THE APIARY.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume VI, Issue 1, 15 January 1913, Page 69

THE APIARY.

NOTES FOR FEBRUARY.

F. A. Jacobsen.

The severity of the spring from a beekeeper’s point of view has been a factor to be reckoned with in £s. d., for the honey crop will not in consequence be so large as in . some former years. The quality, however, may prove to be excellent, while the yield per colony will probably be good.

The loss in the diminution of colonies, owing to depleted stores of nectar, will, however, be difficult now to overcome. The weather visitation has been general throughout the Dominion. The individual loss will be, however, by no means uniform. It is in such a season as the present when the careful beekeeper, who manages his apiary to the best advantage, will reap, the greatest reward from his special knowledge and diligence. The slipshod beekeeper will always be the heaviest loser.

Value of* Bees on the Farm.

The average farmer rarely attaches the importance to his bees that he should, yet their value as fertilizing agents is very great. Did he appreciate the possibilities in beekeeping as a side line to his farming operations, he could, by the exercise of a little care and thought, make them a good source of revenue. Many a farmer s wife has found a few hives an important means of providing the home with groceries and adding to the pleasure of the table. Instead of leaving the calm, clean, and healthy environment of the country for a city office or factory the daughter of the farmer would probably find it better for body and soul to take up beekeeping, one of the most entrancing occupations when properly studied and carried out.

Robber Bees.

The compensation for time and labour spent with the bees for the past twelve months will be the quantity and quality of honey gathered at the harvest. . The process of extracting the honey is a pleasurable one, and usually puts the beekeeper in his best humour. As with all things, there is an exception to this rule, as sometimes the reverse is the case, on account of robbing having commenced during the process of manipulation of colonies in bad weather, or, in other- words, during a dearth of nectar. When this is so it is necessary to proceed with

great caution. The entrance to any hive that other bees are robbing should be • contracted, so that only a few may enter at a time, then the defenders can take and eject any inquisitive intruders; whereas with a broad entrance it takes a large force to keep effective guard. Weak stocks are generally pirated by these unscrupulous brigands in the bee world. The bees become exceedingly savage, and large numbers will be noticed flying at the entrances of a few hives, and with the fighting in progress on the alighting-boards it is not possible for even a novice to be mistaken. Work in the apiary should be abandoned until everything is quiet, otherwise the trouble will commence again, and at the. same time the bees will viciously attack the apiarist. Guard against robbing by extracting before the honeyflow is quite finished, and so make the work what it is intended to —a pleasure.

To remove Full Supers

Presuming that extracting is to be done under favourable conditions, it will not be necessary to use much smoke. The combs of sealed honey should be removed from the super, and the- bees brushed off them as quickly as possible before taking them to the honey-house. It is a good method to have an empty body-box on a barrow alongside the hive, and as the bees are brushed off the combs from the full super they are placed in this empty one, which is immediately covered over, to prevent any robber bees getting into it.

When sufficient supers of combs have been accumulated in the honey-house to occupy the remainder of the day in uncapping and extracting, these operations are next proceeded with.

Uncapping.

Two Bingham knives are required for uncapping the sealed combs, and these must be kept in almost boiling water, and used alternately. Keep the edges well, sharpened to • expedite the work. Lean a comb on the pivot above the uncapping-can, and commence slicing off the wax caps from the bottom, holding the comb towards the knife, to allow the pieces to fall clear into' the can. Now swing the comb round on the pivot and do the other side in a like manner before placing the comb in the extractor. Fill the baskets of the machine, putting only one comb in each basket, and, after turning the handle to revolve the baskets for a couple of minutes, reverse them by a lever that is attached, and turn again for the same period, when the combs can be taken out empty and fresh ones put in their place. Care must be taken not to turn too quickly when working on new combs, as these are likely to smash. The honey is run off into tanks, and the cappings treated as explained in previous issues of the Journal.