THE APIARY.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume VI, Issue 4, 15 April 1913, Page 411

THE APIARY.

ESSENTIALS NECESSARY IN ESTABLISHING THE INDUSTRY.

F. A. Jacobsen.

The study and practice of beekeeping requires the application of much intelligent thought and energy. ■To the average man little is known of our fascinating industry, but a perusal of the following brief notes will give a general idea of the various intricacies and scope of the apiary. It is commonly thought that little attention is necessary to be given to bees. This is erroneous, for to get the best results bees must be closely studied, be given considerable handling, and be subjected to many artificial systems necessary -to control their work and life. Those most skilled in scientific and practical' beekeeping receive the highest remuneration from their labours, and to-day we have numbers of men and women making independent incomes from the toll they receive in honey and various other commercial commodities from their bees. As previously stated, then, commercial beekeeping requires study of all branches of bee-life as well as the most diligent labour. Location of First Importance. Those entertaining the idea of establishing an apiary must first look for a suitable location. The etiquette of the bee world prohibits encroaching on another person’s site. That is to say, do not place your bees near anybody else’s, especially if the other person has fully stocked the district. Find some country rich in clovers and beeforage that is free from any restriction as above, and there secure a site and establish your plant. . It. is unprofitable to keep bees in any but a good nectar-yielding district. > Style of Hive to adopt. After securing the site it is necessary to select the best style of hive. This is probably the Langstroth, which is used very extensively in the Dominion, and may be purchased at a reasonable price from the dealers. In a specially favourable district it would be an advantage to adopt the twelve-frame size, but for ordinary purposes a tenframe hive 'will meet all requirements.

Kind of Bees to keep. The bee that is recognized as possessing the best all-round qualities is the leather-coloured Italian,- and it is recommended that these be kept and bred as pure as possible. They have yellow stripes across the abdomen, and are very attractive in appearance. The predominant race is known as “ blacks,” but they do not possess the good qualities attributed to the former kind, and are not so docile. Italians, as a rule, also gather a larger crop of honey. The black bees are superior comb-honey builders, and cap their combs with an air-space between the honey and the wax cap, which imparts a beautiful white appearance to the comb.

Proceed with Caution.

In the first instance it is advisable to purchase a colony from some reliable apiarist,' and gather from him at the same time as much information as possible. There is nothing like practical knowledge, so proceed with caution to build up your apiary from this hive, and thus gain experience as time advances.

' It is impracticable for a novice to manage a large apiary without previous experience, and I warn all those who intend Peeping bees to always bear this in mind. Read plenty of bee literature and gain the experience of others, and experiment to find what methods are most suitable to your location.

Profits of the Apiary.

The chief source of revenue derived from the farming of bees is honey. From individual colonies as much as several hundreds of pounds are sometimes taken. As an instance of good management I may mention an average crop of 179 lb. of honey which was secured by an apiarist in Canterbury. A crop like this, however, is exceptional, and an average of between 50 lb. and 100 lb., taking one season with another, is considered profitable. Some years a very poor crop is secured, while at other times the yield is phenomenal. These erratic changes are due almost entirely to climatic conditions. The careful and watchful apiarist seldom falls below the 50 lb. mark, which, at the price of 4d. per lb. net, works out at 16s. Bd. per colony. One man, with a little help in the busy season, could look after four hundred or five hundred colonies, which under favourable circumstances would net him a very fair income. ■ Wax. t ‘ , . . In, every apiary,, no matter how carefully managed, there is an accumulation, of wax. Cappings. as. a rule furnish the most, but. old

combs that it is necessary to discard, those that become broken and irreparable, combs from colonies that have been treated, burr combs, &c., furnish quite a lot in addition. ...

' These are melted up in various ways, and rendered into pure wax, which sells at about Is. 6d. per pound. It is difficult to estimate the revenue from this source, but probably Is. per colony would be about right. Many beekeepers make their own foundation/ and in these cases the wax is retained and used for that purpose. .

Queen-rearing

Probably the most fascinating yet the most difficult work in the apiary is queen-rearing. Many methods are in practice, and beekeepers invariably experiment with these before finally selecting the plan which is most suitable for their location. In this particular branch •of beeculture the novice is confronted with ■ ' difficult complications which require much thought to circumvent. Queen-rearing is, indeed, a branch in itself, and many persons occupy their full time in this work. The queens are raised by artificial means, as a rule, and hatch out in separate cages. A number of these cages are ' sometimes together in one hive, which is ' called a “ nursery.” After leaving the nursery they are introduced to what are called “mating-boxes” or “ nuclei,” from which they take their wedding flight. This single occurrence is sufficient to keep them fertilized throughout their entire life. After this nuptial . revelry they are able to lay drone ‘or worker eggs at will, and are ready to be introduced to large colonies of bees that need requeening, and so fulfil their destined mission. A commercial -breeder rears, as many queens as he has orders for, and has his apiary stocked with especially well-bred bees. Special equipment is also needed ‘ for this purpose. Her royal highness is sold for various prices according to her quality, the general price of a first-class fully developed and tested Italian queen being about £l.

Selling Colonies.

A source of revenue is derived from the sale of surplus colonies. For instance, an apiary may be increased by swarming or artificial means from, seventy-five to one hundred stocks, and if this increase is not desired the surplus colonies are usually sold. In some cases they are left until the winter, when they are united with other stocks, thus forming exceptionally strong colonies that should do well the following year.

Foundation-making.

This branch of apiculture is fast becoming popular in New. Zealand, and the time will come when it will be unnecessary to import founda-

tion into this country. The quality usually manufactured, when used for ordinary purposes, is equal to foreign. One apiculturist, who has since retired from business, put through 70 tons of foundation, so there is scope indeed for development in this direction'. The latest plant for foundation-making has not yet been imported to the Dominion, but the time will come when machinery of this description will be necessary. A complete outfit would cost between £2OO and £3OO.

Proper Marketing.

A lot could be said on this important question, and if the interested parties in the Dominion would co-operate with a view to equalizing distribution, prices would certainly be in their favour. A great deal of improvement has, however, been effected during the last few years, especially in connection with the export trade. The President of the Federated Association of _■ Beekeepers, Little River, Canterbury, has arranged for the export of 12 tons. of first-grade honey monthly, and those desiring to ship under advantageous conditions should communicate. with- him without delay. All produce going through this channel will be graded by a Government expert, as would other shipments should application be made to the Department.

Individual Yields.

A hobby apiary of five colonies of black bees at Eltham produced this season almost 7001 b. of superior-grade honey, exclusive of the final extracting. Many other small apiaries have done equally well. -