BEEKEEPING.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 97, 30 May 1914, Page 2

BEEKEEPING.

HINTS FOR BEGINNERS. Beekeeping is on the increase in.Can-' terbury, recently heavy shipments of honey being -forwarded'-Home by local beekeepers-. :To anyone 'puri>osing ,the establishment of an apiary i n a- -small w#y the hints igiven -by Mr F. A. Jacobsen in. the f'Journal of' Agriculture" will be of interest. . : ,;.TQ INTENDING BEEKEEPERS. , I am often asked the question, "Could you tell me the best way to commence beekeeping?" In every case it is advisable to start with one or two colonies only, and these would form the nucleus of any further increase desired. Should the beginner intend to eventually keep..a ftommereiar ;apiary, it is Vmost necessary* that any /appliances bought should be quite lip to date. 'E*- : perienced beekeeperstrliave. of ten , la : ;w;as ;made had to; sOinev extent rio Continue with their usef ■ Later m&ny■ ,'ofT - sacrificed their old -hives "fbx the;bet.tey working of their/apiar?eSv ! "V" ' ! ~' r I Established hives are" usually bought :about this time of the; year, whew can be shipped to any new location without fear of losing many. bees. Swarms, however, may be purchased in the spring from the nearest beeowneiy and transferred to their new home by any means that" suggests itself. The" hive should be iiiled with ten selfspacing frames. Each frame "shonkl contain a full sheet ,of foundation comb, which, in addition to the usual holder, should be attached to two" or three fine wires stretched' horizontally across the centre of the frame. ; . ■"

.Another course for the beginner to iadopi ? is to,..buyj. nuclei ";or,. colonies, pf bees on three or'' four: About the ■:, month : of November,' according- to"< the seasons/each of these nm-y be'/transferred- td'a jarge hivecontaining a full eomplem eh t of fra*nes wi th f oil ml atitirr comb, and they will build up to large colonies. Each of the ruieier should contain a queen,; at least "two drawn combs, and a quantity of sealed honey.

THE OUTFIT.The beginner. would require to purchase from the agents: —Three dovetailed hives in the flat (complete); three feeders (Alexander or divisionboard); one smoker; one bee-veil; one reel tinned wire (Jib); one combfoundation embedder; 4A lb medium, bro-xl comb-foundation; one handbook—"A B C and'-X Y Z of • Bee Cloture. V The- approximate- cost: would; he; £2 is/-.... ... ; i; ;,_ ;,...' ..;;,.. . With the assistance of .the handbook it Will be seen Wow to hail together and paint'the'hives, how to feed the nuclei,and, in short, bow to look after the colonies generally. RACES OF JBEES. The. common hive bee was introduced into New Zealand in 1839, and is knoifcn as the Black bee. The majority of bees in- this-country are of this kind, and when properly cared for exhibit great thrift. ~Thcy are very subject,. .however, The . Italian bees were introduced into the Auckland province in ißßoy'arid have/' always "exhibited excellent quality; in.-ev.ery i-espeet. This kind is ljecpgnised ,ai;; the best for commercial Use.

;Carriibliah 'bees have been imported from the higher regions of Austria, -and iaiie noted for their gentleness. They are a greyish colour, with strong swarming tendencies, and on this account are hot suitable for cbinmerciaf apiaries. Caucasian bees are very gentle, and closely resemble the Black race. Like the Carniolians, they swarm readily, but gather an excessive quantity of propolis, which is undesirable.

Besides those already mentioned, there are the Syrians, Cyprians, and Tunisians, but they do not meet with general appioval. The Italian and Blacks are considered the best for commercial purposes, especially the former. Crosses between these two races are also good. .. ...,..„,. ..,.„,

THE COLONY. The number of bees in a colony vary, but in the middle of the summer a hive should contain a queen, between" 30,000 and 40,000 worker bees, and a varying number of drones. The queen keeps up the population of a colony, and sometimes lays as many as 3000 eggs in a single day. She lives the longest of all the bees, and may be distinguished from the others by her long narrow body. She is produced in a large conical cell, and fed on specially rich food. Several days after her birth she takes her wedding flight, and is fertilised by a drone while on the wing. This is the only flight of its kind during her life. She is now able to lay both male and female eggs. The workers are undeveloped females. They carry on aJI the work of the colony, which includes feeding the young, gathering honey and pollen, cleaning the cells, comb-building, ventilating the hive, and defending it upon attack. They are, indeed, very energetic, and practically govern the hive. , The drones are the males of the : colony, and they otherwise lead a useless and lazy life. They are fed by the workers until the close of the season, when they are excluded from the hive. Their only duty is to secure the fertilisation of the queens at swarmingtime. GENERAL ATTITUDE. Beekeepers should study the characteristics of their bees. J3ome colonies are gentle, and may be easily handled, while others exhibit . undue ferocity. T»e beginner should not become alarm-

Ed on receiving a stihsj, but.should immediately withdraw the sting by a scratch with the finger-nail, and apply a puff or two; more smoke over the frames. Eapid or jerky movements should be avoided, and gentleness should be - observed wherqver possible. The bees, when smoked, gorge themselves with honey, when they offer., very little further resistance. When examining hives do iipt. keep thein open'too long, especially;; when the weather is' cold, as the brood may probably chill'ed. If possible, .avoid-any manipulation.' ■on cold or showery days, as. the bees at these times have a tendency to be vicious. The best ..time to examine ''colonies is on' a fine day about' noon, as the majority of the bees would then be absent from their hives in search, of pollen or nectar.

HONEY. Honey is not gathered by the bees as. is popularly which is an exudation of plants mail*?.. accessible by their blossoms,'which, is collected. This is a thin sweet fluid., which,-while. in the honey-sac of the, bee, undergoes concentration and be-, comes thicker. Formic acid, secreted, internally by the worker, is added, and the fluid, is then stored in .the .cells, where' it . undergoes, a further change lefore. it becomes ripe and> the ceil is ..tapped. ... Honey .may be of different colours and various flavours. White honey , is. -gathered., front white clover,, thistles, the' rata tree, peas, .honey is obtained, from catsear and bhie gums. A darker kind emanates iVom manuka and various kinds of trees in the bush. The boat kind N for cormhere.;al purposes is that obtained from white clover, etc. WAX. ... ..'"' Beeswax is of considerable commercial value. When it is understood that it fakes more than : 101b of honey to make lib of • wax this will be realised"; It is secreted underneath the workers .'ibdomen, and may be fleen projecting in scales from-the abdominal segments. A high temperature is required for thiswork. When clean sxml properly mouldi' ed, wax realises from 1/4- to 3/9 per, pound. POLLEN. •' .-..-; >.:,,;;■ Pollen is of various colours, arrd •■»&•'■ y.-ithered from : the' blossoms by the-bees' and carried to the"hi\"e : in specially eon-' structed pits 'on th« hind legs; v-.When i:tixed with honey it is commonly known,' as " liee-bread,'' and forms -their food; It is principally when poi I en-gather ing that the bees carry out their important work of ' i •. ' propolis J _ v " ; -; r ;;-'V' When a hive is opened it is. usually' found that the mat adheres 1 ' t6 1 ' 'the; frames. The matter, or propolis, and is gathered by the bees in a similar manner to pollen. : It i's 1! used to bloiuk up ali' s Vi l evi'cds u i l ?l< , ely''- i td f epuse c.olo&y.

>: The? eo'nibs of'a iftOlonny- are'coTatadacti iit the ,f raniesy-aiid inlay be lifted out- fori inspection. There* may: >. be three sizes of cells on: one fftomb—namely, workerj drone, and queen.,: The worker and tlroite; cells are six-sided, the former j.veragiiig live to the and the hitter four "to the hich. The queen colls are large conical structures, which project downwards, and are used exclusively for. queen rearing. The other cells ure those used for storing hphey. SUPPOSED I&nDKY OF FKUIT , - : •■:;:;.:.i.BT'BEES.'".. ..[ It Is generally supposed-p-and beekeepers have often to combat., the idea —that - fruit' ami r.;fterSvarVls stick TJhis idea is, erroneous, 1 for \they ..inever..puncture sound' fruit; but wltfn .no nectar is available"they often'ipllbw Up the birds that haye previously ,|damaged>the crop. Ichneumon, or soldier flies, .dp this as •-■•' -■ : ~'. • / -■ . ;•-• - ■ - •,