The Ohaupo Apiary.

Waikato Times, Volume XXI, Issue 1784, 11 December 1883, Page 4

The Ohaupo Apiary.

THE New Zealand and Australian Bee Journal for Djcemb >r contain* the, following repo.'t from Messrs Karl Unw., of Ohaupo. In reply to a question as to what , they aid with their comb-honey last season, put them by a contributor to the journal, in its last issue, they write :— We extracted all our white clover honey, which wo can do freely, but when the Ha\ honey cauvj in wo found that it was impos siblo to extract it, .so we put on extra stories with two-thirds of our frames containing full sheets of foundation, and nnithird with starter* only, a*, we run shoit of comb foundation. After all the combs had been worked out, filled with honey and sealed, we took them off the hives. A petition of the comb built on the aitificial foundation wo broko up and btrained ; all containing pollen wp saved for spring feeding. That built in the frames containing starters wo kept for homo use. We went into winter quarters with 120 colonies, and got them all through successfully ; they are now all vei y .strong. We have a good many nuclei for quoeu i earing. Tho baoa have boon doing splendidly for the last two weeks in the bush. They are bringing in pollen wholesale fiom the kaliikatea and bukatea, which arc now in blosHoin. The white clover is beginning to flower pretty well hero, and in two or thiee weeks our busy time will commence again. >Ye have just fitted up four tanks m out honey-room for ripening the honey in ; they are made of mi nga toil lion, H\e, feet high and two feet si v nicliu^ in diameter. We intend to have them on blocks oi stands high enough to run tho honey into barrels after it is ripened. We think the tanks will bo much bettoi th.in ban els to upon the honey in, .is ban els .11 c apt to leak .vftei tliey have been standing in a wai in room for some time. Our honey house is painted black both on the roof and sides, to absoid the heat ; the temperatme last season inside want up to 'JSdegs.; we think that should be hot enough to lipon honey. Later, — Since I wiote you last we have had a deal of bad weather huie ; the bees wore doing better tin cc or four weeks ag.> than they .11 eat the 1111 11 e>enl time. 1 h.i \ c been obliged to feed, and have u->ed three bags of sugar dining the last thiee days. Time is lots of white clo\ei in blossom nisfc now, but n<> honey is secieted 111 the flowcis, owing to the tyuipeiatmo being so low and ho little sunshine. The honey season wa>» rather late in commenting last yeai. but it is still later this. Jfoweioi, lam in hopes of our ha\ ing a good season y et.