 16, 29, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 116, 149, 150, 154, 156,
159
Mart.................................................................................................................47, 144
Mary.........................................................................................................................56
Mason, Mr. William................................................................................................89
Matamata Apiary...................................................................................................114
Matheson, Andrew................................................................................91, 92, 93, 94
Maynard, H..............................................................................................................98
McDonnell, Mr. S.........................................................................................102, 106
McDougall, Sheena.................................................................................................32
McElwaine, Mr.......................................................................................................89
McTernan, Pat.........................................................................................................60
Mead........................................................................................................................66
Medway..............................................................................................................61, 65
Melbourne...............................................................................17, 111, 152, 157, 159
Meliponin................................................................................................................39

180
Melissa.....................................................................................................................50
mellifera......................................................................................19, 52, 71, 131, 158
Mellivora capensis...................................................................................................22
Mercury Supplement.......................................................................................64, 161
Meredith
Mr. Charles.........................................................................................................70
Mrs. Charles (Louisa Anne)...............................................................................70
Mrs. Louisa Anne.............................................................................................142
Mew, Rev. William................................................................................................118
Michener, Charles D................................................................................................26
Mimosa....................................................................................................................66
Mitchell Library, Sydney.............................................8, 14, 16, 17, 36, 43, 53, 158
Mocatta, Miss. Elizabeth..................................................................................10, 55
Moffatt.....................................................................................................................61
Molloy
Captain John............................................................................................72, 73, 75
Georgina..............................................................................................................73
Mona, Prof.............................................................................................................100
Monkittee Creek.......................................................................................................61
Monselice, Italy.....................................................................................................100
Moore, J. H..............................................................................................................64
More, Daphne............................................................................................17, 87, 100
Moreton Bay............................................................................................................76
Morgan, F. L..........................................................................................................103
Morse, Prof. Roger...............................................................................................8, 17
Mount Victoria.......................................................................................................142
Mount York...........................................................................................................142
Mowle, Mr. Stewart M....................................................................................59, 153
Mt. Seymour..........................................................................................................121
Munich...................................................................................................................133
Murray River............................................................................................................25
Museum of Sydney..................................................................................................35
Musgrave farm......................................................................................................143
Mutton suet..............................................................................................................66
N
N. S. W.........................................29, 51, 65, 81, 104, 142, 147, 153, 156, 157, 160
Nancarrow, Richard..............................................................................................143
National Library of Australia.........................................................................58, 150
Naveau, Herman....................................................................................................110
Neary, Henry.........................................................................................101, 143, 157
Neighbour & Sons..........................................................................................100, 110
Neighbour, Mr. A............................................................................................87, 126
Nelson...................................................................................8, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 99

181
Nelson Examiner................................................................................................91, 92
Nelson Museum.................................................................................................91, 94
Nelson Provincial Museum..............................................................8, 91, 94, 95, 99
Nepean...........................................................................................................146, 161
Nepean Times........................................................................................................161
New Holland.....................................................................................................82, 97
New South Wales.....2, 9, 10, 13, 14, 15, 18, 20, 21, 25, 28, 29, 30, 32, 34, 36, 37,
42, 44, 47, 50, 51, 57, 58, 61, 65, 75, 80, 81, 85, 87, 88, 89, 92, 100, 101, 104,
120, 121, 126, 139, 140, 142, 144, 147, 150, 153, 155, 156, 159, 160
New South Wales Apiarists’ Association.................................................................9
New York.........................................................8, 119, 123, 125, 126, 128, 129, 130
New Zealand..1, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, 33, 41, 44, 59, 71, 76, 77,
78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 97, 98, 99, 102,
103, 109, 110, 112, 113, 114, 116, 118, 120, 121, 122, 124, 129, 133, 134,
136, 138, 139, 147, 150, 152, 153, 154, 155, 157, 158, 159, 160, 161, 162
New Zealand and Australian Bee Journal............................................................110
New Zealand Company...............................................................................80, 81, 93
New Zealand Farmer
Bee and Poultry Review.........79, 80, 90, 102, 103, 109, 110, 112, 134, 160, 161
New Zealand House................................................................................................98
New Zealand Journal...........................................80, 81, 88, 92, 94, 95, 97, 99, 160
New Zealand Methodist...................................................................................77, 160
newspapers
Bee.............................................20, 21, 32, 36, 50, 82, 83, 87, 90, 101, 140, 157
Daily Telegraph................................................................................................104
Hobart Town Courier...........................................................49, 56, 57, 61, 64, 65
Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser................................146
Nelson Examiner...........................................................................................91, 92
Nepean Times...................................................................................................161
Queenslander............................................................................................110, 111
Sydney Gazette.................38, 42, 43, 44, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 54, 57, 161
Sydney Morning Herald...............................................................52, 58, 113, 161
The Australian. 34, 38, 43, 44, 53, 54, 61, 73, 92, 101, 110, 112, 113, 137, 140,
144, 148, 160, 162
The Dominion.....................................................................................................98
The Mercury...............................................................................................64, 161
The Mercury Supplement...........................................................................64, 161
Nicholson, Mr. Ian........................................................................85, 90, 95, 97, 157
Nogueira-Neto..................................................................................................39, 157
Norman, Don.................................................................................8, 30, 63, 121, 122
North America.........................................................................................82, 114, 115
North Island, New Zealand.................................................................17, 76, 79, 113
North Shore Beekeepers.........................................................................7, 10, 28, 55
Northern Territory....................................................................................27, 148, 159

182
Norway..................................................................................................................148
Nosworthy, Captain John..................................................................................60, 62
nuclei.............................................................................................................114, 149
Nuggety.................................................................................................................101
Nutt, Thomas....................................................................................92, 96, 118, 121
O
Oatlands...................................................................................................................59
Oberon...................................................................................................................143
observatory hive......................................................................................................84
Oceanic..........................................................................................................128, 136
Oceanic Steam Ship Company...............................................................................136
Oertel, Dr...............................................................................................................115
Old Country...........................................................................................111, 114, 148
Oxley.......................................................................................................................76
P
Pacific Mail Steam Ship Company................................................................126, 129
Parawai......................................................................................................85, 98, 113
Parker, Mr. Col..................................................................................................59, 68
Parks and Wildlife Service, Tasmania....................................................................72
Parliament................................................................................................................65
Parr
Mr.......................................................................8, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 53, 149
William...............................................................................................................29
Parramatta...........................................38, 51, 52, 102, 104, 105, 107, 108, 157, 158
Parramatta and District Historical Society................................................................52
pavilion....................................................................................................................99
Peart, Mrs................................................................................................................79
Pender............................................................................................................138, 139
J. W...................................................................................................................139
Mr. W. S............................................................................................................139
R. L....................................................................................................................139
Robert................................................................................................................139
W. S...........................................................................................................138, 139
William Stanley................................................................................................139
Peninsular War.........................................................................................................72
Pennant Street................................................................................................102, 105
Penrith....................................................................................................................146
Perry, Mr. A......................................................................................................95, 99
pert, see Peart..........................................................................................................79
Perth...................................................................................................................66, 75
Peru..........................................................................................................................39
Peterson.................................................................................................................101

183
Petre, Hon. Mr. Henry William..............................................................................81
Philadelphia...........................................................................................................100
Phillip Street..............................................................................................35, 38, 153
Phoenix....................................................................................................................52
Phormium Tenax.....................................................................................................81
Plenty, Norm............................................................................................................11
Pompallier, Dr. Jean Baptiste.................................................................................91
Pompelier, see Pompallier......................................................................................91
Port Essington........................................................................................................148
Port Jackson...............................................................................................39, 41, 142
Port Nicholson...................................................................................................95, 97
Port Sorell..........................................................................................................69, 70
Portsmouth..................................................................................................52, 59, 78
Portugal..............................................................................................................39, 40
Portuguese................................................................................................................34
Provence..................................................................................................................35
Q
Quarantine..............................................................................................................116
Queade, Charles......................................................................................................52
queen........................23, 43, 101, 103, 104, 105, 120, 133, 135, 136, 137, 139, 149
Queensland..........................9, 13, 14, 15, 27, 33, 75, 108, 110, 140, 147, 150, 154
Queensland Beekeepers’ Association.................................................................9, 14
Queensland Department of Primary Industries..............................................27, 154
Queenslander.................................................................................................110, 111
Quinby...........................................................................................................116, 157
R
Race Course (Hyde Park)..............................................................................144, 145
Racecourse Road......................................................................................................76
Railway..................................................................................................................146
Railway Parade......................................................................................................102
Ramm, Peter..........................................................................................................104
Ramsay, Charles.......................................................................................................69
Rangiora...............................................................................................................7, 16
ratel (honey badger)................................................................................................22
Rayment, Tarlton......14, 22, 23, 25, 26, 29, 33, 38, 42, 43, 44, 45, 48, 54, 57, 61,
100,
101, 117, 118, 119, 141, 142, 148, 157
Reigate.....................................................................................................................93
Richmond..........................................................................................................42, 58
Rio de Janeiro................................28, 34, 35, 37, 38, 39, 41, 42, 74, 116, 119, 120
Ritchie.....................................................................................................................92
Robbing..................................................................................................................133

184
Rochester..................................................................................................................24
Romagna................................................................................................................139
Roman.........................................................................................................2, 91, 133
Root.......................................................................................100, 115, 133, 157, 158
Roscana..................................................................................................................139
Roslyn Castle...........................................................................................................92
Ross.......................................................................................................9, 64, 66, 154
Rottnest Island.................................................................................................75, 112
Royal Geographical Society.....................................................................................63
Royal Navy..............................................................................................................93
Russell, Hon. Thomas, C.M.G..........................................................................9, 113
Ruttner........................................................................................28, 41, 72, 123, 158
Rydalmere Agriculture Research Institute..............................................................105
Ryde...............................................................................................................146, 154
S
S. A........................................................................................................................112
saccharine..............................................................................................................125
Sailing ships...........................................................................................................116
San Francisco.........................................................................................129, 136, 138
Sanctuary...................................................................................................71, 72, 112
Sandwich Islands...................................................................................................127
Santa Clara Valley................................................................................................126
Sao Paulo.................................................................................................................35
Saxon, see Saxton.............................................................................................94, 96
Saxton
J. W.....................................................................................................................94
Rev. Charles............................................................................................92, 94, 96
Scientific Review..................................................................................................151
Scott, James.............................................................................................................64
Scottish................................................................................................10, 32, 59, 145
Second Fleet....................................................................................................51, 149
Secretary of State for the Colonies.........................................................................75
Selwyn, Dr. George Augustus..........................................81, 85, 87, 88, 89, 91, 158
Shallard..........................................................................................................135, 137
Dorothy.............................................................................................................102
Lorna.....................................................................................................................8
Major.................................................................................................................137
Major Adolphus..............................................................8, 25, 103, 135, 136, 137
Shallard-Hawkins, Mrs. Dorothy..........................................................................102
sheep.......................................................................................32, 36, 38, 51, 74, 147
Shipley.....................................................................................................................48
shippers, Italian.....................................................................................................125
ships

185
 Ann......................................................................................................................37
Brilliant...............................................................................................................92
Brougham............................................................................................................95
Calista..................................................................................................................74
Caroline...............................................................................................................74
Catherine Stewart Forbes.............................................................................59, 60
City of New York......................................................119, 123, 126, 128, 129, 130
City of Paris.......................................................................................................129
City of Sydney...................................................................................................129
Clifford..........................................................................................................94, 96
Discovery...........................................................................................................115
Endeavour..................................................................................................129, 157
England...............................................................................................................61
Fanny.............................................................................................................42, 50
Flora, S. S..........................................................................................................110
Governor Ready..................................................................................................65
Herald, H.M.S.....................................................................................................90
Isabella...........................................................41, 42, 43, 44, 47, 50, 51, 140, 149
James.......................................................................................................76, 77, 78
John...................................................................................................60, 63, 64, 65
John Craig..........................................................................................................142
London................................................................................................................94
Mariposa, S. S...................................................................................................136
Mary....................................................................................................................56
Medway...............................................................................................................65
Moffatt.................................................................................................................61
Oceanic.....................................................................................................128, 136
Phoenix................................................................................................................52
Richmond............................................................................................................58
Roslyn Castle......................................................................................................92
Shipley................................................................................................................48
Sorata.................................................................................................................134
Strathfieldsay......................................................................................................59
The Sisters.....................................................................................................38, 91
Three Bees...........................................................................................................42
Tomatin.........................................................................................................85, 88
Triton...................................................................................................................79
Warrior..........................................................................................................72, 73
Westminster...................................................................................................89, 90
Whitby.............................................................................................................9, 93
William Pitt...............................................................................30, 31, 32, 34, 159
Sisters of Mercy.......................................................................................................38
skep.......................................................................................16, 30, 45, 83, 117, 121
Smith

186
 Reg. C..................................................................................................................55
Thomas Arkell.....................................................................................................55
Smithers, C. N..........................................................................................................71
snuff box..................................................................................................................63
Society for the Encouragement of Arts..................................................................98
Society of Arts...................................................................................................43, 99
Sorata.....................................................................................................................134
South America...............................................................................18, 39, 41, 82, 116
South Australia...................................9, 13, 14, 25, 75, 93, 112, 113, 116, 147, 148
South Australian Chamber of Manufactures........................................................112
South Island, New Zealand.................................................................87, 91, 93, 114
Southern Hemisphere.....................................................................................120, 155
Spanish.....................................................................................................................40
Spithead...................................................................................................................60
Springwood.................................................................................................2, 7, 8, 53
St Vincent County....................................................................................................62
St. Marys..........................................................................................................34, 156
Stander Hive System.............................................................................................108
Statham
Edward Henry.....................................................................................................52
Edwin...................................................................................................................52
Stawell...................................................................................................................136
Stevenson, Bruce......................................................................................................16
Stewarton...............................................................................................117, 118, 121
Stirling, Captain James, R. N.......................................................................60, 61, 75
Stockman’s Hall of Fame......................................................................................150
Stokes, Mrs..................................................................................................34, 37, 38
Stranger, Mrs. Sophia............................................................................................142
Strathallan................................................................................................................61
Strathfieldsay...........................................................................................................59
Stubbs, Mr.............................................................................................................144
Sullivan’s cove........................................................................................................78
surgeons
Cunningham, P...........................................................................................37, 140
Davis, Thos.........................................................................................................65
Imlay, Alexander................................................................................................92
Imlay, George......................................................................................................92
King, Gilbert.......................................................................................................65
McTernan, Pat.....................................................................................................60
Wilson, Dr. T. B.
R.N....................................................................................................................8
Wilson, Dr. T. B. R.N..13, 14, 30, 51, 54, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 63, 64, 65, 67, 75,
121, 122
Wilson, George....................................................................8, 30, 59, 63, 64, 122

187
Surrey.......................................................................................................................93
Sussex Farm...........................................................................................141, 142, 143
Swan River........................................................................57, 60, 61, 65, 74, 75, 120
Swansea...................................................................................................................70
Sweden...................................................................................................................148
Switzerland......................................................................................................87, 126
Sydney....7, 8, 9, 14, 16, 17, 33, 34, 35, 36, 38, 39, 42, 43, 44, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50,
51,
52, 54, 56, 57, 58, 60, 61, 62, 71, 85, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 98, 102, 103, 106, 109,
112, 113, 115, 121, 128, 129, 130, 136, 143, 144, 145, 153, 154, 155, 156,
157, 158, 159, 161, 162
Sydney Cove......................................................................................................35, 38
Sydney Gazette................14, 38, 42, 43, 44, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 54, 57, 161
Sydney Morning Herald...................................................................52, 58, 113, 161
T
T(op) hole..........................................................................................................83, 84
Table Bay................................................................................................................78
Tamar River.............................................................................................................70
Tarraleah...........................................................................................................71, 72
Tasman Sea...........................................................................................................121
Tasmania7, 8, 13, 14, 22, 30, 54, 56, 57, 58, 59, 63, 65, 66, 67, 69, 70, 71, 72, 75,
76, 102, 109, 150, 154, 155, 156, 159
North West...........................................................................................................69
Tasmanian Beekeepers’ Association...................................10, 59, 68, 70, 117, 121
Taylor, Rev. Richard..........................................................................79, 80, 89, 158
tea chest...................................................................................................................69
Teneriffe............................................................................................................41, 52
Texas......................................................................................................................136
The Australasian Bee Manual..................................................................................11
The Australasian Beekeeper..................................................11, 15, 17, 41, 116, 157
The Australian......34, 38, 43, 44, 53, 54, 61, 73, 92, 101, 110, 112, 113, 137, 140,
144, 148, 160, 162
The New Zealand Methodist.............................................................................77, 160
The Sisters.........................................................................................................38, 91
Thirsk.......................................................................................................................77
Three Bees...............................................................................................................42
Thuringia...............................................................................................................130
Tomatin.............................................................................................................85, 88
transport.............................42, 58, 60, 62, 65, 75, 81, 105, 117, 123, 143, 146, 159
Trifolium repens......................................................................................................88
Trigona..................................................................................18, 20, 52, 53, 148, 151
carbonaria...........................................................................................53, 148, 151
T. essingtoni......................................................................................................148

188
Triton.......................................................................................................................79
Turon.....................................................................................................................101
Twofold Bay............................................................................................................92
U
U.S.A.............................................................................................................136, 149
United Kingdom....................................................................................................148
United States..........................................................................................................133
University of Western Sydney..................................................................................7
Usher of the Black Rod............................................................................................59
V
Valley Heights..........................................................................................................11
Van Diemen’s Land..............13, 42, 56, 57, 61, 62, 63, 65, 66, 67, 68, 78, 92, 121
Vasse River..............................................................................................................73
Ventura County......................................................................................................113
Victoria...7, 13, 14, 18, 24, 34, 56, 71, 75, 101, 105, 110, 136, 142, 147, 148, 152,
156
Victoria Road.........................................................................................................105
Victoria Settlement...............................................................................................148
Victorian Apiarists’ Association..............................................................34, 101, 112
Victorian Bee Journal................................................................................13, 14, 160
Victorian Department of Agriculture.........................................................18, 34, 158
Virginia..................................................................................................................115
W
W. A..................................................................................................................61, 72
Wagner, Mr...........................................................................................................100
wagons, covered....................................................................................115, 143, 146
Waikato Historical Society.....................................................................................77
Wakefield....................................................................................92, 93, 94, 121, 158
Captain Arthur........................................................................................92, 93, 94
Colonel William.....................................................................................92, 93, 94
Edward Gibbon...................................................................................................93
Edward Jerningham............................................................................................93
Wales.....................................15, 29, 51, 65, 81, 104, 142, 147, 153, 156, 157, 160
Wallace, Captain John......................................................................................29, 37
Wallace, see Wallis....................................................................42, 43, 51, 118, 140
Wallis, Captain John..........................21, 29, 41, 42, 44, 46, 47, 50, 53, 54, 62, 118
Wannan, Bill...................................................................................................34, 159
Warrior...............................................................................................................72, 73
Wasps.....................................................................................................................141
water......11, 20, 21, 30, 35, 75, 83, 84, 90, 99, 116, 117, 120, 122, 124, 125, 127,
129,

189
130, 132, 135
Waterhouse, Rev. John............................................................................................79
Waterloo...................................................................................................................72
Wattle Flat.............................................................................................................101
wax............................21, 25, 27, 33, 43, 52, 66, 68, 71, 80, 81, 140, 141, 146, 148
Weatherboard, see Wentworth falls.......................................................................146
Weatherhead, Mr. Trevor.....................................13, 14, 15, 76, 110, 111, 126, 150
Wellington................................................16, 17, 79, 91, 93, 94, 95, 97, 98, 99, 158
Welwyn..................................................................................................................132
Wentworth.........................................................................................47, 51, 141, 147
D’Arcy.................................................................................................................51
William Charles..........................................................................................51, 141
Wentworth Falls.....................................................................................................147
Wentworths..............................................................................................................52
Wesley Historical Society.......................................................................................78
West...................................................................................................................13, 67
West Devon..............................................................................................................69
West Indies.............................................................................................................133
West Maitland........................................................................................................139
Western Australia........................................13, 44, 60, 61, 66, 72, 73, 75, 112, 138
Western Australian Department of Agriculture.....................................................73
Western Line.........................................................................................................146
Western Stock and Station Journal.........................................................................54
Westminster.......................................................................................................89, 90
Whishaw, Mr. Francis.............................................................................................98
Whitby.................................................................................................................9, 93
White
Captain Robert....................................................................................................52
Rev. Stephen.....................................................................................................118
White Star liner.....................................................................................................128
Whitton..................................................................................................................147
Wiggins
Elisha...................................................................................................................53
Wild flowers.............................................................................................................69
William Pitt...................................................................................30, 31, 32, 34, 159
Willis, see Wallis....................................................................................................42
Wills, Mrs..........................................................................................................95, 99
Wilson
Don............................................................................................................121, 122
Dr. David...........................................................................................................121
Dr. T. B. R.N.. .8, 13, 14, 30, 51, 54, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 63, 64, 65, 67, 75, 121,
122
Edward..............................................................................................................110
George..................................................................................8, 30, 59, 63, 64, 122

190
 Wm......................................................................................................................64
Wilson, Dr. T. B., R.N............................................................................................29
wire...................................................30, 73, 116, 117, 118, 122, 123, 129, 132, 133
Wisconsin..............................................................................................................100
Wodenese...............................................................................................................139
Woodbury, Mr. T. W........................................................87, 99, 100, 111, 126, 149
Woon
Mother.................................................................................................................79
Rev. William.......................................................................................................79
Wren, Christopher..................................................................................................118
Wyagdon................................................................................................................143
Y
Yarwood, A. T....................................................................................34, 36, 39, 159
Yorkshire.........................................................................................................77, 122
Z
Zeus.........................................................................................................................50
zinc
cylinders..............................................................................................................84
perforated..........................................................................................83, 86, 96, 99

191
 Historical Supplement
Two Blue Mountains Pioneer Beekeepers

MAJOR ADOLPHUS SHALLARD, GLENBROOK NSW, 1887

Major Adolphus Shallard with sons Ken & Bruce

Late 19th Century Blue Mountains beekeepers played an important role in the
establishment of the honey industry in the then colony of New South Wales
and they continued their pioneering efforts into the 20th Century. Major
Adolphus Shallard, who worked his large apiary at Glenbrook, NSW, from
1887, was one of them. A man worthy of remembrance. A man whose story
has until now, remained untold.

In Rails, Roads and Bridges, History of Lapstone - Glenbrook, by Nell

Aston, 1988 “Mr. Major Shallard of Blue Mountain Bee Farms .. lived in
Brooklands Rd. (Major was his given name and not a military title.) He
was president of the bee-keepers Association and had a honey depot at
Leichhardt as well as his bee-farm at Glenbrook. His letterhead also
stated that he had 'The Largest Bee-farming Concern in Australia', with
850 hives.” (p.38)

Major Shallard was born in 1863, married in 1882 at the age of 19. His
mother was Jane Hatherley from New York, U.S.A. Aston adds “He was
educated at the Sydney Grammar School and went into his father's
business; later took up bee culture.”

He had five children, Joe, Phil, Dorothy, and Doctors Ken and Bruce. The
births of the last two children were separated from the others by a span of
fifteen years. His son Ken was a registered beekeeper. In the Australasian
Beekeeper (ABK) of May 1940 he wrote “Beekeeping must be hereditary,
as all the Shallards are beekeepers. Even my youngest son, Dr. Bruce
(now in Boston, U.S.A) worked on the bee farms at Bathurst during his
vacations when at the University. My wife too was a successful
beekeeper, and got wonderful results.” (p.342) His wife died in 1938 after
56 years of marriage.

Son Phil Adolphus, also an apiarist, became an Apiary Inspector, living at

Randwick. In the ABK of February 1929, (pp.218-219) there is a photograph
of Phil, as a delegate attending the 16th annual meeting and conference of the
New South Wales Apiarists’ Association for 1929. A tall, robust man with
the look of integrity, it gives a glimpse of what his father may have looked
like. Also attending the conference was A. J. Brown, a self proclaimed
contemporary of Major Shallard. The ABK of January 1941 finds Phil
reporting on the honey prospects for the Southern District, including areas
such as Young, Boorowa, Dalton, Gunning, Yass, Harden, Murrumbidgee,
Queanbeyan, ACT, Goulburn and Binalong-Yass.

I did not think that Nell Aston was correct in supplying his given name as
Major. I thought the origin of his cognomen `Major', was made clear by the
following obituary detail supplied by his daughter “As a young man he was
in the Mounted Rifles.”, supported by his name being supplied as “Mr.
Adolphus Shallard”. I assumed it was in military service that he gained the
rank of Major and carried this title into civilian life. He was often referred to
as “the Major” in the press, including his obituary. I recently contacted a
daughter-in-law, Lorna, wife of the late Dr. Ken Shallard, and she assured me
that his christian name was in fact, Major.
The ‘Glenbrook News’ section of the Nepean Times reported on 18 July 1896
that “The Blue Mountain Bee Farm is no more, Mr. Shallard having
removed the whole of his hives to the Richmond River, where he has
established a new farm.” This report does not match Shallard's own
statement that he kept a bee farm on the Blue Mountains for 30 years.

His obituary, which appeared in the Nepean Times of 3 June 1943, opens
with “Mr Adolphus Shallard, well known in Sydney, on the Blue
Mountains, and Northern Rivers”. Having established an apiary in 1887,
and supposedly removing in 1896, a stay of nine years, is not consistent with
him still being well known in 1943. In the February 1941 issue of the ABK
he writes “The best crops I ever had I got at Glenbrook on the Blue
Mountains. There was no bloom that I could find, and yet the honey
poured in, I had 250 hives there for thirty years, and did well.” (p.238)
He probably placed an apiary manager at Glenbrook after he expanded his
interests to the Northern Rivers of NSW, probably between the years 1913
and 1917, or even as early as 1893.

The photograph above is believed to have been taken around 1885. It shows
the split level honey shed, figures spread throughout the foreground and
background, and a group of people adjacent the back door of the shed. Note
the child on someone’s knee immediately in front of the door; the beekeeper
smoking a hive centre bottom; two hives are to his right. The uncropped
photograph, taken from a considerable distance, shows more figures and
hives. The apiary is obviously at an early stage of development with the bush
showing the scars of recent clearing.

In the Australasian Beekeeper of January, 1938 (p.214) “I have been on the

North Coast for the past 45 years.” His home farm was then at Woodburn
where he kept 250 hives for over 25 years.

Shallard never suffered false modesty. His 1890's advertisement in The

Australian Agriculturist boasts “I have built up the largest bee concern in
Australia, and I did not do it by keeping poor stock.” Shallard later ran,
with the help of his sons, close on three thousand hives.

Severely damaging his left hand, he showed that he was an optimist, his letter
in the Australasian Beekeeper of December, 1938 “In 1916 I was just off to
the War when I fell on a circular saw. I only cut the fingers and thumb
off, and I had the palm, which has been extremely useful.” (p.154)

At the age of seventy seven, he wrote in the August 1940 issue of the
Australasian Beekeeper, “I am, of course, now under a big handicap
inasmuch as I can do no actual work.” His health was failing by this stage
and a nurse accompanied him on his travels. Describing himself before ill
health set in, as “Six feet two high, and a boxer, swimmer, rower, etc.”
(Australasian Beekeeper Oct 1940 p.118). I recently met a grandson, Phil,
and great grandson Mark. Like Adolphus, they were both well over six feet
tall. Lorna Shallard informed me recently that Adolphus won a medal for
bravery; a rescue at Evans Head.

The obituary supplied by his daughter, Mrs. Dorothy Shallard-Hawkins,

gives some interesting details. It opens “Adolphus Shallard .. died in the
Private Hospital at Kyogle on 8th May. He was 80 years of age, and until
two days before his death he actively managed his apiary business,
driving by car to his many apiaries hundreds of miles apart.” His funeral
took place on May 10, 1943 at Rookwood Cemetery.

The obituary continued: “'Major' Shallard was born in Melbourne; he

was an only child, his father, J. T. Shallard, of Gibb, Shallard & Co.,” It
was at the printing firm, where many fine publications were printed, that
overseas books on beekeeping were reproduced, and thus Adolphus gained
his first awareness of the wonders of the bee hive.
In the Nepean Times of 31 July 1941, a letter by Shallard to the Editor points
out the lack of adequate police protection for Glenbrook. Firewood getters
had “cleaned up all the timber up to Penrith, and is now starting in the
Mountains.” He supplies some colourful details in the early part of his outcry
“In the long ago I first saw Glenbrook from the contractor's train. It was
known then as 'The Tanks.' The Penrith-Bathurst line had at that time
only been built as far as 'The Tanks'. That must be over 70 years ago.”
This would make his estimated date of earlier than 1871.

His recollection was not far out as the railway had already conquered the Blue
Mountains slopes up the Little Zig Zag at Lapstone and by 1867 had reached
Weatherboard (Wentworth Falls). The availability of the railway to the Blue
Mountains was a significant catalyst in the establishment of large apiaries in
the lower Mountains, both at Glenbrook and Springwood.

Shallard's recollections continued “I had passed through it later on in life

on my many trips and camping parties to the Blue Mountains, but I had
no intimate knowledge of it until I purchased the Blue Mountain Bee
Farm for Mr. W. Garrett in 1887. I moved my own apiary up there, and
had 250 hives. At that time there were only six houses in Glenbrook.”
The newspaper article may have misprinted “for Mr. W. Garrett” when it
possibly should have read “from Mr. W. Garrett”. I have seen Shallard's
advertisements in The Australian Agriculturist for 1894 where he was
obviously the proprietor of Blue Mountain Bee Farms. Garrett was another
early beekeeper, whose family lived a short walk away from the Shallards at
Glenbrook.

The illustration of the bee farm was supplied by John Low, Local Studies
Librarian at Springwood Library, showing the establishment of Shallard's
bee farm at what must have been an early stage. The bush appears to have
been recently cleared and the timber building with its split level design is
most likely the honey shed. Nucleus (starter) hives are evident as are many
people. The photograph was taken from some distance, and each study of the
print by magnifying glass reveals yet more figures. One man is working a
hive, a baby is astride someone's lap, and dark robed forms dot the raw
landscape.

Major Adolphus Shallard was President of the Honey Producers Association

of NSW, a body which he created to pack and market the honey crop of its
members. He was an outspoken and colourful character within the industry,
committed to its success and promotion. He vigorously fought the
establishment of a centralised Honey Marketing Board, believing the cost
overheads took too large a share of a beekeeper's return on his crop.

His letter to the Australasian Beekeeper in February 1941, covering his

favourite topic of honey marketing, gives another insight into his past “What
is the use of producing honey if you cannot sell it? I met this problem
with my first big crop of honey of forty-four tons about 1888.” (p.236).
Shallard was about to become an entrepreneur. “Honey was selling by
auction at Ellis' in Railway Square for 7/6 per tin. 'That was no good to
Gundy,' and I had to start a bottling business right away. I had a light
wagon built (cost me £60) of ash, cedar and hickory, to carry a ton. I had
big name boards on the sides and a spanking pair of horses, and trade
just boomed. I built, the following year, a bottling place which cost me a
thousand 'quid'.”. He ran his bottling and sales depot for twelve years, from
1888 to 1900. His reference to 'Gundy' was a use of the late 18th Century
term of 'gundy-guts' or 'greediguts', his meaning being that so much honey
was too much for him to eat.

In a letter to the Australasian Beekeeper of July 1940, Shallard wrote of

himself “I have taught half Australia beekeeping. This is no idle
statement. Many of the beekeepers who are doing well to-day have
worked for me, and others have profited by my writings. I have been
writing on bee matters since 1882 and will be until I die.” (p.119) He was
as good as his word.

Shallard was a noted beekeeper throughout New South Wales for more than
fifty six years. His obituary supplies “.. he took up bee culture and wrote
columns on that subject for the 'Sydney Morning Herald,' 'Sydney
Mail,' and many American bee journals in the U.S.A.” I have also seen
articles by him in The New Zealand Farmer, Bee and Poultry Journal of the
1880s, The Australian Agriculturist of the 1890s and numerous letters and
reports in The Australasian Beekeeper into the 1940s. There must be many
other journals that carried his contributions. He was a prolific correspondent
and was often the initiator of debate over beekeeping practises and opinions.
One respondent accused others taking the bait as suffering from 'Shallarditis'.

He was an avid letter writer. Some of his targets included the Minister for
Lands, Chairman of the (wartime) Liquid Fuel Control Board, Under
Secretary and Minister for Commerce, Minister for Agriculture, Chief
Secretary, the Premier, the Prime Minister and Princess Marina the Duchess
of Kent. In line with his prodigious letter writing ability, the following should
not come as a surprise “Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of England,
has corresponded with Major Shallard and presented him with an
autographed copy of his last book.”

Without any sign of vindictiveness or emotion, Shallard always called it as he

saw it. In disagreeing with his friend George's point of view “That this
gentleman suffers from hallucinations is obvious.” (Australasian
Beekeeper July 1940, p.28) In a subsequent letter he writes of George “He
cannot see (being apparently mentally blind).”

Decrying the waste and mis-management of the Egg Board and its
management he writes “Mr ___, who is a Government nominee of the Egg
Board, and I suppose gets £2/2/- a sitting (which is more than the fowls
get for sitting)” (Australasian Beekeeper, Aug 1940, p.59). Criticising the
Queensland Honey Board “They must be a pretty dead lot up there ... Do
not tell me they are 'alive' because facts prove that if they are not
actually dead, they are in a state of suspended animation.” (ABK Nov.
1940, p.127)

The following words were written at the time of the Second World War.
Accused by a correspondent friend as being pugnacious, his reply reveals a
lot of himself, then at the age of seventy seven “I am no respecter of
persons, and I say what I think, not to hurt anyone's feelings or to do
anyone an injury, or from any feeling of spitefulness. I think that any
man who nourishes an ill-feeling against another is a fool. The .. idea of
nourishing hatred is foolish. Hate gets no one anywhere. Hate hurts the
hater. It does not injure the hated. I can have a row with anyone, but I
never nourish enmity. If I see anything which I think is detrimental to
my fellow beekeepers, I do my best to alter it. .. I am not a pugnacious
person at all. I am probably the mildest individual alive, or one of them,
but if attacked I will always fight. Can't help it, I have to do it.”
(Australasian Beekeeper Oct 1940 pp.118-119)

He was well known as a champion for others' problems. If some lobbying

was required on another's behalf, Shallard's response was likely to take
passage on a steamship from the north coast down to Sydney to put the case
before the relevant body.
His headquarters in the year of 1941 was at Gevillia near the Queensland
border where he had 350 hives. (Australasian Beekeeper Feb 1941, p.238.)

Shallard often reminisced in his later years. The Major wrote to the
Australasian Beekeeper to praise Bill Goodacre, an apiary officer within the
New South Wales Department of Agriculture: “ ‘Hats off’ to Bill, who is not
only a first-class beekeeper, who is still an enthusiast; but also a
thoroughly good fellow and as ‘straight’ as a gunbarrel.” In a visit to the
Hawkesbury Agricultural College, Shallard wrote of Goodacre “we discussed
every phase of the bee problem from John Hunter to the present”. This
may be a reference to the John Hunter, an early entomologist, as mentioned
by Albert Gale (1912) in conjunction with Dr. Bevan, another 19th Century
beekeeping identity.

The craft of beekeeping can become a passion, as I well know, a zeal that
remains with one for life. In the Australasian Beekeeper of November 1937,
Shallard, puts it well “Bill, like myself, got a bad attack of Bee fever at an
early age, and also like myself, he has never got the germs out of his
system.” (p.161). In honouring his friend, he revealed some of his past and
also of William Abram, a beekeeper and queen bee breeder at Parramatta in
the 1880s and later at Beecroft from the 1890s, endowing him the title of
“The father of beekeeping in Australia”.

“We both knew the father of beekeeping in Australia; (the late W.

Abram), who (as far as I know) introduced the Italian bee. When I first
saw Mr. Abram, he had about a dozen hives of Italian bees, which he
had brought from Germany in Berlepsch hives, just out of Parramatta.
At the time I belonged to the old printing firm of Gibb Shallard & Co.,
and I contracted lead poisoning probably from the type. The doctor
said .. I must get away from the business and out into the open air;
unless I wanted to take the lead in a funeral procession. So, for the next
few years, my job was to take my dad for a drive every afternoon, and
incidentally look after my bees as an amateur. One of our favourite
drives was along the road past Mr. Abram's, and one day I went in to
see him. At the time I first knew him, he had not long come from
Germany. he had been apprenticed to (I think he said) Dzierzon, and he
knew his job thoroughly.”

A. J. Brown wrote to the Australasian Beekeeper, his letter dated November

1940 was published in the January 1941 issue. He provided a picture of his
Leaford Apiary at Parkville NSW, captioned as ‘My apiary 44 years ago’.
That would make the date of the photograph 1896. Brown writes “As time
goes on, I can claim, with Major Shallard, to be of the oldest school of
queen breeders in N.S.W.” Like Shallard, he also had the bee disease
“Although well past the allotted span I still dabble with the pets.” This
letter was written on Brown’s 80th birthday who took up beekeeping as a
teenage schoolboy in 1875.

The picture of Brown’s apiary again appeared in the June 1943 Australasian
Beekeeper (p.269) captioned “Photo taken in 1896”. It was accompanied by a
letter from him regretting the death of Major Shallard. Mr. Brown was then
83 years old. He writes “The writer's acquaintance with him .. dates back
a long way .. to a time when such events as the introduction of the first
bar framed hive to Australia or the far-famed leather queens imported
by Pender Bros. were subjects of comment.” The term ‘leather’ is a
reference to the ‘Italian’ or ‘Ligurian’ yellow coloured bee as distinct from
the ‘English’ or ‘German’ black bee, now described as the dark European
bee.

Brown started beekeeping around 1876. Brown wrote “I commenced

keeping bees about 20 years (ago) .. In fact, as a schoolboy in Scone I had
a dozen boxes (not hives) of bees and was the first, locally, to adopt the
8-frame Langstroth hive.” (p.269)

A bushfire that raged through Glenbrook in the early 1900s burnt down his
house and probably destroyed some of the apiary. This may have been the
same fire that did considerable damage to the Springwood apiary of Elisha
Wiggins, who set up his bee farm and orchard around the year 1883.

ELISHA & SARA JANE WIGGINS, SPRINGWOOD NSW, 1883

 The 1880's saw the substantial
beginnings of a honey industry,
particularly in the Blue
Mountains. Some beekeeping
archaeology still exists as
evidence of this in the
Springwood area. I am not aware
of other such sites frozen in time,
and but for the absence of hives
on their stands, the scene is as it
would have been over 100 years
ago.

The Wiggins family, headed by Elisha, had a modern bee farm at the end of
Bee Farm Road, Springwood. The operation was obviously the source of the
name of the road which leads to the end of the ridge where still abides the
original Wiggins home. The property remains today, almost in its guise of the
1880's. With a verandah on two sides, the weatherboard cottage of one main
room and two smaller bedrooms is covered with a rusty corrugated iron roof.
The white ants were winning the day on the cottage timbers until they were
eradicated, as the dry and crumbling structure bears witness. The detached
laundry with its 2 metre high sandstone rear wall and its floor of stone
flagging now serves as a horse stable.
From a Christmas long past, a large metre round branch of native mistletoe
hangs from the exposed rafters of the cottage’s main room. Pathways,
bordered by sandstone flags, provided clear access for the working of each
hive. The photograph shows modern Langstroth style hives set out on
terraces, each mounted upon a solid stone stand. Elisha and spouse, pose
proudly in the foreground. The alternating lines of paths and hive terraces
layer their way down the side of the ridge, at the foot of the homestead. No
evidence remains of the honey extracting equipment, boiler or honey tanks.

Fred Wiggins, grandson of Elisha, my guide around the cottage, well

remembers the geared honey extractor. My thanks go to Mrs. Bell, the current
property owner, for permission to inspect the apiary remains and cottage.
 At left, a fragment of the terrace,
showing a stone hive stand
centre and another above and to
the left.

Of the parallel terraces I counted at least five, the surviving sections each
about 50 metres long by 2 metres (6 feet 6 inches) wide. Level pathways
separating each terrace are 1.5 metres (5 feet) wide and were cut from the raw
eucalyptus studded forest slopes. Each hive had a substantial hivestand
shaped from the local stone. Some stone bases remain seated in their original
positions, each about 560mm x 480mm 180mm (22 inches x 19 inches x 7
inches) and an average 4.4 metres (14 feet 6 inches) apart. This equals the
recommended separation of hives for the period. Stairs cut from the raw rock
lead down from the lowest terrace to the forest floor. Elisha's son, James
Joseph Wiggins, was a stonemason and the excellence of the craftsmanship
and its durability is still apparent in the extensive stonework.

Elisha was a professional gardener who came to Australia to work for Mrs.
Onslow (of the Macarthurs) at Camden where he stayed for around two years.
He was married to Sara Jane (Jones) at Fisk Memorial Church, Great
Malvern, England. Elisha and Jane had five children, William Thomas,
Frances May, Violet, Jack and James Joseph. After leaving the employ of the
Macarthur Onslow family, Elisha lived in the vicinity of what is now
Springwood Cemetery before relocating to the other side of the railway line.
The bee farm also supported grapes, oranges and apples. Elisha created living
sculptures out of fruit trees, sometimes in the form of a vase or a fan. Family
history related by Jack Proctor, another descendant, has it that honey was
exported to England around 1883.
 A View of the Wiggins Family Home, 1995

Descendants of Elisha live close by. Fred, son of James Joseph Wiggins, born
in 1912, lives two houses up from the old family home. He expressed surprise
that the tinder dry cottage, now a shell, had survived the many bushfires that
have raged throughout the area over the years.

A bushfire burnt through South Springwood, reputedly around 1902 where

the smoke and heat killed many of the bees. I hope to see hives again placed
upon those original stone footings, bees working the local nectar and pollen
supplies. I would like to be the beekeeper who can bring alive the long
dormant apiary tradition of this part of the Blue Mountains.

Index
A
Abram........................................................................................................................7
William.................................................................................................................7
Agriculturist.......................................................................................................3, 4, 5
apiary......................................................................................1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Aston, Nell............................................................................................................1, 2
Australasian Beekeeper............................................................................1, 3, 5, 6, 7
Australia..................................................................................................1, 3, 5, 7, 10
Australian Agriculturist....................................................................................3, 4, 5
Australian Agriculturist, The............................................................................3, 4, 5
B
Bathurst......................................................................................................................1
bee
black......................................................................................................................7
Bee Farm Road..........................................................................................................8
Beecroft.....................................................................................................................7
Bell, Mrs. B...............................................................................................................9
Berlepsch...................................................................................................................7
Bevan, Dr. Edward.....................................................................................................7
Blue Mountains.......................................................................................1, 2, 4, 8, 10
Blue Mountains Bee Farm....................................................................................1, 4
Boston........................................................................................................................1
Brooklands Rd...........................................................................................................1
Brown, A. J.......................................................................................................2, 7, 8
C
Camden....................................................................................................................10
case............................................................................................................................6
D
Dzierzon....................................................................................................................7
E
Egg Board..................................................................................................................6
England................................................................................................................6, 10
English.......................................................................................................................7
Evans Head................................................................................................................4
F
frame..........................................................................................................................8
G
Gale, Albert...............................................................................................................7
Garrett
Mr. W....................................................................................................................4
German......................................................................................................................7
Germany....................................................................................................................7
Gevillia......................................................................................................................6
Gibb, Shallard & Co..................................................................................................4
Glenbrook......................................................................................................1, 2, 4, 8
Goodacre, Bill...........................................................................................................6
H
Hawkesbury Agricultural College............................................................................6
hive........................................................................................................3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9
Home.......................................................................................................................10
honey...............................................................................................1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 9, 10
Honey Producers Association of N.S.W...................................................................5
Hunter, John..............................................................................................................6
J
Jones, see Wiggins, Sara Jane..................................................................................10
journals
Australasian Beekeeper........................................................................1, 3, 5, 6, 7
Australian Agriculturist................................................................................3, 4, 5
The New Zealand Farmer
Bee and Poultry Review....................................................................................5
K
Kyogle.......................................................................................................................4
L
Langstroth..............................................................................................................8, 9
Lapstone................................................................................................................1, 4
Leaford Apiary..........................................................................................................7
Leichhardt..................................................................................................................1
Ligurian.....................................................................................................................7
Liquid Fuel Control Board........................................................................................5
Low, John..............................................................................................................4, 9
M
Macarthur Onslow...................................................................................................10
Melbourne..................................................................................................................4
Mounted Rifles..........................................................................................................2
N
N. S. W..............................................................................................................2, 5, 6
Nepean...................................................................................................................2, 4
Nepean Times........................................................................................................2, 4
New South Wales..........................................................................................1, 2, 5, 7
New South Wales Apiarists’ Association.................................................................2
New Zealand.............................................................................................................5
New Zealand Farmer
Bee and Poultry Review.........................................................................................5
newspapers
Nepean Times...................................................................................................2, 4
Sydney Mail..........................................................................................................5
Sydney Morning Herald........................................................................................5
 The Australian..............................................................................................3, 4, 5
Northern Rivers..........................................................................................................2
O
Onslow, Mrs............................................................................................................10
P
Parkville.....................................................................................................................7
Parramatta..................................................................................................................7
Proctor, Jack............................................................................................................10
Q
queen..........................................................................................................................7
Queensland................................................................................................................6
Queensland Honey Board.........................................................................................6
R
Railway Square.........................................................................................................5
Richmond..................................................................................................................2
S
Second World War....................................................................................................6
Shallard..................................................................................................................4, 7
Bruce.....................................................................................................................1
Dorothy.............................................................................................................1, 4
J. T.........................................................................................................................4
Joe..........................................................................................................................1
Ken........................................................................................................................1
Lorna.................................................................................................................2, 4
Major Adolphus................................................................................1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7
Phil (grandson)......................................................................................................3
Phil (son)...............................................................................................................1
Phil Adolphus........................................................................................................2
Shallard-Hawkins, Mrs. Dorothy..........................................................................1, 4
ships
James...................................................................................................................10
Springwood.....................................................................................................4, 8, 10
Sydney...........................................................................................................1, 2, 5, 6
Sydney Mail..............................................................................................................5
Sydney Morning Herald............................................................................................5
T
Tanks, The.................................................................................................................4
The Australasian Beekeeper.......................................................................................5
The Australian...................................................................................................3, 4, 5
U
U.S.A.....................................................................................................................1, 5
W
Wales.................................................................................................................2, 5, 6
Weatherboard, see Wentworth falls............................................................................4
Wentworth.................................................................................................................4
Wentworth Falls........................................................................................................4
Wiggins
Elisha.....................................................................................................................8
Fred........................................................................................................................9
Sara Jane..............................................................................................................10
Z
Zig Zag, Little............................................................................................................4