A LEGAL HIVE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 77, 24 December 1907, Page 4

A LEGAL HIVE.

SOMETHING CHEAP FOR AMATEUR BEE-KEEPERS. I TO ..COMPLY WITH THE APIARIES AC This little skotch is merely a home-mado fnmo beohi\o nndo out of a kerosene case, sketched from i "binip'p hive in possession of tho Goie-nmcnt \piari"t. It is ii variety

"of"hiva-that-is-likel}'—in .consequence of tho requirements of tho Apiaries Act—to become, .verj'x numerous, in. Now Zealand.during'tho iibxt twelve'months. Amateur bee; keepers who have hithorto battled along .with their, bees in,.an ordinary up-turned bos should'" study'"this simple alternative, nnd manufacture 'ono as sketched without delay. The Apiaries Act is going to. cause trouble , "tinless"the'y -do. Tho Act enables tho 7,tt£o;.:iiispcctors l.(already appointed) to order box hives to bo done away with, and thoVcomb and Loos to be transferred to fraino hives., 'Of.* no ■< avail will it bo then for nervous bce-keopors to plead that they have'not 'jShe'cotfvage-to do the transferring. The'lawyif it means' what it seoms to mean, enables tho; inspectors to bo most disagreeably'insistent on this point. After March 14 next/: -every person will bo liable to a fine of £5 who is .found keeping a bo:; hivo on his place. The object of it all is to eradicate foul" broodrand bee moth, two'very destructive diseases among bees, whose eradication and-detection are difficult in ,box hives that won't opeii. The inspectors aro ompow-pred to domand that all bees shall be kept '.'' in ' ' 'properly constructed frame'hives." "As to what kind of hive fully meets 'this'de'ser.iption there "may be somo differenco of opinion; but tho. Government Apiarist needs'of those who will want to study expense by putting forward a keroscne-caso hive, as illustrated, as ono that 'howill, accopt as fulfilling the requireni6iifs > 'o"f"the law. A sample hivo of ■jtbis sort may bo seen at tho apiarist's room in the Customhouse,.'-;- The • kerosene case is superior to other boxes for,a bee-hive, becauso/fwhon ■ laid on its; broadest sido it correspofidstiu.size.with- tho Langstroth hive and fits tho.standarcLframes.v A bee-keeper in Taranaki I ;recently; had an apiary consisting of a hundred or these hives, arid found' (,thom, ; siiccesßful. .'They cost about threepence eac i h; i at,.,the, Yl s.tnrekeeper's, ;and when filled with •' frames and foundation cost about 2s. 6d. complote. The "ends of the frames rest 'a ii.a'rrowledge : nailed at each end of tho box. v The 'Wp"sicle becomes tho cover, and is made watertight by a pieco of r'uberoid. ':TBe hive would'bo much improved if covered over '.with, ruberoid, which would keep "'thC'tompe'ra'tufo exclude dampness. Any handj; c maii l c r 'aji..inako upper stories for tlie sectoon' , lioHoyr' , \Ffames, and. hives, and 'Slifor- parts' tliat may he required, may be obtained frqin agents. It is a good plan to 'buy a fully-equipped hive as a copy to work -.bjv, Hives and frames may be bought made. 'Jtip.for "iiiithe'.'flat. Vi\ ■■' '■.' ;'■''