THE APIARY.

Otago Witness, Issue 3398, 30 April 1919, Page 7

THE APIARY.

By J. A

"Dear Sir,—Having been rendered unfit for heavy work as the result of a wound received at the front, I have been thinking of starting bee farming, and would be very grateful for any advice ■ you can give me with regard to the number of hives to start with, the necessary appliances, also the best place to purchase. Could you let me have any bees ? If so, please let me know how many, also the price.—N.M.M'L." Your letter is dated 13th of March, and has travelled far before reaching me, hence the delay. I am sorry for this, as I do not care to appear careless where returned soldiers are concerned. The best advice I can give you is to describe my own operations last season in the way of starting a new apiary. First, then, with regard to the hives. The most up-to-date firm in this lino is without a doubt the Alliance Box Company, who have agencies throughout the Dominion. We do not in this column advise you to purchase from anyone in particular, but mention this firm as it is the oldest in the line, issues a full catalogue, and manufactures what are recognised as standard goods for the Dominion. It is important to you, not knowing much about hives yourself, to get into a line of what is known as standard goods. As to the number to start with, our advice is to begin slowly and to be content with a small number. Thirty-five years ago we started with three hives, the following year added 12 to the number, and the third we added 50; but wo were farming, and the bees were only for amusement. Your intention is to go into beekeeping for a regular employment; but even so we would not advise you to exceed 50 colonies for a start. With 50 colonies you can increase to whatever number you want from your own bees in the second season. You have this advantage that you are concentrating on one thing, and that much more help and information is available now than was the case 35 years ago. Ultimately you mav be able to manage from 200 to 300 colonies, and, if you adopt lightning methods, even more. Last season we bought 100 hives, intending to fill them all, but the season turned out so miserably that we filled onlv 43 of them, and those wero able to gather only winter supplies. In the spring we shall push these colonies, and endeavour to fill up the 100 hives before the clover flow is on. Now, as to how to get your bees. No one can sell bee 9 who has foulbrood in his yard, and as we had a little of this in our old yard we had to " M'Evoy" before using any of them. This we did with 30 colonies; but, knowing the possibility that exists for further development of disease during the following summer, we went to Mr Stewart, of Crookston, for 20 nuclei. These we got for 10s each, we supplying our own boxes. A nucleus colony consists of a young queen, untested, and iust laying, and the bees shaken from three or _ four frames. A nucleus hive is made wide enough to contain four frames. These are filled with full sheets of foundation, and if they have got to travel far by road or rail, special pains should be taken to see that the sheets are fast and the wire well embedded. When the nuclei are brought to their permanent location the frames with the bees are lifted out, and put into their new hives on prepared stands, and at once fed all the syrup they will take. In dealing with these small colonies you have to remember thafe you have only a very few bees, and it £k of the utmost importance to BtimulalSp brood-rearing and get the queens laying t&s the utmost capacity that th« bees- can cover.

The success for the season depends greatly on the pains taken to keep a constant ,suppJy oi feed within reach during the first four weeks. To that end wo advise putting a division board feeder in each hive, right close up to the bees. You further ask about appliances. Our plan last season was not to get any, the intention being to store whatever honey was gathered during the season for extension purposes in the spring. No surplus, however, was stored, owing to the poor season. No apiary is right up to date as a commercial concern without a power extractor. A on© and a-half horse-power petrol engine and a four-frame extractor are sufficient for, say, up to 2CO colonies. If more than that number is run a larger turnout would be better. But these plants are at war prices just now, and if you can get through next season without having to purchase one, the possibilities are that more reasonable prices may prevail during the season following. For uncapping it is worth while right from the start to get a steam-heated uncapping knife. The steam is produced in a kettle with a stroop put on above the water line, and this is heated on a blue-flame lamp or a Primus stove, the steam being conveyed to the knife in a piece of rubber piping, making a circuit in the knife blade, and then carried to one side by another piece of rubber piping. This keeps the knife constantly very hot, and as a result it slices off the cappings easily, and does not damage the endß of the cells, and ultimately means, cleaner extraction and better combs. Another appliance absolutely essential is a honey tank, and it is a wise thing to have a tank capable of holding about a ton of honey. Strain our honey as we may, we must depend on gravitation to get it absolutely clear. The very fine chips of wax and air bubbles rise to the top if time is allowed, and can be skimmed off, while the honey is tinned from a honey gate at the bottom. Much is being said at the present time about a capping mclter, and quite a number are on the market, but so far there is room for much improvement. One thing the questioner has not mentioned we will suggest, and that is a good textbook. Root's "A B O and XYZ of Beekeeping" is perhaps, tho best. That and an apprenticeship with a good apiarist for at least one season will pay well in tho long run. We need not mention wax-melting appliances; these will come in time. There is a conference of beekeepers at Wellington in the Dominion Farmers' Institute on the ljth, 12th, and T3th of June. You would be welcomed there, and it would probably prove an inspiration that would help you, and in any case would give* much opportunity .for gaining useful information. Just one word" more about the bees. Nothing is more essential to you than getting a good stock to begin with. We cannot supply, as we never made a practice of selling either bees or queens. But we would strongly recommend you to go to Mr Robert Stewart,' of Crookston. So far as we know, he is put on his own as a breeder, and as _he has had no foulbrood for many years it means "a good clean start. You can, of course, buy any bees so long as you get them clean, and requeen with good stock, and in that way may get a larger population in your hives to start Avith; but there is the danger that, as a beginner, you, not knowing foul-brood, may handicap yourself right • from the beginning with that greatest _of bee troubles. You would be wise if buying odd lots of bees to ask either tho Bee Instructor for the district or some one on whom you could depend to examine them for you. G. W., Willow Bank, Temuka, if we supply queens. We are not in that line of business at all, preferring to run our apiaries purely for extracted honey. The recommendation we have made this week to our soldier friend might help you.