THE APIARY

Otago Witness, Issue 3330, 9 January 1918, Page 6

THE APIARY

By J. A

DIARY OF A BEEKEEPER. SEASON 1917-1918.

December 26 and 27.—Visited Mataura Island Apiary. This little apiary has been visited by a flood since last season, and again the water was into the hives—not, however, doing nearly so much damage a 3 on a previous occasion, when only a remnant was saved. There arc about 30 colonies in the apiary, and for tho most part they are m fine, .strong condition, and have already been doing good work in honey-gathering. In a dry season the bees do much better at tho island .than either, on the ridges or further up the plain. The samo process of raising brood and putting in foundation is going on there as at the home apiary. It is effective both in preventing swarming and as a check when foul-brood is about. December 28 and 29.—Shook bees from stacked brood frames on to foundation. Of these there were 22 four-story stacks, and as the brood was clean hatched out the resultant colonies were very strong, but not abnormally so. They are in fine strength for a good honey-flow on tho clover. There is some danger in shaking before the queens are laying. Virgin queens do all sorts of strange things, and they are just as likely to wander outside the hive as to stay in it in the nrocess of shaking. In tile case of these 22 colonies not ono of them had a laying queen, and in three or four cases we had to use a frame of brood from another colony to gather them into the hive. Young beekeepers in shaking for foul-brood often n.ak-> a mistake in doing so while they have -no laying quoen. One of the preliminaries in this operation should be to soo that every colony 'to be treated has a laying queen. December 30 (Sunday).—The day was hazy, but warm. A small swarm came 'out to-day. This is the second one in three weeks. Very little honey is coming in; the dry spell seems to have checked the clover very considerably, and what clover there is does not appear to be yielding much nectar. To the westward of our apiary about four miles away there is a high ridge covered with native bush. Yesterday about midway between our apiary and. the bush we came into the line of the bees going apparently to and from this bush to the apiary. There was a strong breeze, compelling them to fly low in the return journey, so that 'the continuous stream of beee was easily distinguishable. What they are getting we do not know, but suspect .that rata will jus't be coming into bloom, and that that is the attraction.

December 31: the last day of 'the old year.—The year has brought mourning into many a home, and it closes amid much of doubt and anxiety in relation to the war; but surely, of all the nations, we have cause to be thankful. Here in New Zealand wo are far away from the din of war, and jthoughl our young men are fighting in Franco and in Palestine, they suffer no pang -of fear or anxiety with regard to .those left behind. With many others, we pray that it may all soon come to an end, but not before the cause of right hae been justified and freedom made the portion of every nation. May the new year of 1918 see this accomplished. January 1. —The new year has started m showers in this district, and the bees axe quiet. We are looking forward hopefully. As wo have often said, we prefer a moist year to a dry one. A December flow is not so good as a" January one, and if -it extends a week or two into February so much the better. Last season we had an abnormal flow for Southland; but owing to dry weather it failed early, and the result was that; the bees were in the autumn using their winter (stores, and were much lighter for wintering than we expected after such a good season Our scale hive has added 71b to it 3 weight during the week.