THE APIARY.

Otago Witness, Issue 3489, 25 January 1921, Page 9

THE APIARY.

By

J. A.

From December 15 to date of writing, January 15, the weather, from a beekeeper’s point of view, lias been all that could be desired. It is surprising how the bees have responded and what a remarkable change has come to the colonies in the brief space of a month. Many who. like the writer, have been on holiday, will be surprised at the progress. We arrived back to find that swarming had started, and that something like a dozen swarms had issued. This development was promptly stopped by finding- out the delinquent colonies and cutting out cells. During our absence (as the queens were put up on leaving) the winter brood nests were gathered in threes and formed 18 new colonies. This, with seven new colonies started from swarms, has increased our number to 90. The young queens in the 18 new colonies are just beginning laying, and are a very fine lot. Our work now lies in seeing that the bees have plenty of room and in preparing for extracting. Should the weather hold we expect to begin this work on Monday, the 17th inst. We arc contenting ourselves this season with a two-frame Cowan extractor. This will mean slow and tedious work, but at present power extractors are too expensive. In going through the apiary this week we found only a very few colonies preparing to swarm! What swarming has taken place was mainly owing to the- fact that _ several colonies had been missed in the tiering of the old brood nests. Strange things happen sometimes. In going this round we found in one colony two queens at work, one above and the other below the excluder. The riddle to us was how did the queen above the excluder get there? Apparently the queens were not in each other’s way, so we left them. THE HP. A. Naturally shareholders in the Honey Producers/ Association will he anxious to get what information can be got as to the prospects of the 1921 honey market. This no one can give. In common with other kinds of produce, honey is having its ups and downs on the market-, and, pending export arrangements, which are being influenced by present B. and D. Co. developments, nothing definite can be said either as to advance or probable results of sales. There has been no time in the history of our H.P.A. when it could do more for the beekeepers, and yet when the beekeepers had to trust more to the directors and manager and simply wait. Mr Rvland our manager, has always believed that first place should be given to the local market and that the export was just a. matter of getting away the surplus. This has been, and, we hope, will continue, the policy of the H.P.A. We hope that under the circumstances beekeepers will be loyal and bv standing together get fair market value both locally and for export, Mr Renton!, the chairman, has promised to visit South! land and Otago in a few weeks if suitable meetings are arranged, and we hope that if these meetings are arranged the beekeepers will attend and. hear what Mr Rentoul has to say, and that he will then be in a position to sav something more definite than can be said at present. What Mr Rentoul desires, arid what is being attempted, is to get the field days

in the south, particularly those in the CTutha and Southland districts, so close together that he may be able in a flying- visit to meet both associations a.nd to discuss the position with them. Unfortunately, both dates have been advertised, and they are just too far apart unless rearrangement can be made. SOUTH ISLAND PROSPECTS, Travelling from one end of the South Island to the other, we naturally looked on our surroundings from a beekeeper’s point of view-. We had been led to expect that this was probably going to be a bumper season. We were, however, a good deal disappointed at the dryness everywhere. It is quite possible that good work was done before this dryness affected the position; but from Nelson to Dunedin, cr at all events to Oamaru, we could not escape the fear that the dry season was going to kill all chance of a good honey crop, or at all events of a good late flow. A\ e hope that the dampness which has seemingly set in at date of writing (17th) may still prove helpful, and that at all events the richer and moister districts may still do well. Southland’s prospects are much better, as the dry weather has only slightly affected the position.