ADDRESS ON BEE CULTURE. (By I. Hopkins, Government Apiarist.)

Otago Witness, Issue 2677, 5 July 1905, Page 22

ADDRESS ON BEE CULTURE. (By I. Hopkins, Government Apiarist.)

Mr Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen. — No doubt you are all aware that the Agricultural Department of our Government has recently reoogniood the importance of encouraging and promoting the bee-keeping industry in the colony. With that end in view I was appointed to go through both islands, aud while ascertaining the present condition of bee culture, to give instructions where needed on th-e most toonomical and up-to-date methods of management. That the Department was justified in taking this step ia at once proved by the fact that where State aid has been given toward the promotion of bee-keeping in other countries, immense strides have been mad© in ihei profitable expansion of the industry. Nearly all parts of New Zealand are pi\3-eminently adapted for cairying on bee-keeping on a large scale; our climate and flora arc second to none known ; we raise some of the finest honey in the world and if proof beyond my statement is needed I have only to point to the fact that it fetches th& highest price of any foreign honey on the Europpan markets, where there is praotica'ly an unlimited demand for it. • — Fuhire Prospects. — With regard to tho future prospects of bee-keeping in New Zealand, I say now, as I have always maintained., that with all our natural advantages it only requires our beekeepers to adopt the proper methods of management and we shall become not only ail extensive honey-produoing country, but a largely exporting one also. I have the "Wore confidence, in makjn,g this statement

now tint the State is giving its aid, and I can sn-jak with th-e best authority that it is the earnest des>ire. of tho Agricultural Department to make the bee-keeping industry a big success. I Kivo been a^kecl if I can form an approximate estimate of thei extent to which bee-keeping on modern linos may reasonably bo expected to extend during the nexfc few years. This is rather a big question, but my long connection with the industry and a know^dge- of tin, suitability of a larga portion of the country for extensive beefarmiug loads mo to believe that within the n'vet few years there A\ill be fully 100.000 colonies nf bees under profitabfd cultivation in New Zealand. Allowing 50Ur of honey as tho avoiage annual output from, each colony (and this in a low one) we have in the aggregate nearly 1800 tons, which alj a n-et refurn of £30 per ton (a fraction over 3d per 'b) would yield some £67,395. t se<> no reason why the value of the annual' output should not in liimo :eaoh threa or four time-s this amount. At all events, tho vnore opportunities our settlers have for* increasing their income th? more contented! and pros-peirous they will become. During my rounds so far I have visited? 136 beekeepers owning npiarly 4500 colonies of bees, 750, or about 16 per cent., being in box hives— that is. m common boxes. The majority of the box hivp' beekeepers, I am sorry to fay, stil! practice that barbarous pud cruel method of sulphuring their bees for the honey. I am, however, in ho]j>os that tbjs will be done away with shortly, and that a'l our beekeopers will bo converted to the humane and profitable system of bee- culture. The average annual v;eld of the hives aa siven me by the beekeopers visited ranges all the "way from 101b (box Iwves) to lOCib from frame hives. The management sjenerally leaves much! room for improvement, but I found a general desire on tho part of all to profit! by my visi*-,, and I fully <-xpect to be able to establish tho industry on a much sounder bask in the cour-c of two or three seasons than it is at present. Tho Department will shortly issue a bulletin of some 40 rvsges or so, fully illustrated, dealing with many of the weak points in the management I have noticed during my rounds. This will be sent freo to all beekeepers. After I have bean a'l through New _ Zealand the Department will be 'n a position to give information as to the best districts for bee-farming, and all particulars as to the irraclcs of honey to ba obtained in them. It. is also intended to introduce -an act dealing with the disease known as foul brood, with the view of suppressing it; this in itself will be of immenEe benefit to the industry. — Advice to Beginners. — It is not everyone that is suited to bee-keeping. The person who desires to make a success of it must be tactful and/ persevering; he must not be afraid of work,. and he must be prepared to do whatever is needed to be done at the time required, for yp_u cannot put off bee work without loss. In short, a person who is successful with bees would b© successful in any line of life. Go slow, do not lay out too much, money ait first till you are sure it suits you. Three or four colonies axe enough for a commencement. In getting bees to start with deal if possible with an experienced and up-to-date bee-keeper. The* best time to be-gin is in the spring or early summer. Buy your first hives from' a manufacturer, then if you wish to make your own afterwards you will have a pattern to work from. The " Lansjstroth hive or frame is undoubtedly the best, and I would advise beginners for economy's sake» to raise comb honey in tho one-poun<j sections, as no extractor would be needed. The common or black bees can be obtained! at much less cost than Italian bees : therefore, I advise starting with the> former, and procuring Italian Queens later on. Italians are undoubtedly the better and more profitable bees to cultivate. When it is intended to go into beekeeping extensively the choice of a good locality must bo the first consideration, and as I said prevkrasly the Department will be able to furnish particulars in this r«' speot after a while. I was asked when giving an address irt Hastings some time ago to furnish an estimate of the cost of starting an apiary of 100 colonies. Though I gave an approximate estimate of the cost and returns that might be expected per colony, as near as I could, which was 17s, for a good! clover district, I may here remark thati such an estimate is scarcely practicable 1 , for the renson that it would be almost? or quite impossible to purchase at the present time 100 colonies of beef, at one deal. There is one great advantage in working up a large apiary: your increase* of bees and the need for increased capital comeg gradually, and in the meantime you are receiving; returns on your annual outlay. Four to five pounds for hiv-ea and appliances, exclusive of cost of bees, or, say. seven pounds in all, should _be> am'pleto give you a good Ktart, and with" fairly intelligent management you shoulcP get returns eaual to a good portion of the outlay the" first season. On the otb?'hand a person should not be discouraged if he meet^ with a few disappointments at first owing to in-experienoe. Success is often built on failures.

—Bee-keeping with Other Purwiit*.— I firmly believe it is a good plan under most circumstances not to put all your; eg£j3 in one basket. For this reason 1 advocate oombirins bre-kecping with some other occupation. Fruit-growing or poultrvfarming with bee-farming work exceedingly well together, but if you went into the< latter on a vorv larae scale, liko my friendMr Lenz of Masterton, who has at tho present time some 800 hives, you would be fully occupied with bee-keeping alone. Bee-keeoins? is fine, healthy, open-air work, and I think I can guarantee that anyone woing into it on an extensive scale will not he troubled with rheumatism Tho bee stint? poison v» ill keep him clera- o£ that.

— Distance Aiart for Apiaries. — Some few errors crept into the press report of my address at Hastings when replying to questions on this subject. I shall now correct them. One cannot lay down a hard and fa*t rule on this matter, as everything depends en the pasturage, in the district — that is, bee pasturage. Wlier© it is abundant anl good", a greater number of colonies can be profitably kept in on© apiary, and out-apiaries nood not be so far apart as where the-re- is poorer pasturage. In a fairly good district, with not many bee-keepers about, from 100 to" 150 colonies would not be too many ab the home apiary, and 100 at out-apiarios, which as a rule shox-Jd be three mile*

a

•part. The range of flight _of the bees is usually reckoned at two miles' ; if they Jfave to go beyond that their work is Dofc so profitable, so that at three miles •part their flight will overlap somewhat, Irat not to any harmful extent. In this snatter, however, one must to a great extent l>e governed by experiences and a knowledge of the district.

Mr Hopkins then gave a practical demonstration with a Langstroth hive and other fcee appliances h© had on the stage, showing the propo: . way of manipulating them to- the best and explaining how to hive swarms, take the honey in the Tje&t form, and, in fact, jo do everything necessary in the management of bees. Had it been spring or sun-^-ier instead of winter I'll- Hopkins would have given a demonstration in the open air on handling bees.