THE APIARY.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume XIII, Issue 4, 20 October 1916, Page 325

THE APIARY.

E. A. EARP,

Apiary. Instructor.

MANAGEMENT OF APIARY-SITE.

Everything should now be put in order for the honey-flow, and all facilities given to the bees to enable them to work to their utmost during the harvest. One of the most, important things. to be attended to is the ground surrounding the hives. Nothing looks more unsightly than overgrown entrances and hives surrounded with long grass and weeds, and for the sake of the

home-coming bees this - must receive attention. Do not compel the workers to force their way through a tangled mass of grassand weeds, thereby shortening their already too short, lives. A good plan is to skim off the weeds and spread agricultural- salt round the hives, using about 6 lb. per hive. Of course, this remedy is not permanent, but should last during the working season. See that the hives are raised from the ground so as to afford a cool draught of air underneath them during the . hot weather. Asbefore advised, the hive should be level save for a slight cant towards the . entrance. This is important, as upon it dependslargely the production of straight combs.

swarming;

. ■ Leading authorities are . mostly agreed that the instinct for natural increase is the cause of swarming. Many beekeepers attribute swarming to overcrowded brood-chambers, lack of - ventilation, and poor queens ; but it will often happen that swarms will issue when none of these conditions is present. On .the other hand, bees will refuse to swarm when. everything is apparently conducive to their doing so. It must be. left to the beekeeper to decide whether he will increase his stock by natural swarming or artificially. If the former plan is adopted it will be wise to only allow strong colonies to swarm. If a weak hive is showing symptoms of swarming i.e., if the bees are building numbers of queen-cells—these should be removed and the colony prevented from swarming until such time as it can be requeened. A swarm from a weak hive is not worth encouraging, because it consistssimply of a poor queen, probably failing, and a small cluster of bees.

If,' however, a strong colony has made up its ■ mind to swarm, the best thing to do is to allow it to throw a prime swarm, and then to most rigorously guard against after-swarming. This can best be done by cutting out all the queen-cells save two after the prime swarm has issued. Even then it is wise to carefully watch the parent hive for about ten days after the departure of the prime swarm, because there will be eggs in the old hive, and the bees may continue to raise queen-cells. In the event of its putting off a second swarm, this should be returned to the parent colony after the virgin queen or queens have been removed from the swarm., A simple method of catching the young queens is to place a queen-excluder between two empty 'supers. Shake the , swarm on the excluder, when the bees will pass through the holes, and the queen or queens can then be picked oft the excluder. If these queens are removed the bees will soon' return to the parent colony. Young . queens obtained in this way are often very useful for forming nuclei or requeening weak colonies.

When a swarm issues, if headed by a laying-queen, it will, after circling in the air for a short time, settle probably on some tree or shrub. As soon as the swarm has settled into a cluster shake all the bees into a box. Place the box on its side and cover with a clean sack, leaving a small opening for the bees to fly in and out. The swarm may be left alone until late in the afternoon. If by that time it has formed a compact cluster in the box the beekeeper will know that all is well and that it contains a queen. Have the hive in readiness, placed in position where it is to remain. Place a clean sack in front of the entrance, having propped up the front to allow the bees a good space to enter the hive. Dump the bees on the bag as close to the entrance as possible, and very soon they will make their way into the hive. The bag can then be removed and the hive lowered into position.

In districts where foul-brood is present, or if the beekeeper is suspicious of his own colonies, it is wise to leave the swarm in the box for at least three or four days. At the end of the period place the bees in the hive as described above, always choosing the late afternoon for settling them in their permanent home. The object of this practice is to induce the bees to utilize the honey in their sacs to draw down comb, and thus rid themselves of honey from the parent hive ; if it is followed there will be far less trouble from disease, and swarms will invariably start clean.

Unless there is . a good honey-flow, or if bad weather sets in, the swarm should be fed inside the hive. This is to give them a good start and to provide them with material for producing wax. Excellent combs can be produced from sugar-syrup. It is advisable in all cases to hive the swarm on full sheets of foundation, and thus take advantage of the natural instinct of the bees to produce wax after swarming. Very little time will be gained if the bees are put on to drawn-out combs. In the course of a few days it is advisable to examine the frames to note if the queen is laying and to see if the foundation is being drawn out.

When the swarm is placed in the hive do not forget to place a mat on top of the frames. It often happens that unless precaution is taken .to confine, the bees they will commence operations in the roof of the hive, more particularly if gable roofs are used. Good clean sacking, cut to fit the top of the frames, makes excellent mats.

VENTILATION.

No set rule can be laid down as to how much ventilation bees require. In cases where entrances have been contracted to guard against robbing and the ravages of mice they may now be enlarged. It will be time enough when the main honey-flow is on to provide full ventilation. As a rule it is an easy matter

for the beekeeper to discern whether his bees require more ventilation. The bees, finding their quarters too warm, may be noticed on the alighting-boards driving the cool air through their hives by rapid movements of the wings, and in cases where the temperature is much above normal the bees will hang out in clusters. Should more ventilation be required this may be given by inserting two i in. blocks of wood between the front of the bottom board and the hive. This should provide ample ventilation to meet all cases. , .

ENLARGING THE HIVE.

A little judgment is required as to the proper time to put on the supers. This may be done when the brood-chamber is getting full of bees and during mild weather. As soon as there is a fair flow of nectar the operation should not be delayed, as the bees are liable to be cramped for room. In cases where the beekeeper has plenty of drawn-out combs no trouble will be experienced in getting the bees to go up into the supers. However, where sheets of foundation are used the bees will not readily take to these, and it may be necessary to encourage them. Do not place a queen-excluder between the brood-chamber and the super when the latter is fitted with foundation. Much time is lost and very little honey will be gathered, as the bees will rarely work foundation in the supers when excluders are used. Should the bees not start work in the supers they may be induced to go up by elevating one or two frames of honey from the broodchambers, at the same time inserting in their place sheets of foundation from the super. On no account break up the brood by transferring it to the super. Until settled weather is experienced this practice cannot be too strongly condemned.

working equipment.

It is surprising how few beekeepers provide proper equipment in the shape of convenient tools for manipulating the hives. A little attention paid to the right tools will save endless labour and worry, and will pave the way for fewer stings, - besides, making the handling of the bees a permanent pleasure. The. requisities for handy work are a good smoker, bee-veil, hive-tool, and brush ; and if many supers have to be handled a light wheelbarrow is indispensable. One cannot pay too much for a good smoker. It is. the most valuable tool the beekeeper possesses, and by its use bees are easily brought under control. Good fuel for the smoker may be made from old bags cut up into pieces. A supply should always be kept in hand. A bee-veil will prevent the beekeeper from getting stung about the face, and enable the hive to be opened up quietly and with confidence. These can be bought

from .the dealers in bee supplies. For use in warm weather a very serviceable veil may be made out of cheesecloth. . The veil is made in the form of a bottomless r bag with a piece of elastic round the top to fit the hat. Cut a hole 6 in. square in front of the face and insert a piece of black veiling. The black inserted piece is indispensable, and without it the operator cannot distinguish the eggs in the cells. Any lady will enlighten one as to the . clear vision obtainable through black veiling. ' A hive-tool for loosening the frames and a brush to clear the bees oft the combs form part of a set of good tools, and may be . purchased at small cost. In the absence of a brush the left wing of a goose will serve the purpose, being light, pliant, and not likely to injure the bees.