BEEKEEPING

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21520, 17 June 1933, Page 15

BEEKEEPING

Sir, —In reply to "Once a Beginner," while I do not wish to take sides, I think his criticism of Mr. Hillary beside the point. As a member of the National Beekeepers' Association, I have never known Mr. Hillary to be anything but helpful to beginners. The fact that he warns them against beginning now shows that the situation must be very serious indeed. To encourage them under these circumwould be sheer cruelty. As regards increasing colonies, in my district a really good season seems to occur about once in 10 years. This produces the wildest optimism in beekeepers, who always hope- there will be a succession of such seasons. However, the bees know better, hence their instinct to'store far in excess of their needs. A common misconception of would-be apiarists is that bees do not cat, but philanthropieallv gather honey for man. They do not. They gather it for their young, which are the most voracious of all animal's, and which must be produced by the million in commercial beekeeping. Of all the harvests taken from the soil, the honey crop is the most uncertain. It is more subject to climatic and seasonal vagaries than any other. At the best of times I think beekeeping a precarious occupation, and these arc not the best of times. If "Once a Beginner" would come to our meetings and tell us about his experiments with glass-fronted hives 1 am sure 1 can speak for nil our branch m saying that we should all be most grateful. Also Once a Beginner.