BEE NOTES.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 16038, 24 January 1918, Page 5

BEE NOTES.

(By "Tainui.”) O. F., Road, asks how to clean ivax. If you have a small quantity of combs, or pieces, you can put some water in a. bucket, say half full, put it on a firo and when nearly boiling, put the combs into it, have a small stick for a stiver, and keep the water and combs well stirred. You will find that tho muss has a tendency to froth and boil over, this can be stopped by having some cold water at hand, and put a little of it into the seething liquid, have another bucket or petrol tin with the top cut off, tie a piece of scrim over tho ton of this and use it as a strainer. nonying the melted combs ■and water through tho scrim into the bucket. I ladle mine into the scrim, this.enables me to use the hot water to wash all the wax out of the mass into the bucket, remove tho scrim and refuse, bury the refuse or burn it, as the bees worry over it. allow the wax and water to cool, you can then remove the wax in a cake and clean any dirt off which may be on tho under side. If you want it very clean, remelt the wax in clean hqt water and stir in a few drops of sulphuric acid, stirring well as soon as you see the colour improve, take it off the fire and let it cool, cleaning off, as before, any dirt which tho acid may have caused to sink to the under side of the red cake of wax. I use a 20 gallon boiler made especially for the work, hut the process is as I have described for a small lot, using petrol tins, because the wax cleaning is a. messy business, and our women generally object to clean beeswax off tho houusehold utensils. QUEEN REARING. In my notes on the above, I could only touch on the general features of the work. One thing impressed me very much, viz., the necessity’ of preparation of 3 or 4 colonies of bees for the purpose of starting and 1 feeding, these two thiugs being done in separate hives, the starters only having the cells for about 24 hours, when they are taken away and placed in the “cell building” hives, and a fresh lot given to the “starters.” , I am writing these notes at the queen rearing yard, and find tho fascination of the work to be almost beyond belief. Mr. Nicholas spares no pains to explain and show the work. He is just now re-queening one of his apiaries, and came homo to-night at 8 p.m. quite pleased. He found that a large majority of virgin queens introduced a short time ago in, another apiary had mated and started the business of their lives. One colony which ho ia using as a cell builder, is three stories high of twelve framed hives and supers. I hope to be able to find time during ray present visit to Hawcra to go out with my host and spend the day with him and get a practical lesson of how to do the work, in an apiary where tho honey comes out in "tons”, seven tons last year, and I hope it will not bo less this year. HONEY PROSPECTS. All round North Taranaki tho extractor should be at work and comb honey removed from tho supers, os it is sealed over,' replacing tho full frames by fresh ones. WINTER SHOW. Now is the time to be picking out the best sections, frames and extracted honey for the show, being careful not to break tho combs, wrap them carefully in soft paper and keep in a warm dry room. BEES WAX. There is now a great defnand for this article, save every scrap of comb and render it into wax, it is worth ■ from Is (kl to Is 9d per lb. Messrs. Nicoll and Co., Now Plymouth, and Messrs. Nicholas, Hawera, are purchasing at the above prices.