THE APIARY.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume XVIII, Issue 3, 20 March 1919, Page 177

THE APIARY.

By

G. V. WESTBROOKE,

Apiary Instructor.

By the time these notes are published extracting will be over in most districts. ' All utensils used in the work should be thoroughly cleaned and dried. Parts liable to rust may be given a light coating of oil or vaseline, and then covered over to be kept free of dust.

WINTER STORES.

' The question of leaving sufficient stores for the winter and early spring months will now occupy • the attention. of the apiarist. ; In examining hives in the autumn care must be taken to prevent the starting of robbing. • It is therefore necessary to carry out the 1 manipulation of the hives as expeditiously as possible. In estimating the amount required to successfully winter'the bees locality may be taken into Consideration. In districts where there is an abundance of early spring flora, such as willow, &c., less store's are required. It is generally recognized that it takes from 30 lb. to 40 lb. of honey.to carry a colony through in good condition until the following .'spring. • A Langstroth frame of honey will usually ' average about 8 lb. in weight. : Five full frames or the equivalent in partly filled frames should therefore be sufficient. ' ■ '

The high prices being obtained for honey will probably tempt beekeepers to extract very 'closely. . In such cases autumn feeding will have to be resorted to. Where such feeding is necessary only thick sugar syrup or candy should be "given. The syrup should be made up of two -or three parts of best cane-sugar to one part of water. This may be made up in quantities if it is brought to the boil. Candy is perhaps, safer to feed than syrup when the honey-how is over, as it is less x liable to set up the excitement- of robbing. Where gable roofs are used a slab of candy may be placed' over the mat'/ making a small hole in the mat to allow the bees to gain access to it. Always feed inside the hive, and towards evening, so as to; discourage robbing. .

PREVENTION OF ROBBING.

It is much easier to prevent robbing than, to check it when once started.. Every care should therefore-be taken to. leave no pieces of honey about, nor to spill any syrup in the apiary, as nothing will set

up robbing quicker. When the honey-flow is over, hive-entrances should be contracted to the requirements of each colony. A strong colony may have a fairly wide entrance, but weak ones should be given only sufficient to allow a few bees to get in at a time. If robbing is prevalent the entrance should be closed down to one bee-way space. , Care should be taken to see that there are no crevices or badly fitting lids by which robber-bees could gain admission., A mild case of robbing may often- be stopped by placing wet green grass at the entrance.

A little carbolic and water sprinkled in front of the hive will usually discourage robbers. In bad cases it is sometimes , necessary to close up the hive for the day, opening it up after sunset to allow admittance to the bees belonging to that hive.

In cases of robbing in an out-apiary, or where it is not possible to return for a day or two, a good method is to contract the entrance of the hive in trouble, and block it up with a tight wad of green grass. This can be safely left, as it will wither in about a day, allowing the bees once more free exit and ingress. By this time the excitement will have died down/

FOUL-BROOD.

The final examination for foul-brood should take place before the honey-flow is quite over. Colonies worth saving may be treated, provided care is taken to allow no robbing. For autumn treatment all infected material should be taken away, the hive closed for three days while on starters, and then frames of honey given from a clean hive. Note the hive, and watch carefully in the spring for any symptoms of disease.

Perhaps the greatest source of infection is caused by the tins thrown out by consumers of honey. Some method should be adopted to educate the general public as to the great danger to the beekeeping industry caused by failing to clean out honey-tins before discarding them. The best of honey may contain germs of foul-brood, which, although harmless to human beings, are a source of great danger to the bees. The latter will readily find out and carry home any honey left about, thus, perhaps spreading disease far and wide. In this connection it would be advisable for beekeepers in clean areas to insist on local storekeepers being supplied with local honey only, or such as is known to come from a clean apiary.

CLEANING UP WET COMBS.

The Deadman super-cleaner is strongly recommended to all beekeepers who use an extractor. This device was fully described in the Journal for April and July, 1918. It is specially useful in apiaries where there is the slightest trace of foul-brood. By its use all the wet combs from the extractor can be cleaned up by one colony, thus minimizing the danger of spreading the disease. The combs when thoroughly cleaned up may be removed and stored in the comb-room for the winter. A few carbon balls placed among the combs will assist in preventing the intrusion of the wax-moth. If the combs are stored in supers, place a queen-excluder on the top and bottom of the pile to prevent the entrance of mice.