APIARY WORK FOR APRIL.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume VI, Issue 3, 15 March 1913, Page 321

APIARY WORK FOR APRIL.

F. A. Jacobsen.

With summer on the wane and the approach of autumn bees will develop that restlessness peculiar to them. This is due, no doubt, to the lessening amount of nectar available. At this period every enthusiastic beekeeper watches carefully his stocks until Father Winter lulls these' with compelling force into torpor. How different is this rest and quietude to the commotion of a few short weeks before, when millions of wings sang music and the golden harvest of honey was being transferred to the combs! The proverbial busy little bee unwillingly relinquishes work. Those which laboured so laboriously in the summer sunshine gathering what was necessary to rear the future generation did, in a few short weeks, win death as a reward, and when their wings were so worn as to make it difficult to fly they sought oblivion and crawled from their hive-entrance to die. Those remaining evidently knew the necessity to keep quiet and not exhaust themselves by fruitless labour, for they live through the cold winter months and still retain sufficient vitality to give the colony a fresh start when the flowers bloom in the spring.

So live the bees ; and their pleasure is centred in industry. If a queen fails in her mission the workers plan to supersede her, and she is suffocated ■as soon as her rival emerges from the royal cell. They plan to increase and spread themselves over the country to gather its wealth of nectar and prevent this going to waste. Thus it is that several swarms often issue from one hive and seek fresh fields fortheir labours. The study of bee-culture is a charming one, and appeals strongly to those who pursue it. Every beekeeper should read “ The Life of the Bee,” by Maeterlinck, to fully appreciate the sagacity of these wonderful little beings.

The Feeding Question.

Colonies of bees under proper control frequently require attention in ' various ways, and at this period a few descriptive notes on different feeders may be helpful to those who have not seriously considered this question before. I will endeavour to explain as clearly as possible the advantages claimed for each respective feeder. The beekeeper can then decide which he should use. It is seldom necessary for those keeping only a few colonies to resort to their use, but the practical apiarist frequently finds it helpful to do something of this.

kind occasionally, on account of non-productive seasons, to stimulate brood-rearing or to supply stores for . winter consumption. It is always best, of course, to winter bees on sealed combs of good-quality honey. It certainly would not be wise to extract from the combs all the honey and feed sugar syrup as a substitute. .This system would be foolish, yet sometimes would be preferable to leaving in the hives a very poor quality of honey, or honey-dew, which would be likely to cause severe losses through dysentery and its attendant evils. The best quality of sugar should be used, such as that bought for household purposes. ■ Experiments have shown that this granulated kind is cheaper in the long-run than inferior qualities. It is not recommended to feed with molasses or sorghum, although some grades give fairly good results, but as a rule they are too stimulative and make the bees restless during winter. - The simple method of making the syrup has been explained in a previous issue of the Journal.

The Miller.

For those who are desirous of supplying a sufficiently large quantity of provisions to last the bees right through the winter the Miller feeder would be the best. It enables about 25 lb. of stores to be fed at one time, which is a distinct advantage when a large quantity of colonies have an insufficient supply. It is made ■to fit completely

over the brood-chamber and comes out flush with the super on all four sides, and the cover fits over this. Some are made to slide easily inside a super, and these are in many cases preferable, as they have a double wall to help preserve the heat in the warm syrup. They are made . on the liquid-level principle, as the cross-section clearly shows.

The Doolittle Division-board ' Feeder.

This feeder is neither more nor less than a large brood-frame boarded up on each side nearly to the top. Down through the centre runs a partition nearly to the bottom. A. hole is bored through the top bar, through which the feed is poured. This method of working is very convenient. The feeder may be placed right

alongside-the bee cluster without disturbing the bees. When a refill is required all that is necessary is to push the cover a little to one side and quietly pour in the syrup.

The Alexander Feeder.

The Alexander is a feeder that is very convenient, and is popular for outdoor working. It may be left under the hive the whole season, and so could be used at any time ' for stimulative or other feeding'. It is in the form of a trough, and when the . brood-chamber is pulled

back over the end of the bottom board it is blocked up underneath, with the end protruding past the side of the brood-chamber. ’ Over this end is placed a wooden block, which is only removed for the purpose of refilling. All work with this kind is exceedingly simple and speedy.

The Simplicity.

This feeder is most extensively used, and is simple, and. cheap in price. When not in use numbers of them may be packed into a

very small space. They are good for stimulating brood-rearing, and occupy very little room on top of the frames. When flat covers are used in the apiary, however, this style of feeder cannot be adopted.

Pepper-box Feeder.

This, is can with a finely perforated top. When filled it is inverted and set directly over the top of the brood-frames. The

syrup slowly drains through the perforations, and is immediately sucked up by the bees. -

The Boardman Style.

This is an entrance feeder, and makes use of the common Mason jar, which fits on to a box arrangement. The sides of the box are made to project some distance into the hive, thus guarding against robbers. A special cap is necessary for the jar, and is sold by beesupply manufacturers, who also supply the box which completes the feeder. £ The advantage with these is that one can see at a glance how quickly the bees are taking the syrup and when the jars need refilling.

It is seldom so cold in the Dominion that it is necessary to feed candy in place of syrup, but sometimes the beekeeper has been careless and finds his bees require nourishment during a cold snap. If the temperature is exceptionally low the bees may not be able to crawl away after syrup. It is, therefore, well to place a cake of candy immediately over the cluster without disturbing it, thus conserving the heat of the hive as much as possible. It will be found that the bees will eat this, and that it will probably keep them going until the warmer weather commences.