THE APIARY.

Otago Witness, Issue 3488, 18 January 1921, Page 7

THE APIARY.

By

J. A.

A VISIT TO MR JOHN RENTOUL. In returning from holidays at Nelson we came back overland in order to call at Cheviot and put in a day with Mr Rentoul at his home and to see him amongst his bees. Mr Rentoul, as most beekeepers know, is the chairman of directors of the Honey Producers’ Association, and is always anxious to see his fellow-directors and to discuss H.P.A. matters with them. Naturally we had a good deal to crowd into a very short time, but I am not going in tills to refer to H.P.A. business more than to say that Mr Rentoul lias promised that either he or Mr Rylands or both, will attend the field day meetings at Southland and Greenfield if the secretaries of those two associations can arrange to fit their meetings into following days, so as not to cause unnecessary' delay and loss of time. This, we presume, can be easily done. We arrived at Cheviot at midday and found Mr Rentoul and his partner busy shifting bees out to a new apiary site about three miles from the home apiary. Needless to say, we entered the home apiary with a good deal of interest, knowing that Air Rentoul had only two seasons ago exceeded the 20 tons in his crop, and that he was able with his system of manipulating to prevent and entirely control swarming. Unfortunately', the season is not proving too good. The sources of nectar supply are fast drying up, and though the bees are still doing steady work the prospects are only for a very moderate season. Mr Rentoul says he does not go in for frills, and we did not find any. The lawn-mower is not there, but all the same it was with a feeling of satisfaction that we stood amongst those three-storey colonies and felt the solidness of the apiary and its surroundings. The bees were intent on their work and paid little attention to visitors, though the handling necessary to prepare those colonies that were being' shifted did not allow of any liberties being taken, but required both veil and smoker. Mr Rentoul’s problem of the afternoon was to shake the bees from the supers into the brood nest storey' so as to take to the out apiary only the single-storied colony. It was a matter of crush, but v'hen the cool of the evening came most of them got inside, and two car loads moved two dozen of them to their new home. When one is travelling' and away from working clothes he cannot do much to help, but if we could not do that we at least exercised to the fullest limit our undisputed right to hinder, and we have not the slightest doubt that the shifting of that two dozen hives was done in the record length of time; at all events it was past eight o’clock before the work was done. During the afternoon the honey taken from those colonies being shifted was put through the extractor, and we thus bad an opportunity of seeing the extracting plant at work. An American petrol engine is used which is placed outside and drives through a belt- hole in the wall a friction driven four-comb Root extractor. John the younger, an only son, drives the machinery and manipulates the combs while his father does tlie uncapping. Tlie honey is pumped into a circular tank of one ton capacity. The pump worked entirely satisfactorily. Others have trouble with these pumps, but not so here. Mr Rintonl thinks it is because -Jin piping is used. The uncapping is done into an uncapping can of the Baines kind, but this would stand a lot of improving. In spite of our hindrance the work was soon got through, and we then inspected Mr Rentoul’s plant for boiling combs. M> Rentoul uses a steam boiler for this purpose and places the combs in a large vat, where, without anv cutting out, the wax is melted out and the wiring left undisturbed. The frames are afterwards boiled again in caustic soda water. Mr Rentoul has his bees in six apiaries and intends to establish still another, and hopes to increase to about 500 colonies. At present he is working about 350 colonies. We enioved a run round all the various yards which are within easy reach, and everywhere found good steady work going on and t ! ’» same solid and substantial colonies. The time for going came all ton soon, and we cannot dose this short record without thanting Airs Rentoul for her kindlv welcome. We would have Liked to have .gone with them in a run thev were taking to the be"eh, for it was very warm. but. unexpectedly, an opoortunity to make speed towards Tlndm Bn»h came, and we bed to hurry on. We wish our Cheviot friends a rea.llv <roe-d season, plenty of honey, and a good price. .And again "o say to Pouth- ] o «1 a"d Greenfield. “Take vnur chance and make Air Rentoul bonn-w his promise.”