THE APIARY.

Otago Witness, Issue 3429, 2 December 1919, Page 9

THE APIARY.

By J: A.

We began and have ended the second week of our 1920 season under improving but still not very gopd. weather conditions, Saturday being, however, a good day and marking a break in the continuous storm of wild and rain. Our little apiary of 25 cglonies* has got to work mainly because it is being regularly fed. The bees have put on an air of business intent; they are alert and active, and already are clustering to fill in some broken pieces of comb where mice had robbed them in the winter, and had to some extent destroyed the combs. This alertness has made an end to robbing, and now-we can feed at any time, knowing that ~ every colony,. even the smallest, will defend itself. The queens are all laying vigorously, and the combs are, consequently, rapidly filling up with brood. We have put on supers without excluders on all the strongest colonies, so that the queen may go on enlarging her broodnest, with no temptation to prepare for swarming. Some small patches of drone brood are beginning to- appear, but in all the colonies except those we want for breeding these patches will be judiciously thinned down. We do not wish to have the efforts of our bees impeded bv the rearing of a lot of useless drones. " The week's work has consisted entirely of feeding, and this has suited us very well, as b«!ng a, to the Presbyterian Assembly, it has been our privilege to tike part in the sittings_ of that body. When the Assembly meetings are over we will get more regularly to work. We had a visit from Mr Barsen, of Mabel Bush, who is one of our near neighbours. Mr Barsen is a beekeeper and fruit-grower, and thus we had much in common. Mr Larsen had the same story to tell as to the backwardness of the season, the same story that you meet everywhere. I nm afraid that it will make the fruit-growing as well as the beekeeping very difficult. We hope to look rm Mr Larsen at no distant date, and to have a loolc through bis be"s. We are anxious to get in touch with the Southland Beekeepers' Association as soon as poss'hle more especially the shareholders in the H.P.A.

Mr. Kylands is finding ; t difficult to tret far awav from the h"nd office, and wo think tint it would be well that the Southland heekeeper3 should get into touch with one another nt as early a' date as possible, and a'so that they should crot to know what the H.P.A. is doing on their behalf. We would just say this Just now: that more than ever before it is ahsolntoly necessary for beekeepers to b" in touch with their own co-operative organisation. Our position in the English market is being upheld bv the R. and P. Co. in face of very great difficulty, and if through failure to act fair on our part that difficulty were increased it might verv easily. mean considerable loss to us all.

THE POSITION FOR THE INCOMING SEASON.

We are not .going- to say very much under this heading, but there are some few things that should be known. First, as to shipping in petrol tins. This has been absolutely barred by the Apiaries Department. An attempt has been made by the H.P.A. to get further leave for ono season, but so far it has not been successful. Neither has an attempt during the sitting of Parliament to got a small amendment to the Fruit Industries Act that would enable th 9 Government to loan money for the building of honey depots, as it does now for fruit depots, been successful. # It is quite probable that further attempts alonjr this line may be made very soon when the new Parliament meets. Then as to a scheme that was proposed to have honey tinned in Southland. This scheme did >ot seem to indicate any financial • saving on the handling of the honey, and so far nothing has been done in the matter. It is, however, proposed to put up a quantity of honey in pats, and for this purpose boxes are being made by the. Alliance Box Company, into which the honey that is earmarked for this purpose will be filled and, after granulation, forwarded to the depot at which it is to bo packed. So far as we know, ,no arrangements have been made for this depot, but there is ample time for it yet. No advantage will be gained by those who supply this honey above those who pack for shipment, as, the honey ; s all pooled, and payment made accordingly. We would point out that the regulations for packing for shipment will insist on tops not more than 2gin being used A lot of trouble is being caused by the use ■of larger tops, which are coming' off in transit, and resulting in considerable leakages Our honey is going through Panama now, and, although our wise department is insisting on granulation—hard granulation—before it will pass for shipment, it is, -owing to the heat of the tropics, becoming liquid again, and*leakage is taking place and causing considerable loss. Being tho only Southland ■ director on the H.P.A. directorate, we shall be glad to render anv we can to the Southland beekeepers during our stay in Southland. Sometimes it is a relief to hav? som n body to fccold when things go wrong. Well, here I am willing to give all the rebef that is wanted.