THE APIARY.

Otago Witness, Issue 3215, 27 October 1915, Page 8

THE APIARY.

By J. A

No. I.—SWARM CONTROL. No excuse is needed for returning to this subject—first because of its importance in apiary management, and, second, because we are getting very close to the swarming period. If anything is going to be done it must be done before the bees assume control themselves. To win in the race it is necessary that wo get tho start. I purpose going over the whole ground carefully* and though I may not have much to say that is new to old beekeepers, I still hope to be | able to help beginners. If wo leave a colony of bees to do as it pleases, as a rule something like this will happen: When I he population has increased eo that it has become a strong colony, it will exercise its natural instinct and prepare to cast a swarm. Previous to doing this it will have prepared a number of queen cells, usually from, about a dozen to 20. These will be in all stages of development, and as soon as the most forward of them are capped over, a swarm may be expected on the first suitable opportunity. This is what we call a prime swarm, and will consist of the great bulk of the working population of the hive, as well as quite a number of tho young bees that have not yet been out to the field. Tho old laying queen will bo with it. The old hive is now left queenless, but with a number of young ones developing. It is also left with a very small population, but with a large amount of brood hatching out very rapidly, and so the numbers increase quickly. In about eight to 10 days it will have a young queen just out, and if the swarming fever has passed —which is not likely to he the case she will be allowed and will quickly destroy all tho other young queens that are maturino- in tho hive, and will then become the reigning queen. Should the colony bo stiff under the swarming impulse, the bees will guard tho remaining cells, and the probability is that a second swarm will issue next day,' headed by the young queen. Should tho sending out of the second swarm still leave them unsatisfied, probably next_ day or that following, a third swarm will issue; Sometimes even a fourth may come from the same colony. Usually, when such is the case, it is composed of about as many drones as worker bees, and will also probably have several young queens in it. Thus, when things are prosperous, we often have an increase from ono to four —that is, the old colony sends out in quick succession three swarms. Now let us try to gauge results after this has taken place. Tho° first swarm headed by a laying queer, and taking the main force of worker bees has. of course, the “best of the bargain,,” and it is on this new colony the hopes of a honey harvest must centre. A brood nest is soon established, and in a day or two tho queen, after her rest, is laying with renewed vigour; whilst tho field bees seem impelled to do their very utmost, often giving very fine results in a very short time. To go back, now, to tho old colony: Tho effort of sending out a prime swarm certainly brings it to a standstill until it re,gathers its strength; but as it has been hatching rapidly it _would still probably be in time to do well if the swarming impulse could bo stayed. But tho sending out of one or two, or oven three, easts completely exhausts it, and the probability is that it will have some difficulty to get sufficient stores for wintering, and certainly there is not a hope that it can produce surplus. The first and second casts may be able to gather stores sufficient to winter on, hut the third ono is useless, comprising, as it often does, a mere handful of workers, drones, and queens. It is worth simply nothing. It will thus be seen that bees, left to themselves —more especially if the hivo is a small one, —will do wonders in tho way of increase, but very poorly in the

way of gathering surplus honey. The problem that we art up against is how to so guide the swarming impulse as to get the best return out of our hives, not in increase, but in surplus, honey. Some would prevent increase altogether, others would allow 30 or 50 per cent, increase, and still othere would allow as much as 10C per cent, increase. Which is best? and how are wo to attain what we wish? These are the questions we purpose trying to answer in a short series of articles on swarm control. THE WEATHER. Since last writing we have had a few really good honey-gathering days, in two of which our scale hive put on 71b and 51b respectively. Now, however, we are in the midst of a very wintry snap; the hills all round are, as I write, white with snow, and as yet there is no sign of improvement. Taken altogether, wo have much to bo thankful for in the fine spring we have enjoyed so far. The bees are in fine order, and well able to stand some roughing without taking any harm. SOLAR WAX-EXTRACTORS. “Doolittle, I came over to have a talk about solar wax-extractors.” “Very good, Jones. The solar waxextractor is something every man keeping bees should have, even though he has as few as five colonies.” “But I am told_ that it is comparatively worthless for melting up old combs.” “The man who nas old combs by the hundred to molt up could doubtless make it pay to employ the water or'steam process ; but for the ordinary collection from an apiary of from 50 to 100 colonics, the solar wax-extractor will take care of all the accumulation during each year. From such apiaries no great number of old combs can bo profitably spared to render into wax.” “But I do not think I got 50 per cent, of the wax from old combs.” “Do you do more than put in the old combs and allow the sun to molt them?” “No. What more can anyone do?” “As soon as the sun has heated these old combs so that the wax will run out from those at the bottom of the pile, take a wooden paddle and press the refuse against the side of the comb-pan where the rays of the sun strike the most squarely. You will see the wax run as you never saw it before if you have never done this.” “What shape is your paddle?” “The paddle itself should be about 6in square, with a handle 2in wide. I made mine out of stuff, rounding the side used for pressing out the wax so that it somewhat conformed to the concave side of the comb-pan. With such a paddle, used with a rocking motion, three or four times an hour or so apart as you are passing the extractor. 95 to 98 per cent, of the wax any comb contains can be gotten out unless the comb contains so much dry pollen that it absorbs the wax as it is melted. The only way to get wax from combs largely filled witli pollen in quantities that will pay is by the water process.” “But dion’t the wax and dirt all mix to gether when coming from the solar waxextractor?” “That depends somewhat on how the extractor is built. If so small that it allovys the wax, as it drips from the comb-pan in your extractor, to cool and harden as it drips, more or less dirt and dregs will come off and bo mixed all through the wax, and melting over for purifying in such an extractor is only doing over again the same process with the same results.” “How can the purifying bo done, then?” “By making the extractor large enough so that it will allow the dish which receives the melted wax from the comb-pan to be in the sun under the glass, which keeps it in a molted condition for hours. Wax is purified by allowing it to remain for several hours at a temperature between its melting and boiling points, thus giving a chance for all impurities to settle to the bottom. This is exactly what can be done in the sun extractor just as easily as not to do it} and by using this extractor in any other way deprives it of half the benefit to be obtained in us ng t.” “But will all the dirt and dregs settle to the bottom where wax is kept melted for half a day?” , “To overcome all this dregs and dirt matter I punch two holes near the outlet of the comb-pan on either side, and, by means of a wire suitably bent, hang a small strainer made of cheese-cloth or other suitable fabric so that the hot wax is strained as it passes from the comb-pan to the dish receiving it below. As both the strainer and the receiving dish are in the sun all the while, the wax is so thin that a fabric can be used that will take out all but the very finest of the dirt.” “How do you keep the dregs from flowing down with the wax from the comb-pan into the strainer? The incline of the combpan would carry all along together.” “About two inches above the outlet of the comb-pan two other holes are made, one on either side of the centre, into which go two wires to which is soldered a piece of quarter-inch mesh wire-cloth. This wire cloth is fitted at the bottom to conform to the concave of the pan. This arrests in its flow toward the strainer all but the wax and the finest of the dirt.” “What is used for a receiving-dish?” “After doing some figuring I got our tinsmith to make some oblong square tins which hold two pounds of wax, when the melted article came within a quarter of an inch of the top; and when the proper amount was in, the cover was shut over the glass till the wax was cold, when it would come out in a brick form suitable for a fancy market. In this way it could be packed in a proper-sized box and shipped in perfect condition to any market.” G. M. Doolittle. THE CREED OF THE WORKER BEE. I believe in true work and the spirit of service— Not in a visionless grinding at tasks; But the mood that springs forth all athrill with the morning To find in its work all the rapture it asks. I believe in each giving himself for the manj-—■ Not in a sad or a spiritless way, But fully and freely, a gift worth the giving. As flowers give fragrance and dawning gives day. I believe in contentment, devotion, and courage; Eagerness, loyalty, gladness, and song; And m somc-tbing all-wise and all-wonderful round us—’Tis God I believe in! To Him I b&long I —Grace Allea