BEE NOTES.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 144667, 29 April 1915, Page 5

BEE NOTES.

{By “Tamili.”) J have been asked to look at several hives of bees since my last notes. “No honey; can’t make it out; must be foul brood, or something.” Your Waitara correspondent has discovered the something, and sent me a sample of it. viz., a piece of comb which is dirty and full of cocoons, spun and loft by the generations of bees, hatched and reared therein.

A few weeks ago I stated that the third year of bce-kooping is the trial one for the beginner, if not trying the reader’s patience too much, 1 will explain briefly what usually happens to our friend the novice. He buys a hive and swarm, his friend putting things right for him. A fair season is experienced, his bees rapidly increase. His friend comes along, opens the hive and draws out one or two combs from the centre. Our novice is delighted beyond measure, takes good advice, purchases a Super, and with the help of his Friend puts it on the hive. Probably in a few days lie comes home to lunch, finds wifie quite excited, receives sundry messages m cypher \tho key being known to himscli only), the result being an inspection of the garden, where he finds an object which excites him oven more than it has the partner of his bosom—his first swarm of bees. Later the friend again puts in an appearance. bringing a “super board,” which has one or two curious projections on it “Portet bee escapes.” These arc explained by the friend. Together they pui the board in position, and as is is usually done in the evening, the novice holds Ins soul in patience till about o a.in. next morning, when, acting on the friend’s advice, he carefully lifts off the hive top and the mat. and. joy of joys, before him lies probably •ji) to 28 section boxes of beautiful white comb honey. No bees! They have gone down into the.hive through the es-apes, and cannot return. Can’t you see the novice rushing into the house with his beautiful load; bear him led wifie how *.usy the whole thing is—-count up its value—win. it is n gold mine— talks of chucking his job, ete. Hut he has to go back to tin* luvc, take oIV the board and put on the mat and rover, lift the board. Out “boil” the bees, down goes the board, and away goes Mm novice—sadder and wiser. Again the friend kelps, and all is weli. Next year Ins. bees do iwil. The novice has learnt a few “wrinkles.” Perhaps does not get a swaim. so investigates. He finds that the same combs which his friend sliowi.nl him last year clean and full of “brood” arc now of a dirty-brown colour, not so full of •'breed, ”* here and theie cel!:, half-full of u yellow or reddish-coloured material, which he finds out is “bee bread.” or pollen. Ite goes to hi* book and finds out that the colour of the comb is due to the bees travelling invessnnejy over them, also that about every six or seven weeks a young bee spins a cocoon (while in the cell in the stage in which the grub changes into the insect), which it leave.-, in the cell when it lifts the lid and emerges as a perfect hoc. So passes the second year, having again reaped a fair harvest of honey.

I.a’ter on in the year onr friend probably moves flic hive to clear the grass ami weeds away from it; liuds it light; much lighter than it was the first winter. lie does not consult ids friend, feeling quite sure that be has nothing mure to learn, so things drift on. On sunny days a few bees tly out. Spring comes with its fine days, not much activity. at the hive, learns a little about feeding (from his book), feeds. Swarming time comes; cautiously approaches Ids friend. "Any swarms yet I-” "Oh, yes ; doing well’ this year. How are your bees?" "Oil, jusl Al." Hut all the bluffing in the world won’t alter the fact that the hive is “not" doing well, and serious misgivings take the place ol confidence when it is discovered that the book talks of a disease called

'Spring dwindling.” Uno Hup day ho musters up courage to again rail in his friend. ami joint investigation shows a hive full of dark, dirly-biown combs, minus bees, a few of which ho (lead on ■lie bottom board among the larvae of the boo molh. which has already taken possession of the old empty combs. I think 1 have in the above "yarn” just about told the story ot the piece of comb sent mo from Waitara.