BEE-KEEPING.

Taranaki Daily News, 29 October 1919, Page 2

BEE-KEEPING.

(By "Honeysuckle.") At the request of a number of subscribers of the Daily News, I will write a few short aote3 every fortnight for beginners. As I urn often asked what foul brood is like, and as It is doing a lot of harm in this district, ] cannot do better than give a short description of it and Its treatment taken from tho Gov- ■ cnimcnt Bulletin No. 1. The larva in tho early stage's of the disease assumes an unnatural position Tho color also changes from a peariy-whito to a dirty- ' yellow and eventually to a dark-brown, sticky, putrid mass. During these stages the smell r usually of an objectionable character, resembling very closely the odour given off by hot glue. In cases where the larva I.as died after being capped over, the cannings are an Indication of the disease contained in the cell. Thoy will be found to h-j sunken or concave, dark in color, greasy iu appearance, and in some instances perforated This, however, is not, always the case The caj,pings over the ceils containing healthy ' brood are usually convex, A rood queen usually lays her eggs in circles, a'ld tho fact of a single cell remaining unhatched is suspicious. If allowed to take its course, :hE disease spreads rapidly to surrounding cells and combs, till finally no brood can hatch and the colony succumbs. On opening some of the colls a thin glue-lllte coffee-colored mass will be noticed, which on the insertion of a splinter of wood adheres to ilie' -joint, and can be drawn rope-like for snme little distanco out of the cells. This is one of tl'e most distinctive features of foui-orood prevalent In many countries, and, where prese.ut, Is considered conclusive evidence of ibo mse.r,e' Later on tills glue-Ulte substance dries up "into tho before-mentioned black scale-life bqdy. When tho scale is scraped oft and .hel-J to the nose a strong objectionable smell can be detected. Some bee-keepers may fall into the mistake of supposing a colony to be clean when there is no objectionable smell, but the foul-brood must bo )n an advanced stage before this is noticealilo. It is through honey bolng put into these cells thai it hecomes a source of infection, and, however little disease there, may be in a colony, tho honev in the hive is liable to contain :he germs of disease. Prepare a set of frames with a y 2 -inch strip of foundation wax (called a "starter") in each. Next place these prepared frames into an empty body ready to receive tho bees. Shift tho diseased ' hive to one sid<i, and place tho prepared hive on Iho old stand previously occupied by the diseased colony. Now place an empty r.uiicr nn tho liivo containing starters. The combs with adhering bees are then removed one by one, every bee being brushed off into tho prepared hive. The diseased combs are put into a spare hive-body, and covered up' as quickly as possible; then remove evctv portion of the infected hive, including the diseased combs, out of Teach of the bees. When these operations aro completed, remove the super, place a mat on the top of the frames, and put the roof on. In four days time the frames containing the starters are removed and full sheets of foundation put in their place. The bees must be brushed off quickly and quietly without using much smoke, so that, they get very little of the infected honey that has been stored in the combs built b.v the starters The abive treatment, if carried out. carefully and according to Instructions, will effect a complete cure. This is accomplished by tho bees utilising the diseased honey in their honey-sacs for the purposo of comb-building; thus when shifted again at the end of four days >ney start clean. The colonies should then remain healthy unless further infection bo gathered from an outside source. Last week I found two colonies vrlth queen cells and young queens in them which would have swarmed in a few days If I had not taken out the queen cells. On Monday I captured my first swarm on a barbary hedge. Anyone with good colonies should have a spare lilve with frames, combs, etc, ready, as a few days like Sunday and Monday they will soon get a move on.i I noticed them on the clover on Sunday. In taking a swarm I find the best plan is to have a small light box with a lid or sliding top, with a tew small holes for air. Shake or brush your bees into it as soon as they settle. Get your hive ready and lay a sack on the ground in front of the hive, one edge on the landing board. Then towards evening take the swarm, slide the lid well back, and with a sharp jerlt dump them on the sack in front of tho hive. If it is a small swarm a good plan is to take a good frame of brood from another hive. Shake or brush all tho bees off it and put it in the hive just before you put the swarm in, or nut it in the "next day. It helps them. Don't miss a frame of brood and it give's the swnrm a good start. The North Taranakl Bee-keepers' Association held a field day at Okato on the 16th., at Mr. P. Jenkins, who kindly lent his apiary. It was splendid weather, with a tip-top hive of hoes, and a good muster of Interested spectators. Including the school boys under the headmaster. Mr. Beale and Mr. E. Shaw worked the bees. The queen was found fliui shown Tound, and was a very fine Italian. Mr. Beale had a sample of foul brood on view frames. The next demonstration takes place at Mr Fusseil's, Waimnngi, on October 30, at 2 p.m.