THE APIARY.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume XXVI, Issue 4, 20 April 1923, Page 255

THE APIARY.

LOCAL CONDITIONS IN RELATION TO MANAGEMENT. As this Journal has a Dominion-wide circulation it is necessary that these notes shall as . far as possible have a Dominion-wide application. Both climate and flora, however, vary considerably throughout New Zealand, and it is advisable to take this into consideration and vary general instructions to meet local conditions. Every beekeeper should carefully study his own locality both in regard to climate and flora. A knowledge of local conditions applied to the management of the apiary will frequently make all the difference between success and failure. The effect of flora and climate on the question of winter stores may be taken as an example. Most beekeepers throughout the Dominion are dependent on clover, hawkweed, and capeweed for their crop of honey, and it is necessary for them when preparing their bees for winter to leave sufficient honey in the hives to last the bees until this flora is again secreting nectar. From 30 lb. to 40 lb. is recommended. This appears to the novice to be a large quantity. That it is not too much is substantiated by records that have been kept by Mr. John Irving, of South Canterbury. For some years Mr.- Irving has kept a colony of bees of

average strength on a scale, and kept a record of its gains and losses in weight. His records make interesting reading. . It is sufficient for our purpose to quote the loss in weight of his scale hive during the months when the bees are gathering practically nothing from the fields and are dependent on their stores for sustenance —say, from ist March to ist December. The following is Mr. Irving’s record for this period for the . years named as published in the Otago Witness of 17th March last : 1915, loss in weight, 46 lb. ; 1919, 34 lb. ; 1920, 29 lb. ; 1921, 45 lb. ; 1922, 41 lb. ■ This is a fair indication of what the average colony would consume'during that period, and of the weight of honey it is necessary for most beekeepers to leave in the hive. This does not apply, however, to all parts of the Dominion. In a district where there are a large number of commercial orchards, or an abundance of willows or native bush, such quantity of honey in the broodchamber may prove a hindrance to the bees in the early spring. The queen would be cramped for room in which to deposit her eggs. In districts favoured with the flora mentioned beekeepers are frequently able to extract from 30 lb. to 60 lb. per colony of surplus honey during October. Obviously the proximity of large orchards or native bush calls for a system of management distinctly different to the plan adopted by beekeepers in open country, hence the necessity for every beekeeper to make himself acquainted with the peculiarities of the climate and flora of his own district. No clearly defined boundaries can be here named, and a system of management laid down for the district within such boundaries. A surplus is often extracted within ten miles of another district where the bees are > starving. Clover sometimes fails almost entirely to yield nectar on account of a low temperature, while beekeepers surrounded by a wealth of thistle bloom may get a good crop of honey. ' . It will be obvious that if local conditions affect to such an extent the question of winter stores and the surplus gathered it will affect the management of the apiary generally. In the vicinity of commercial orchards or native bush the bees will probably require supers in September, but in open country these will not be required until November. In some fruitgrowing districts it is possible to raise queens in September, and many beekeepers are losing by not availing themselves of the special advantage their district offers them in this regard. If bees are worth keeping they are worth keeping well. There are comparatively few districts where bees cannot gather a crop of surplus honey, but it is necessary for the apiarist to intelligently co-operate with the bees and provide them with the necessary equipment at the right time. If, however, the would-be apiarist has any thought of commencing on a commercial basis it is advisable for him to obtain information of a reliable nature in regard to the probable average quantity and quality of the honey obtained in the district. While large quantites of honey are secured in the vicinity of the native bush it is often dark in colour and possessing an indifferent flavour. Such honey does not command a payable price.

—H. W. Gilling,

Apiary Instructor.