BEEKEEPING.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 16677, 26 February 1920, Page 5

BEEKEEPING.

(By “Tainui.”) Reports are to hand; of ( t-lio beekeepers’ field day at Ruakhra experimental farm. The gathering is fast Becoming the leading one of New Zealand, visitors being (present from all parts of the colony including our old friend Mr. I. Hopkins. Australia was represented by Mr. C. S. Pender, one of the best known men in the bee world of tho Commonwealth. Mr. Kirk •(Director of Horticulture) gave an address which included some interesting figures, showing the enormous increase in tho value of the socalled small industries of the Dominion. For instance, ho said, in 1911 the total output of honey and honey products of the Dominion were worth £31,000, while to-day, at present prices. they were worth something like £250,000. The number of hives registered was 67,600, while there remained about 7000 still to bo registered. The capital invested in the honey and bee business represented about £1,013,600. Last year £32,000 worth of honey was exported, more than tho total product of tho Dominion in 1911. Mr. Sage, president of the Waikato Association, followed Mr. Kirk and urged that it was the duty of the Department to insist on the registration of apiaries, and thilt tho onus should not he put on associations'. He coim mented on the fact, that it was possible recently to remove, without interference, 12 colonies of bees from Mount Eden to Waikato, eleven of which were diseased. To Ins mind it was nothing short of scandalous that such a thing was possible. The apiary inspectors no doubt did their best, hut they had not the necessary authority to deal with cases such as this. All the demonstrations were carried out by experts, Messrs. Young and Bollard, M.P.’s, also spoke; and promised to do what they could towards the appointment of additional inspectors, and measures to stamp out foul brood. (These notes are taken from the N.Z. Fruitgrower). Lepperton beekeepers will he glad to hear of Mr. Blackhall’s arrival in the

Old Country; also that .one of tho foul brood apiaries In their district has been destroyed, while another that was treated last November is now clean. Another had case in the Mangorci district has been cleaned up by fire and M‘Evvy treatment, and it, too, is now quite clean, and in addition has gathered enough honey to pay ex-, ponses and a hit over. We have to thank our local inspcc- ; tors for these two good turns. i