THE APIARY.

Otago Witness, Issue 3869, 8 May 1928, Page 11

THE APIARY.

By

J. A.

MAKING SECURE FOR WINTER. Last week I described the hive stand used at Roslyn Bush. The main point in it was to secure au air space uiid-. the bottom board. Concrete slabs are some-' times suggested for stands, and no doubt these could be made a very solid foundation, able to carry the heaviest colonies without at any rate sagging. But even with concrete slabs it would not do to have the bottom board flat down on the concrete; an air space would be required, otherwise there would be the usual gathering of slaters and other insects, which would be sure to find their way up into the hive. Slaters, travelling from underneath a damp floor board, will find their way right up to the roof. I have seen them in the apiary of an old friend (long since gone), whose hives were on the ground, running in all directions when the roof was lifted, so that they were a perfect pest. I prefer the double stand to any other for the reasons I mentioned last week—it is convenient for working and often can be made the means of saving bees, and, whatever the materials used may be, the essentials are solidity and air space. THE COVER. There are two kinds of covers generally in use, the hip-roof cover and the flat one. In using the hip-roof cover it is necessary to have a mat to cover the top of the frames, otherwise the bees will immediately build up the space in the cover with comb and fill it with honey. The flat roof, if properly made, fits down on to the super, and leaves only a bee space (that is, <in) above the frames. In that ease there is no need for a mat at all, w'hich is a very decided advantage. In the case of a leakj- roof the mat becomes like a wet blanket, and it is very hard to conceive how the bees can be comfortable under it, while it will retain the damp for a much longer period after the rain is over. Of course, there should be no leaks in the roof, and the mat should be dry, but in that case it has to- be remembered that a nice dry mat is just the kind of nesting rlace that the mice like, and the fraying of the edges of the mat gives them good material to build with, while the heat from the brood-nest adds considerably to comfort. Being very partial to honey, mice take great delight in sharing with the bees. This . they can do when, owing to low temperature, the cluster takes close form. The Roslyn Bush coVers are flat, and there has never been a mat used in the apiary during the nine or ten years of its existence. I find it a great relief to be without them. The bees do fasten the cover to the frames with bur combs, but if there is only the bee space they break off quite easily, and are little or no trouble.

A leaky roof, however, is not a comfortable thing anywhere, and we do not want our bees to lie awake counting the stars, or to be employed licking up the rain drops as they come through. The winter cluster should be undisturbed by any exercise of that kind. My Roslyn roofs were covered (when made) with malthoid. A good many of them are now ready for recovering.’ Malthoid, therefore, at best, is only a short-lived covering. Probably zinc would be a much better, and certainly a more durable cover. If painted with a light-coloured paint, it would add to the comfort of the hive in the hot summer weather. The black malthoid covers are often so hot that they melt the bur combs underneath, and must increase considerably the temperature of the hive. Some objection may be taken to the flat covers that the droop to the front sheds the rain down on to the lighting board. It must, however be remembered that the droop forward is given on the stand, and that the bottom board has this slope also, so that no water goes into the hive, but runs to the front. For that reason, as well as enabling the bees to keep their bottom board free of chips. I like a decided droop forward—not less in any case than lin in the length of the hive. In passing from this subject, let us remember again that autumn is the beginning time of a new season, and if we are going to make good in our apiary work one of the very first items in our programme must be to make the bees comfortable. They must be dry underneath as well as 'dry above, and if they have been left well supplied with stores and with a good yourw queen then we may expect them to winter well.