BEE-KEEPING.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 14 June 1926, Page 11

BEE-KEEPING.

CAKE OF THE QUEEN. The Waikato Times states that the latest principles adopted for the purpose of rearing queen bees were deni, oil st-rated to the National Beekeepers’ Conference last Thursday by Mr A. B. Trytha/il, manager of the apiaries at. Ruakura State Farm. He said he often received visits from beekeepers from various parts of the Dominion, and also from novices who desired instruction. Experienced beekeepers exchanged ideas at the apiary, and: after assimilating and sifting the knowledge gained incorporated the new ideas with their own methods. Queen-rearing was v divided into natural and artificial classes, according to the nature of the cells they used. Whatever system was adopted, there should be a'plentiful supply of drones. He would- advise all beekeepers _ to breed in hives as strong as possible. A good honey flow was essential, and must be already there or produced by feeding. When the food wa s too strong”no production was fostered. If artificial food was used he would recommend a, syrup mixture consisting of two parts water and one part sugar. For the proper production of queens the right principle was to have the brood headed by the queen confined in a box at the bottom. The top of the box should be perforated, and the holes covered with a: .screen that would not permit of the exit of the bees. On top of that another box was stacked with bees, and so on, the young broods being brought up from the bottom, from time” to time. He had -adopted this system by using a large hive holding 20 frame's, crowding the bottom with bees to form the nucleus of supply. The queen, bees were- excluded by a zinc covering, and as the process was repeated right through to the top box there was no risk of natural queen cells being introduced into the combs. That was the broad principle which he followed. He used the ordinary holding frames, though the- cell-bars might be a little different to the usual form. He did not believe in the wax cells being too large, and they should be as uniform as possible for grafting purposes. He had very little use for nurseries, and believed in allowing the queen bee to emerge right on to the comib. In cases of premature hatching he might place the cells in the nurseries for 24 hours, or where hatching was at an -advanced stage* and he had been delayed in his work, he would leave the development of the bees to the nurseries. Mi- Trvthnll was accorded 1 a hearty vote of thanks for -his address.