THE APIARY.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume XIII, Issue 3, 20 September 1916, Page 241

THE APIARY.

E. A. EARP,

Apiary Instructor.

FEEDING.

As advised previously, keep a strict watch on the food-supply. As the spring advances this matter becomes of paramount importance. On no account allow the stores to dwindle. The queen’s laying-powers are to a large extent automatic: as she is fed so will she lay, and .when food is abundant brood-rearing will be in proportion. Do not forget that artificial feeding is invariably stimulating, and once undertaken must be carried out regularly and systematically. It is poor policy to fill a hive with brood and then leave it to starve. Spring losses are usually due to lack of stores, and are therefore preventable on the part of the beekeeper. Feed sugar syrup only in the proportion of 2 parts of water to 1 of sugar, and place in the feeder while slightly warm.

WATER.

In the absence of a natural supply, water should be [provided. Bees require a good deal of water for brood-rearing throughout the whole season, and it often happens that numbers of bees are lost if water is not close at hand. Moreover, bees often become a nuisance at - cattle-troughs and by congregating , round domestic supplies. Where a large number of colonies are kept it is imperative that the beekeeper should see that the bees are well supplied. Many contrivances are used for the purpose of supplying water. Simplicity feeders make excellent vessels for containing water, but they require to be filled frequently and occasionally cleansed. A good contrivance is to use a kerosene-tin as follows: Having thoroughly cleansed the tin, punch in the bottom a hole about the size of a sixpence through this hole pass a piece of clean rag so that the water will fall a drop at a time. Under the tin a container may be placed to catch the water, and this, if filled with sand, will afford an excellent watering-place for the bees. The supply can be regulated according to the requirements of the apiary. Bees prefer to take water from damp situations, and they may often be noticed in numbers sucking water from the ground where there has been ary overflow. Feeders should be placed in a sheltered spot in the apiary.

FOUL-BROOD.

At all times when examining the combs keep a strict watch for symptoms of disease. Beekeepers should never lose an opportunity of acquainting themselves with foul-brood in all its stages. This season if isolated capped cells are discovered in frames which contain

no other brood, these should be treated as suspicious and subjected to the test for foul-brood. If on opening the cell, when a sharp pointed piece of stick is inserted, the dead imago can be lifted out complete in form, the beekeeper may conclude that if dry it is a case of starvation and if moist of chilled brood. If, however, the contents of the cell adhere to the point of the stick in a ropy ill-smelling mass, it may be concluded that the hive is diseased. There is perhaps no surer indication of the presence of foul-brood in the hive than the objectionable smell' of the decayed larvae. Beekeepers who once recognize this odour will have no difficulty in detecting the disease in that stage. The last and most difficult form of foul-brood is the dry stage, and in this form it has baffled beekeepers of long standing. Only a careful examination can reveal its presence. The diseased larva, having dried to a scale, adheres to the lower side of the cell, and can be removed by scraping with a sharp-pointed instrument. If the aforesaid isolated capped cells on being opened appear at the first glance to be empty, they will almost invariably yield a scale if examined, and the hive should be marked for treatment. There is a deeply rooted superstition among beekeepers that foul-brood can be detected outside by the odour, and inexperienced beekeepers are often misled by this statement, affirming that as no smell comes from their hives they are clean. When the odour of foul-brood can be detected from the outside at the -distance of a few feet the hive is diseased beyond- redemption. Fortunately such cases are rare.

TRANSFERRING BOX HIVES.

It is against the law to keep bees except in properly constructed frame hives, and persons breaking the law are liable to be prosecuted. Bees kept in box hives are of little value as honey-producers, and in addition the combs cannot be examined for disease. The work of transferring can be carried out in the spring or any time during the season when brood is being raised. ' To lessen the work choose a time when the bees are busiest .in the fields. Prepare a new frame hive having ten wired frames fitted with foundation. Before commencing the operation put on a bee-veil, and then blow a few puffs of smoke in at the entrance of the box hive to be transferred. Then lift it to one side and place the frame hive on the old stand with entrance facing the direction which the box hive had faced. The latter is now turned upside down and a box, preferably of the same size, is placed on top, mouth to mouth, and then by drumming continuously for ten or fifteen minutes on the sides of the lower box with stout sticks the bees are made to desert the combs and take refuge in the empty box. When most of• the bees have gone up into it the box may be removed and the bees dumped on a bag

in front of the new hive. Repeat the operation until all the bees are transferred. The box hive should be immediately removed to a place of safety and the combs cut out, each one being carefully examined in case the queen has not left the old hive. Occasionally she is the first to leave, but more frequently she is among the very last.

This method may be used where the beekeeper is absolutely certain that his hives are free from disease, but as ' a large percentage of box hives are more or less affected with foul-brood it is wisest to vary the method thus : In place of the full sheets of foundation substitute i in. strips or “ starters ” of foundation and leave the bees on these for four days. After this period the strips must be replaced by new frames containing full sheets of foundation. This latter operation will eliminate the disease. If the colony is free from disease, in order to save the healthy brood the latter may be fitted into empty frames and held in place with stout string or tape tied from the top to the bottom bar, and then placed in the new hive. In the course of a few days the string or tape can be removed, as the combs will be securely waxed by the bees. However, these combs could not be used as extracting-combs with any satisfaction, as absence of wire would render them liable to break in the extractor.

It is not advisable for the tyro in beekeeping to attempt to save any brood from a box hive, as foul-brood in some stages cannot be detected except by an experienced apiarist, and by far the safest plan is to destroy all the combs from the transferred hive, thus ensuring that the frame hive begins its career free from disease. Care should be taken to destroy the starters on which the bees have been working during the first four days in the new hive.

LOCATING AN APIARY.

Perhaps there is no more important question to the beekeeper than location. Upon his ability to select a suitable district in which to start beekeeping will depend his future success. There are few districts in the Dominion where bees cannot be kept in small numbers, but successful establishment of a commercial apiary will largely depend upon the beekeeper’s knowledge of the nectarsecreting plants. It is generally recognized that the main nectarflow in New Zealand is produced from white clover and catsear, but it will be found to be a distinct advantage if the apiary, is established in a district near patches of native bush or where the golden willow is abundant. Most of the indigenous trees and willows flower early, and the nectar from these sources is very valuable to the beekeeper, as it provides ample stores in the spring.

In districts where the beekeeper has to depend entirely upon white clover a careful watch must be kept on the stores, and

very often artificial feeding has to be resorted to in the spring and carried on until the appearance of the clover-bloom. This is often expensive, and can be usually avoided by selecting a site where at least a moderate spring flow, may be anticipated. The rich. dairy pastures of both the North and South Island, and localities where cat tie-raising is carried on extensively, provide suitable sites for commercial apiaries, while country which is used for sheep-grazing is not profitable, as the clover pasture is usually eaten bare. Instances have come under my notice where abnormal crops have been secured in purely sheep-country, but they are too infrequent to be taken into consideration, and consequently this class of . country should be avoided. Essentially the main require-• ments are feed and shelter, and if the apiarist is fortunate enough to locate his bees in a position where there is an abundant supply of nectar-secreting plants, good shelter can be easily provided.