BEEKEEPING.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 145755, 14 February 1917, Page 4

BEEKEEPING.

(By Taiuui.) Now that the new honey is ready lor the market the following remarks by inspector Earp are worth noting;— Strainers: it is not uncommon to nud honey exposed Tor sale where proper care and attention has not been paid to straining at the time of extracting.. Nothing deters the .sale of extracted honey so much as a layer of wax-par-ticles, dead bees, etc., and it is surprising how few beekeepers take the necessary trouble to see their product roaches the customer free from wax and other impurities. in no case should honey be run direct from the extractor into the containers, but should be properly strained. It is the attention paid to this necessary detail that aids in the sale of the crop, and when honey is properly treated it readily commands a. higher price. Fine wire-gauge strainers are usually adopted, but oven these are not sufficient to remove the smaller wax-particles. In order to ensure perfect condition it should ho, passed through good fine cheesecloth before being run into the tank. Cheesecloth strainers are excellent. cheap,, and are easily made, whilst at the same time they can be readily cleansed. They remove everything but tiie smallest particles of wax. which should bo finally disposed of when the honey is skimmed. This latter process is an important one. and should always be carried out before the honey is put up ni marketable form. I strongly recommend users of honey to ask for a guarantee that it is up to the Government expert standard. I have seen two lots this week, which are much below—evidently a large proportion of it is unsealed honey. Our merchants should insist that all their supplies arc up to the standard. There is no excuse for the beenian when he sells unripe honey, and a fine or two would stop the illicit trading. The yields of honey this year appear to be a fair average. Some districts have had quite a large crop. Out Apiaries.—-I am often asked about how far a man should put his out apiaries from his home. I have just received a series of articles written by Mr. Jas. Allen, whose apiary is at TVyndham. in Southland, while lie himself lives at Nelson. He goes to the apiary in November and comes back in time for the apple harvest. Ho has to travel about 500 miles each way.