THE APIARY.

Otago Witness, Issue 3624, 28 August 1923, Page 9

THE APIARY.

By

J. A

PREPARATION FOR HONEY FLOW

In dealing with this subject we can only suggest general principles. There is such a variation in climatic conditions in our various honey districts that no rules equally applicable to ail could be laid down. There is also such a variation in any one district as between any two seasons that here again rfn ha '" e alty - Pr °ba.bly the beginner asic: ‘Why should we bother our heads whether it is late or early, so long as oui bees are in good, strong condition? Jt *? ot best just to let the bee s go on all spring, naturally building up in strength and increasmg, and trust that they will be ni the best, trim when the flow ‘begins V' the question is difficult to answer. We h Seeil in .® ou thland a good clover flow ne 0 m a s early as December 15. Again, «e can remember another season in which it began on January 1 and ended January iqhiiS’ 1 ' 111 S' m that time on our scale hive lJolb. fetid another time it began on yith hives practicallv empty and during 1- eoruary put in full 'hives for mei and gave two tons of surplus. Last season no honey was put in after February ' ' n “.fT a variation in season it would seem as if the best advice was to be always e f. oy ; ~e re al 'e countries with a more reliable climate where it has been found v ry profitable to adopt a process of stimula.non tor a month previous to the time in tM P ow might be reliably expected and thus increase to a large extent the population of the hives. This stimulation was done by the giving of a half pint of sugar syrup daily, and m this way creating toe impression in the hive of a ‘reliable supply 0 f food, thus inducing the queen to iay f. 10re ,-~ ee ‘ y - Th « beginner will at once see the difficulty if this is done and a increase of bees results with no field work o be cloiie then these bees become consumers It may be taken as a rule that where feeding i n this way is started it m , as fV be continued until the flow is on, whether the time be long or short, and it may mean a considerable expense as well as giving a great deal of work. Where the apiary is only in formation and where it is intended to increase largely then tnere is nothing that will give such good success as to adopt this plan of stimulation in the spring, only it must not be neglected, and enough syrup must be given so that the enlarged brood-nests will have ample and no fear of running short. Bees are very sensitive in this, that a shortage of food will very quickly be responded to by a cutting down of the work of the queeii. tn reality, then, the irregularity of climatic conditions and of the honey season reduce Us to th.s position, that as' far as preparalion lOr licney flow is concerned the best we can do is to secure normal conditions in the hives and be careful that none of the coionies are in danger through a shoitage cf supplies. W here a shortage does occur eggs and larvae will soon disappear, and in a very short time the bees will uncap and drag out the brood. When this occurs lare in the spring it is a case of good-bye to any honey crop from that colony for the season. In Southland one cu the best- preparations that can be made for getting a strong, force of workers and being ready for the clover yield is a store of sealed combs of honey nicely packed away in the honey house, so they can be used to supplement the food stores in the summer time, and thus secure normal conditions and no check within the hive. Where if is desired to practice a certain amount of stimulation our recommendation is not to begin before the last week of November, and to feed only on days in which tile bees do not fly, and to keep it going until the hives are gaining weight- from the field: In this way it may help, but we have to say that we prefer the combs of sealed honey. BEEKEEPERS’ SUPPLIES. W e received during the week the catalogue of the X.Z. Co-operative Honey Producers’ Association, Ltd., or, in familiar terms, our H.P.A. catalogue. As most beekeepers know the association bought out the Alliance Box Co. in Dunedin, and are now running that as well as their Auckland depot, and are thus catering for the beekeepers of the Dominion. We notice in cursorily glancing over the list that there are some considerable reductions in prices, and we hope that, seeing the association is run on purely co-operative basis, it will be able to protect beekeepers in the cost of their supplies. We note by their balance sheet that a considerable loss was made in tins branch in last season’s work, but the reasons for that loss seemed ample and we have every reason to anticipate that the loss will be retrieved during the current year, not by additional charges, but by a very much increased output. Naturally they look to the beekeepers to support them in this matter, and we hope that- in that matter they will not be disappointed.