THE APIARY.

Otago Witness, Issue 3913, 12 March 1929, Page 11

THE APIARY.

By

J. A.

A BEGINNER’S QUESTIONS.

Sir, —I am anxious to keep bees. I have been brought up on a farm where no bees are kept. We receive the Witness and I often read the Apiary column, and amongst other things I have noticed that you are always ready to help beginners. My home is on a dairy farm in a dairying district, where there is much clover, and it seems to me that it ought to be very suitable for beekeeping. There is a clump of native bush not far from the house, on the eastern side of which there is a bend that is naturally sheltered. How would that do for an apiary site? It could be easily protected, so that nothing could interfere with it. The bush is on a knoll, and has a slope down to our road entrance, but I think it is far enough away so the flight of the bees would not cause any trouble. 1 have not long left school, and I propose to stick to the farm work. I want a hobby of my own, and beekeeping is the one that appeals to me. I have not much pocket money, and will have to make the bees pay their own way, and I thought that perhaps you might be willing to give me hints that would help. Father knows and approves of what I am planning, though he has had no experience with bees either. Hoping that I am not imposing on you too much. —I am, etc.,

H. E. This letter covers ground which the Apiary column of the Otago Witness has often traversed before. It is to the young people on our farms that we must look mainly for recruits to our industry. With the home approval which is indicated in the letter, and with the absolute rights that the farm gives to the site and locality, it gives a standing that no other section of the community enjoys for the establishment of an apiary A good standing not only in the site for the apiary but in the locality which the bees are to work- is one of the essentials of beekeeping. Another essential—and it is no less important—is the will of the would-be beekeeper to keep the bees. An apiary will not stand neglect, and a halfhearted beekeeper had better leave it alone. To use an expression I have used before, the beekeeper must “ fall in love with his bees,” and the wooing is often a rather ticklish job. It takes sime nerve to overcome the little setbacks that occur. There is, however, a great inducement to go on with it; the product is of the finest—it is one of our most valuable foods. The work is summer work, and admits of more variety of planning and manipulation than, almost any other of our minor industries, and when once the proper control of the bees is learned there is absolutely no need for any feeling of nervousness. Then there is that element about it which is partly beyond his control, which may mean a big surprise or a good deal of disappointment, and which partakes something of the nature of a gamble, and may give him one ton or ten tons from his 100 colonies. It is a feeling akin to that which drives the gold digger. He may meet with many disappointments, but there is always the hope that he may “ strike it big.” If a beginner’s object is just the hope of an easily-earned cheque then again he had better leave it alone. Unless he is drawn into it by the problems and interests of the bees themselves and finds in his beekeeping a relaxation and change from other work, he is not likely to succeed. If there is a choice between tennis, cricket, football, or the bees —if he is a farmer’s boy and a budding apiarist, then he must choose the bees. From his letter I think H. E. wants me to go- more into detail of how to start his apiary economicallj 7 and also to pay something of its early management. And as my space is nearly exhausted I will, if all goes well, deal with it more fully next -week.

MY TASMAN APIARY. I promised to describe this at an early date, but so far I have not been able to do so, beyond opening one hive and taking out two outside wide frames, which each contained eight fully-sealed sections. This would seem to ind’eate that good work has been done, but I am not sure that it is so. The weather in Nelson province since New Year has been very dry, and during December very wet, the rainfall of about Bin being almost a record for that month. I will, however, not lose sight of my promise, and when opportunity occurs and I have been able to harvest the crop I will give my impressions of the possibilities of a district like Tasman in honey production.