THE APIARY.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume XXX, Issue 4, 20 April 1925, Page 275

THE APIARY.

REMOVAL OF SUPERS. . Among the autumn work which must not be neglected is removal of the supers, and this should be undertaken as soon as the extractingcombs are cleaned up by the bees. It is bad management to leave the bees more space than they can occupy. By removing the supers the space in the hive is restricted, and consequently it is much easier to make the bees snug and warm for winter. Where the strength of the colony will permit this to be done, nothing is to be gained by leaving on the-supers. However, it may be impossible in the case of strong colonies to confine the bees to the brood-chambers, in which case the supers can be left on the hives until the spring. By that time most of the bees will be in one story, and the supers can then be removed.

A good plan to follow in getting the bees to clean up the combs is to insert a mat, in which a small hole has been cut, between the broodchamber and the super. The bees, finding the combs partly cut off by the mat, lose little time in removing the surplus honey. At this operation the excluders should be removed from the hives, and stored away until such time as they can be cleansed of burr combs. A little care is necessary in dealing with the excluders, so as not to bend the wires. They can be readily cleansed by plunging them into boiling water. . , ' WINTER. STORES. The losses attendant upon starvation are no less serious a menace to the beekeeper than disease. While disease is met with from time to time,, each autumn brings the problem of wintering the bees, and, while the professional will prepare his colonies so as to guard against serious losses, the average beekeeper is apt to overlook the essentials that make for success. . There are factors, such as shelter, watertight hives, vigorous young queens, &c., which all play a part in the wintering problem ; . but, above all, a supply of food sufficient to meet the colonies’ wants must not be overlooked. The safe wintering of bees is a test of a beekeeper’s capabilities, as he is called upon to gauge the amount of stores required to tide his bees over the period between the autumn flow and the appearance of the early nectarsecreting plants. Locality plays an important part, more especially where autumn flow’s are unknown and fine autumn, weather prevails. In these' districts the consumption of stores is greater, and a constant watch must be kept on the hives so as to determine the amount of food required to guard against loss, as breeding will be carried on until a later period in the season. / Various estimates have been given as to the amount of food required to winter the clustervarying from 30 lb. to 40 lb.—--and experience has proved that, providing a colony is left, with this amount, it will not only winter well but will build up rapidly in the spring. In any case, it is by far the safest policy to leave an excess of food rather than run the risk of leaving the colony short and with barely enough to tide it over the dormant period. Where the amount of stores is less than 30 lb. the shortage can be made up quickly by the insertion, of a few combs of honey. Calculating on the basis that a full comb contains 6 lb. , of honey, it is easy to estimate the weight of honey in the hive. If, however, combs of honey are not available, feeding should be undertaken' This latter operation should not be delayed till the cold weather, but commenced early in the autumn. For supplementing the stores, sugar syrup, fed in the proportion of two of sugar to one of • water, is the best substitute for honey. Avoid using inferior qualities of sugar. None but the best white sugar should be fed. In feeding to augment the winter foodsupply it is often necessary to give large quantities of syrup, and consequently large feeders must be adopted. The Miller and the division-board feeders are excellent for the purpose. The former enables about 10 lb. to 25 lb. of stores to be fed at one time. It is designed to be placed inside the super or upper story on top of the brood-frames, and has two compartments for syrup; the passageway for the bees being in the centre through the bottom, directly over

the cluster. The division-board feeder is popular, and enables about 5 pints of syrup to be fed. Hanging between the frames, all-that is necessary is to turn back the mat so that the opening in the top is exposed. The main advantage of this feeder is that food can be supplied without exposing the cluster and without the aid of smoke. - ■ ■ . ....... SHELTER. • -. As in the spring, a vital necessity at this time of the year is shelter for the hives. Brood-rearing must be encouraged if the bees are to go into winter quarters sufficiently strong to give good results the following season. If a shelter-hedge or fence has not been provided an excellent temporary breakwind of manuka scrub can be erected. Shelter without too much shade is the life of an apiary, and on no account should large trees be utilized as a means for protecting the hives. The spaces between the trunks are productive of draughts, and the high branches exclude too much of the sunlight. A live hedge 8 ft. to io ft. high is the ideal shelter for an apiary. FOUL-BROOD.

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—E. A. Earp,

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