THE APIARY.

Otago Witness, Issue 3337, 27 February 1918, Page 7

THE APIARY.

By J. A. DIARY OF A BEEKEEPER. SEASON 1917-1918. '. February 14. —A further break has taken, place in the weather, and, as well as being wet, it has turned colder again. From indications in the apiary we .think the season of 1917-1918 may be declared~closed so far as surplus honey is concerned. Probably the fine days still to come will add to the brood-nest supply, and give the bees an opportunity to put.jtheir house in order for the winter. It is in our locality a much better autumn for winter-providing than was.'that of last year. To-day we had to get in a small quantity of timber for boxes and .to male© ihem up, our supply of box timber, having run short. February 15 and 16.—Completed the second round of the apiary extracting. In these two days Ave cleared the supers of about 70 colonies-. With the exception of a few colonies, where we began our second round of extracting, this really finishes the extracting for the season. We have put back the wet combs on the bece, and will leave them there until May, when we will be back to put them in order for the winter. February 18 and 19.—These two days were spent in the final round of extracting at Mataura Island. There also the wet combs were put back on the bees. This little apiary of some 30 colonies has given as far as can be. at present ascertained, about 27001 b, or just 90lb per colony. This is a very satisfactory. return for a season that has not been as good for the bees as it has been for growth- — The End of Season 1917-1918. In closing this diary for another season we wish to put on record some impressions concerning it. The season has given results just slightly above the average, and yet has been in some measure very disappointing. Conditions both as to weather and flora seemed to indicate during most of the season a very much better result than has been obtained. We think this is mainly owing to one thing, and that was that clover yielded very poorly. All the eeason through we felt that clover was giving very poor results, not, certainly, in accordance with its appearance. Last year it was very much better, and during the days in which it was yielding best I heard the remark that to waUc through a clover field meant sticky boots from the nectar, which was so plentiful. This year, so far as clover is concerned, has been a lean year. This is borne out by the darker appearance of the main honey orop, while clover honey is water-white; but in this locality there will be very little honey so white as that t>his year. Still, the main crop is very fine. and few people will find any fault with it. O'akleigh Apiary has produced for the season about 12,0001 b of honey. The spring count of the apiary was 140 colonies, so that the average per colony is 851 b, with an of 55 colonies to 195. Probably in fixing up for winter this increase will be cut down considerably by doubling up lighter colonics. During the season wo have had very little increase from swarms, and swarming has practically given no troublo. Our increase was mostly made from the hatching out of "put up" brood. Our experience of this season in renewing brood nests and preventing swarming by the operation of putting up brood has .been very satisfactory and we are convinced that this system will as a rule prove of very great benefit to the apiarist. The old system of cutting out queen cells to prevent swarming is apt to result in a lot of failing ciueens unless systematic queen-rearing is adopted in order to replace them. By this system the bees are prevented from superseding their old queens, the superseding colls being removed as if they were swarming cells. One feature of the season is that in all probability the colonies will go into winter better supplied than usual, owing to the luxuriant autumn growth.From present appearances I would regard it aa quite probable that more or less honey will come in for a month yet. With regard to the honey-flow for the season, this has been more erratic than usual. In the first week ol December our scale hive out on 271 b, which was particularly good for that early period of the season; then came a break of three weeks of dry, unsuitable weather, in which the honey season was in danger from drought, and in which nothing was gathered. In the last five days of the month honey began 'to come in again, and 7lb was gathered; then a break of five days brought us to January 6. At that date the main flow commenced. From January 6 to 27 901 b was the record—an average of Bib per day, 141 b being the highest single day's work. A break of four days' rain in the middle of this flow was thn disturbing factor. Still, on the whole it was a very good run. After that there was a break of five days' rainy weather again. Tl.Mii the first week of February repeated what was done in the first week of December, putting on 271 b. Since the Bth there has been only one day in which weight was added, 31b being put on. The total added weight

for the season was 1441 b. Compared with, last season this record is light, the record last year being 3421 b. On the whole, wo are satis/led with the work of tho season, and in any case we have done our best to make it as successful as poesible. We hop© that our fellow-beekecpexs throughout Southland have been ablo to do as well or better. We are biddmg 'tho bees good-by© tomorrow and making for homewards to work in tho less sticky harvest field of an applo orchard. In a couple of months we wdl pay them another visit to see that their winter begins with plenty and in comfort.