THE APIARY.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume XXIII, Issue 5, 21 November 1921, Page 309

THE APIARY.

F. A. JACOBSEN,

Apiary Instructor

REQUEENING

During the early part of the summer the apiarist must turn his attention to. requeening the old colonies. The best time to rear queens is from now until January. The object' of requeening with young stock is .. threefold : (1) To help control swarming ; (2) to have a young vigorous queen to build very strong colonies ; (3) to improve the old stock if possible. No better plan can be followed by the beginner than to utilize queen-cells produced naturally is, under the swarming impulse. With the aid of a few nuclei young queens can be hatched and mated,, while where a swarm has emerged from the hive, queen-cells or .virgin queens can be secured and form an easy solution .‘to the requeening problem. .. Colonies should be requeened every two years. At the present period of the year everything is favourable to the operation, as the hives are at their highest state of prosperity. Under normal conditions the workers and drones are at their best, this being the swarming-period. In the case of after-swarms, these may be sifted through an excluder placed between two empty supers, when the queen or queens can be removed. The bees will then return to the parent hive. These young queens can be utilized-for starting-nuclei. It always , seems to me to be a pity to destroy the young" vigorous • queens bred under the swarming influence, and, providing they are from a good thoroughbred strain, they should be utilized and introduced to failing colonies, ' the old queens being destroyed. A handy way of introducing virgin queens is by the smoke method. The old queens must first .be removed from the hive that is to be requeened. . The entrance is then contracted and a few vigorous puffs sent into it.' Before the bees have recovered from this treatment the virgin queen is released at the entrance and blown into the hive by several puffs of strong pungent smoke. The entrance is then completely closed for about ten minutes, when a small aperture is allowed; The following day the full entrance may be given. ' . .

FORMING. NUCLEI

With the approach of the main honey-flow and the prospect of more settled weather the beekeeper can turn his attention to the question of forming nuclei either for artificial increase or for queen-mating purposes. Whatever . the object for which they are produced, the simplest method of forming nuclei is as follows : From the strongest colonies in the apiary take combs of sealed brood with adhering bees. Place two of these combs in each nucleus hive, .together with one comb of

honey and an empty comb. It is as well, if the size of the hive will permit, to add a feeder. Close the entrance of the nucleus hive by tacking over it a piece of perforated zinc or wire cloth, and place the newly formed colony in a cool place for twenty- hours. At the end of this time the hive may be placed on its permanent stand and the entrance opened. Some of the field-bees will return to the parent hives, but in the meantime most of the sealed brood will have hatched. The small colony is now ready for a ripe queen-cell, and under favourable weather conditions will soon possess a laying queen. Nuclei can be built from strong colonies, each of which should produce four or five nuclei ; or several hives in the apiary may each be robbed of a frame of brood, thus providing increase while leaving the full colonies practically undiminished. When the young queen commences laying she should 'be left in possession until she has filled at least one frame with eggs, when she may be removed and introduced to a colony that requires requeening. The nucleus should at the same time be supplied with a ripe queen-cell and the process repeated as long as young queens are required. ' ■ STIMULATIVE FEEDING. A constant watch must be kept on the stores in the hive. During the flow from the. willows and fruit-bloom brood-rearing is largely increased and entails the consumption of considerable stores. As there is usually a dearth of nectar from now to the middle of December, in some cases it will be advisable to feed. For spring or stimulative feeding, as this may be called, a thin solution of sugar-syrup. answers the purpose admirably. One part of sugar to five or six parts of water is a suitable strength. The amount to be fed will depend largely on the size and natural requirements of the colony, and must be left to the individual judgment. Colonies that are gently stimulated will respond well to the treatment, and it must be remembered that when the honey-flow commences it is the strong and prepared colonies that store the greatest surplus. FOUL-BROOD. As I have frequently recommended, keep a strict watch for foul-brood at all times. Weak diseased colonies are not worth bothering with, and should be destroyed -by fire to prevent further infection. This method is adopted by careful and successful beekeepers. Should there be any doubt about the disease, a sample of suspected comb should be forwarded to .the Apiary Instructor, for the district or to the Director of the Horticulture Division, Wellington, for diagnosis. POINTS. Do not neglect to rear or purchase sufficient young queens to replace the old or failing ones. Breed your young queens from the best stock in the apiary. —-. Keep down a predominance of black drones —Keep the long grass clipped* away from the hive-entrances. sure and provide sufficient ventilation for the needs of the colony, and thus help to control swarming. —-If there is no water handy to the apiary, supply some in a shady place.