THE APIARY

Otago Witness, Issue 3347, 8 May 1918, Page 7

THE APIARY

By J. A

INFECTED MATERIAL.

In the Agricultural Journal of April 20 Mr B. A. iiarp writes, under the heading of "Infected Material,'' as follows:

"Considering that the price of wax is steadily advancing, it behoves the beekeeper who has infected cornbs on hand to treat rather than destroy them. No good purpose is served by destroying combs from infected hives wiien by proper treatment the wax can be separated, to be afterwords worked up into comb foundation. "A capital steam appliance for dealing effectively with foul-brood combs was working at the last field-day at the Ruakura Apiary. It is the invention of Mr O. S. Hutchinson, Waikato, and ho fully demonstrated its effectiveness in melting old combs in a few momenta, separating the slumgum from the wax. The appliance is made in the form of a box and is lined with sheet iron. It is large enough to take a super of combs, and over all a steam-proof cover is fitted. The super is made to rest on four supports, and immediately below is fitted a tray or wire strainer to catch the slum-gum. This can be easily removed, eo that it can be cleansed from time to time. The wax is finally caught on a tray, and is run off almost in a commercial form from the machine by means of a tube leading to the outside of the utensil. The method of generating the steam was by means of a sgal drum, and the steam was conveyed by two tubes, leading from the improvised boiler to the centre of the machine. A safety plug inserted in the drum prevents any possibility of an explosion in case of the pipes conveying the steam becoming stopped up. It is certainly the most effective machine for dealing with old combs, and foul-brood-infected or pollenclogged ones, ye't brought before the beekeepers in the Dominion. It does away with the messy and tiresome work of cutting the wax from, the frames and, in addition, docs not interfere with the wires. "A point of importance raised at 'the demonstration of the machine, and om which must weigh with the beekeeper, is that of the destruction of the disease germs when dealing with infected combs. A test made showed that the thermometer registered 212 deg Fahr.. this being the highest temperature recorded during a trial run of the machine. In May, 1915, the United States -Department of Agriculture published a bulletin dealing with 'the 'Destruction of Germs of Infectious Bee Diseases by Pleating,' tho author being G. P. White, M.D., Ph. D. The latter remarks: 'The facts obtained to date are too meagre to justify anything more than a general statement regarding the minimum amount of heating that can be employed in rendering material containing the germs of American foul-brood non-infectious. Taking rather wide limits it may safely be said 'that the minimum temperature at which this can be done, if the temperature is aoplied for 10 minutes, lies somewhere between 90deg C. (19*deg Fain-.) and lOOdeg C. (212 deg Fahr.). k seems quite probable, indeed, that a temperature less than 98dcg C. (203 deg Fahr.) will suffice if applied for 10 minutes. When lOOdeg C. was used the spores.of Bacillus larvae were killed in less than five minutes.' These are the most reliable data existing dealing with the destruction of the spores of American foulbrood- and it should set at rest a doubt cast on the effectiveness of 'the heat generated in the machine described above. "A further point that should be generally noticed is that the beekeeper usually applies more heat in excess of the minimum amount required when destroying diseased material by heating. It may be said of Mr Hutchinson's invention that it will be a boon to many beekeepers, as almost every one operating on a commercial scale is_ at times up against the problem of dealing quickly with large numbers of old combs. It is not the intention of the inventor to patent his idea, but rather to give beekeepers the benefit of his valuable experience, ad thus help to solve the problem of dealing quickly with waste wax. We /-gree with Hr Earp that if this invention is a success —and it seems to have proved satisfactory under trial—it will be a boen to beekeepers. There is always in a commercial apiary a lot of condemned combs to melt down, and probably there would be still more if an easy method were available, combs often being passed for further use just because of the labour attached to renewing them; and especially would this prove a benefit where the combs had been built from starters, and where they contained too much drone comb. We hope that the Alliance Box Company has its eye on this meltcr, as, if successful, it will be in request.

THE "DEADMAN" SUPER CLEANER SYSTEM.

The Journal of Agriculture of April 20 is a particularly interesting number to the beekeeper. In the first place there is a valuable article on the ""influence of Bees on Fruit Crops/' by Mr F. A. Jacobsen; then there is an article on the "Deadmnn" super cleaner system _ from the pen of Mr A. B. Try thai, apiarist, Ruakura Farm of Instruction. This is a device' for cleaning up wet combs after extracting. _ As' described by Mr Try thai, "it consists of a large stand or floor-board, capable of holding one hive of bees (which is placed in 'the middle at the front) and five piles of supers. The floor-board isso constructed as to allow free communication between each stack of supers and the central hive ; but the only means of entrance from outside is the ordinary opening of the central hive. The five piles of supers can" be tiered up to any height required. Care, however, must be taken to see that the joints and roofs arc all tight-fitting. They will then be quite safe from attacks from robber bees, the only entrance, as already stated, being through the centre hive. The entrance shutters can be reduced to a minimum, which the bees will easily defend. As the piles of supers are at 'the sides of the centre instead of on the top, the bees remove the honey as soon as possbile, and if the colony is ehort of stores it soon makes the best of its opportunities." If this works well, and it appeals to us as likely that it will do so, it will fill a longfelt want. To pet the combs dry by putting them back on the hives is to invite trouble unless great care is taken, and 'the difficulty is that the bees often just gather the honey together and store it in the same combs, refusing to take it down. To get this drying-up process well done is a matter of great moment to the beekeeper from a sanitary point of view. It has bean proved

that, for the bacillus of foulbrood, air is j . a treat cleanser, and it 19 because the ' I honey p.'oves a protection from the air thai- j it carries the infection. To get the combs « thoroughly dried before putting away for J the winter is to ensure clean super combs 4 for 'the following spring. We shall test out j B this system, if all goes well, next summer, j | Meantime we gladly acknowledge our in- I debtedness to Mr Trythal for having tested | it and reporting. i g