THE APIARY.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume VI, Issue 2, 15 February 1913, Page 189

THE APIARY.

NOTES FOR MARCH.

F. A. Jacobsen.

The words “ live and learn apply more forcibly. to bee-culture than to perhaps anything else. . Lessons can always be learnt each successive season by the observant man, . and thus may be avoided those little mistakes. which are a drain upon profits, while an efficient system of bee-management will be thereby evolved. Not the least important lesson to be taken from this season’s experience is the necessity of providing stores in view of a possible unfavourable season. Many beekeepers will be now convinced that it is a. wise and assuredly a safe policy to make ample provision against possible starvation. Losses have been suffered in this way not once but many times, thus condemning the weak system of leaving but a minimum amount of stores in the hives instead of the maximum. Half-starved colonies will never winter well, but will exhibit weakness in the spring, and will then demand special feeding, to stimulate brood-rearing. On the other . hand, by leaving a few extra pounds of honey in a hive the strength of the colony is ' assured at the critical period, providing; of course, it went into winter quarters with a good population, of bees. Weak stocks for honey-producing are practically useless. From 20 lb. to 30 lb. of sealed stores is necessary to be left in the hive for winter consumption by the bees, certainly not less than the former amount. Weak Stocks. At the close of the honey season, and when extracting is finished, all weak stocks should be united, and if any be found very weak three should be put together, or the weakest united with a fairly strong colony. This may be done by putting one hive on top of the other with a sheet of newspaper between, when in the course of a few days the bees will have eaten through this and mingled with one another without any fighting. It is preferable to kill the worst queen before uniting, otherwise there would ensue a battle royal, and the most useful queen may be killed or injured. Small Entrances. The latest bottom boards to a. hive have both a large and a small entrance. The large one is for summer use and is f in. in height, and

runs the full width of the hive. By reversing the bottom board the smaller size is produced, which is only -| in. high, but which also runs the full width of the hive. This entrance is in most cases too large, and should be reduced by tacking on to it a strip of perforated zinc the whole width of the front, this being provided with two or three holes, each just large enough for one bee to pass, through at a time. This assists in preventing robbing, and at the same time keeps out mice that would otherwise enter the hives and build their nests there. This precaution is most necessary where mice are numerous and when the beekeeper does not want his hive-mats chewed to pieces. . Winter Quarters. In very cold countries, such as Canada, the apiarist has to provide a substantial, protection from snow-drifts and cold winds. A long

house fitted up with ventilators and bee-flights is generally used for this purpose, although not always. The hives are carried into this and remain there until the snows melt. Others use double-walled hives with straw packing or 'shavings between the two walls, or they have large cases that fit over two or three hives at a time. I have used double-walled hives-for wintering purposes in New Zealand, but find that the expense is quite unwarranted, as anything of the kind is unnecessary in this country.

Winter Treatment.

The practice of feeding sugar syrup to bees in the spring to stimulate brood-rearing is not done -nearly so much as formerly, but preference is given to the system of leaving in the autumn enough bulk stores to last the colony right through to the honey-flow. The reason of spring stimulative feeding was to make the colony rear early a large force of young bees to gather the harvest, but just when the flow was to be expected was a difficult matter of determination. Consequently when this was done too early more harm than good resulted from overstimulation : more eggs were laid than the bees could look after and keep warm, while. robbing was encouraged. One of the main drawbacks is that swarming may be brought on prematurely. The system of leaving enough stores in the autumn to last right through, or of feeding in the spring, depends somewhat on the beekeeper and his locality. Many can doubtless practise spring feeding to advantage, especially

when dividing is intended for increase ; but as a rule the best plan is to leave about 25 lb. of sealed stores to last the bees until they can gather more supplies for themselves. This method is especially recommended to beginners. • . . Foul-brood Experiment. The four Apiary Instructors are at present experimenting with foundation manufactured from foul-broody combs, with the object of discovering if it is possible to transmit “ bacillus larvae ” by means of comb foundation, and so set at rest numerous doubts on this point.. The experiment is an important one, and may affect the apiarist who models his own wax to suit his requirements. The system of using steam in comb-foundation making is not adopted to any extent in this country, and on this account the experiments in question will be doubly valuable. They will prove whether foundation manufactured from foulbroody combs with the least possible amount of heat will transmit the disease to healthy colonies. The results of the experiments will be published in due course.