Among the Bees

Manawatu Times, Volume 59, Issue 213, 6 September 1934, Page 9

Among the Bees

APIARY NOTES POR SEPTEMBER. By D. S. Robinson Apiary Instructor, Department o£ Agriculture. Palmerston North. On fine days in this month it will be safe to open tho hives; and the examination should reveal brood raising in two or three combs. Should no eggs or scaled brood be seen, it will be safe to assume tho hive is qucenlcss, and, as the young queens cannot be procured so early in tho season, the best thing to do is to unite them with a queen-right hive by the following method known as the paper method: — About sundown, go to a queen-right hive, remove the cover and mat, disturbing tho bees as little as possible, and place a sheet of newspaper over it. Next take the qucenless hive and without removing cover or mat lift it off the bottom board and place it over tho newspaper oE tho queen-right hive. If tho qucenless bees are only a few in number, punch a few holes in the newspaper with a nail. This method of uniting two colonies is considered the best, as it is of little troublo and fighting very rarely occurs. If, on looking through the hive, tho brood is patchy and has dome shaped cappings standing out from the comb it will indicate that tho queen is a drone layer, probably through old age, or else tho bees are qucenless and laying workors are in the hive. But if you cannot find a queen the best thing to do is to shake the bees off the comb, distributing theso amongst the liivcs that aro short of stores. The bees in a laying worker hive are old and of very little use, and if united to a hive with a queen aro likely to kill her. Before distributing tho combs, it is necessary to be absolutely certain no foul brood is present in tho hives, as spreading this would result in many hives becoming infected. Brood rearing should now continue steadily on, and if a spell of bad w.cather is experienced, pay careful attention to the stores of the hives because if the bees find their stores getting low, they are apt to curtail raising urood. It must be remembered that the resultant honey crop is largely dependent on the management of tho hives in tho Spring, so the importance of having plenty of available stores in the liive cannot be over-estimated. The method of feeding syrup to bees to supplement what stores they may have, has been previously dealt with, but any beekeepers being in want of instruction in this or any other matter connected with beekeeping aro advised to consult, the nearest Apiary Instructor of the Department of Agriculture either by fetter or by a personal visit. THIS MONTH’S HONEY RECIPES. Honey Drop Cakes. 5 cup honey, vt cup butter, J teaspoon cinnamon, one eighth teaspoou cloves, 1 egg, 31 to 2 cups flour, 1- teaspoon soda, 2 tablespoons water, 1 cup raisins cut into small pieces. Heat tho honey and butter until the butter melts. While tho mixture is warm, add tho spices. When it is cold add part of tho Hour, tho egg, well beaten, the soda dissolved in the water,' and the raisins. Add enough more flour to make a dough that will hold its shape. Drop by spoonfuls on a buttered tin and bnke in a moderate oven. Honey Bran Cookies. 2 tablespoons butter, i cup honey, 2 eggs, i to l teaspoon soda, i cup flour, 1 cup bran, one eighth teaspoon powdered aniseed.

Rub together tho butter and honey, add the eggs unbeaten and beat, the mixture, Sift together the mixture thoroughly. Sift together tho flour, soda and aniseed. Combine all tho ingredients; drop from a teaspoon on to a buttered tin and bake in a madorato oven.