THE APIARY.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume XII, Issue 4, 20 April 1916, Page 317

THE APIARY.

E. A. EARP,

Apiary Instructor,

preparing the crop for market.

The matter of preparing the crop for local market or export must not be overlooked. It should weigh seriously with the producer. The requirements of the Sale of Food and Drugs Act cannot be ignored, and in time its provisions will eliminate old-style, methods in handling honey. The law is framed to protect the purchaser against fraud and the honest producer against the unscrupulous trader. The regulations relating to honey provide that the beekeeper must show plainly on the labels the contents and weight of the package, also his name and address. Do not label your honey Pure Clover Honey when you know distinctly, that you are in a district, where the bees are working on mixed flora. The correct description in such a case is “ Pure Honey.” See that all containers are clean (and free from rust in the case of tins) before filling, and secure tightly all lids before despatching to market. Remember that honey is an article of food, and should be treated with the care and cleanliness that other foods require.

SPARE SUPERS.

Where extracted combs have been placed on the hives for the bees to clean up, these should be removed and the bees confined to as small a space as possible consistent with the size . of the colony. It may be necessary to leave some of the supers on during the winter months, and these can be dealt with in the spring. Do not leave the bees more space than they require, as it will be found that the bees .will desert the lower ones and cluster on the top for warmth.

MATS.

See that each colony is provided with one or two good mats during the winter months, to keep the bees as warm as possible. Mats should be cut to fit exactly on top of the frames, and may be made from clean sacking or canvas. Sugar or corn sacks make excellent mats and are easily procured. Wood mats are adopted by some beekeepers, and, if desired, may be secured from dealers in bee material at a moderate cost. In districts where the bees do not bring in a great deal of propolis wood mats are effectual. On no account use calico mats, as these afford practically no warmth.

WEEDS.

Keep the hives clear of all weeds, so that the flying bees may have free access to the entrances. Many. bees are lost in striking growing obstacles on returning to the hives. For the.next few months, when the air is charged with moisture, it is important that plenty of air and as much sunlight as possible should penetrate beneath the bottom boards. In damp situations place the hives sufficiently high from the ground to avoid the dampness. Old bricks or concrete blocks make admirable supports for the bottom boards. Make sure that hives have sufficient cant towards the front before the winter rains set in. The presence of much moisture on the bottom boards will be the means of much loss to the beekeeper, and, in addition, cause the hives to become sour and foulsmelling.

SHELTER.

It is essential that suitable artificial shelter should be erected where the hives are exposed. Brood-rearing must be encouraged until a late date, and this will not be carried on by the bees if there is a lack of shelter. It is necessary to prevent the keen driving winds from gaining access to the hives, and the consequent bad effects of chilling the brood. In most districts there isjan abundance of ' manuka scrub, and this affords capital shelter when erected in the form of a breakwind. On no account place hives under high evergreen trees with the idea of affording shelter. This is one of the worst locations, as the trees prevent the entrance’’ of the sun's rays, and there is invariably a cold draught between the trunks.

CARE OF COMBS.

Good ' extracting-combs are the most valuable asset the beekeeper possesses next to his bees, and great care should be taken to secure them from the ravages of the wax-moth and mice. Hundreds of combs are destroyed annually through carelessness, and this can be prevented by attention to small details. Mice destroy the combs to gain access to the pollen and honey, and render the best combs foul and distasteful to the bees. . Combs can be stacked in a mouse-proof room or in supers tiered one above the other. Queenexcluders may be utilized to keep mice out of the combs, and in the absence of close-fitting roofs are a complete success. If the presence of the wax-moth is detected the tiers of combs should be fumigated. Bisulphide of carbon is effective in destroying insectlife, but should be used with great care, as it is highly inflammable. Prevention is better than cure, and a few moth-balls placed in the supers will prevent the attack of the moths.

APIARY REGISTER.

A register for the purpose of keeping records of individual colonies will be of great assistance to the apiarist. If the apiary is to be conducted on commercial lines such a register will be indispensable as a complete record of the hive and its work, and will act as a guide to the beekeeper in laying out his plans for the forthcoming season. A record of the best queens and the average yield of each colony is important, more especially when working to improve the strain of bees kept.