AMONG THE PEES

Manawatu Times, Volume LIII, Issue 6551, 7 March 1928, Page 10

AMONG THE PEES

Seasonal Apiary Notes The main portion of tho surplus ; honey should now bo off the hives, care being taken to leave sufficient honey for the bees’ use during the winter. Tho amount of honey to bo left should not be less than 301 b per colony. Honey for Shows. At the Palmerston North Winter Show there are several classes for bee 'keepers to compete in and the more competition there is and the better the display of honey, tho better the advertisement for the product. When taking off the honey, the best I filled frames should be carefully cleaned from propolis, then wrapped in grease-proof paper and kept for showing at the Winter Shows. The best filled and most even sections should be stored in a like manner for showing. Entrances of hives may now bo contracted a little, and more as the colder weather comes on. Robbing. Care should be taken that no honev is spilt near tho apiary and that the bees cannot gain access to syrup, etc., for if they can, , there is a big chance of setting up robbing in tho apiary. Should robbing start it is usually the strong colonies robbing the weaker ones, and one method of checking it is by changing tho positions in the yard of the strong and the weak hives. If any robbing starts, keep the entrances of all weak hives small to guard against robbers. Disease, When removing the honey each hlvo should be carefully inspected for tho presence of foul brood. If any is located, notice must be sent to the Apiary Inspector for the district within seven days of finding the disease. Treatment should bo carried out forthwith, as there is still a slight flow of nectar for the bees to build up before the winter. Any honey taken from a diseased hive must bo stored in a bee-proof place to prevent bees gaining access to it and thus spreading the disease. Weak colonics should be united to stronger colonies by placing tho weak colony over a stronger one with a sheet of newspaper between the two colonics, so that tho bees in the top hive aro only able to leave the hive by gnawing through the paper. In this method one must take care that the supers fit well and that the bees cannot get out between the two supers. Apiary Act. The following portions of the Apiaries Act, 1927 should be of interest to beekeepers and others: —No beekeeper shall keep after March 3.lst, 1028, bees except in a registered apiary. No beekeeper shall keep any bees except in frame hives, the frames of which may be easily removed without cutting the combs, etc. Except with the written consent of an Inspector, no person shall sell, barter, or give away any bees for removal to another location. Remove or transfer bees to other locations more location. Take or remove bee combs etc from one apiary to another, for tho purpose of extraction of honey or for use for any other purpose on or in connection with such other apiary. Every beekeeper in whoso apiary disease appears, shall take forthwith proper steps to'cure the disease, and within seven days of first finding tho disease send written notice thereof to an inspector, No person shall expose any honey, appliances, etc., from infected hives, as will allow bees to gain access to them, until such honey, appliances, etc. have been thoroughly sterilised by approved methods. No person shall sell, barter, lend, or give away to any other person, any bees or appliances from an apiary infected with disease. The maximum fines for breaches of the Apiaries Act vary from £3O to £SO.