Work for the Month in the Apiary.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 58, Issue 2, 20 February 1939, Page 171

Work for the Month in the Apiary.

Final Extracting for Main Honey-flow.

FEBRUARY will probably see the end M of the main honey-flow in most districts, and beekeepers will be wise to remove the last of the honey before the colder nights arrive. Once the honey in the hives has been allowed to become thoroughly chilled there is little prospect of its becoming warmed again when uncertain weather sets in. Wherever it is inclined to be thick the honey will be found exceedingly difficult to extract unless it is warm, and the beekeeper who delays too long will find that he will have to return to the hives combs almost as heavy as when they were removed. Thin honey extracts best when it is warm, but it is imperative that thick honey be not allowed to cool before extracting. Condition of Brood-chamber. One of the principal matters to be attended to when the last of the honey is being removed is the condition of the brood-chamber. Many prolific queens keep the brood-chamber so full of brood throughout the season that the bees have very little room to store honey in it. Consequently, if all the honey in the supers is removed such colonies stand a chance of being starved out before the end of the winter. These colonies should not be reduced to less than two stories, and on no account should their stores be less than 30 lb. to 40 lb. It must be borne in mind that all the brood in the hive will hatch and must be fed, and that in addition the queen will continue laying for some months to come, while in some districts breeding may continue throughout the winter. To ensure the colony coming out strong in the spring it must be left with ample stores to carry it through the months of dearth. Unless there is ample evidence of an abundant autumn flow the beekeeper would be wise to leave his hives oversupplied rather than undersupplied. Use of Bee-escapes. For the comb-honey producer a beeescape is an invaluable aid in the removal

of his crop. Removal of comb-honey by the ordinary method of brushing, &c., is apt to result in the piercing of many cellcappings, with constant leakage, but by the use of this simple little appliance, fitted in a board the size of a super, combhoney can be removed without any disturbance of the colony. The super or supers should be prized up from the broodchamber, two or three puffs of smoke driven into the hive, and the board gently slipped into place with the round hole of the escape uppermost. If this is done in the afternoon the super will be empty of bees by next morning. Prevention of Robbing. The taking of the last of the honey is the time when the beekeeper must display endless caution to prevent robbing. A bad attack of autumn robbing is, next to disease, about the worst thing a beekeeper can experience. Before starting the day’s work he should have all appliances handy, have formed a plan of how the work is to be carried out, and should, if it is satisfactory, adhere to that plan throughout the day. A light. barrow fitted with a tray to catch honey-drips and two or three cloths of a size to cover the whole of a super are some of the things which will obviate ' much trouble.

As the combs are removed from the supers they should be brushed and shaken as free of bees as possible, placed in an empty super on the barrow, and covered with a damp cloth. Every hive should be closed as soon as it is finished with and the combs removed to the honeyhouse, which should be bee-proof. At the close of the day the wet combs should be returned to the hives as expeditiously as possible, and by morning the apiary will be found to be in its normal condition. No pieces of wax, spilt honey, or anything likely to attract the attention of the bees should be left uncovered. If the bees show a tendency to pounce on any particular hive the entrance should be contracted considerably and wet grass piled in front of the hive. If working in one portion of the apiary should cause robber bees to become too

attentive it is advisable to shift the scene of operations to another part. It must be borne in mind that autumn robbing, once commenced, is hard to check, and also that it is usually brought about by careless manipulation of the hives. Weak Colonies. As far as possible weak hives should not be tolerated during the winter months. During the warm days these stocks rarely escape the attention of robber bees, and are easily molested. Once they are attacked it is exceedingly hard to • save them, and in spite of the efforts of the beekeeper they eventually get robbed out. It is usually the presence of weak hives in the apiary that starts autumn and winter robbing, and it is by far the best plan to unite them with stronger colonies in the apiary and avoid the risk of creating a disturbance among the bees when normal winter conditions should prevail. If weak colonies are not detected until late in the season a good plan to follow when uniting them is to put the weak hive on top of a strong one, placing a piece of newspaper between the two hive-bodies. In the course of a few days the bees in the weaker hive will eat their way through the paper and unite peaceably with the bees in the stronger hive. The surplus combs may subsequently be removed and the hive made snug for wintering. If weather conditions permit it is advantageous to destroy the queen in the weaker hive prior to uniting.

Preparations for Winter.

As soon as the last of the honey is removed the beekeeper should see that the colonies are in good order for wintering. The first matter for attention is that of stores, which, as already indicated, should be abundant; the second, that of the queen’s condition. After these two important matters are settled the beekeeper should satisfy himself that his hives are watertight and draughtproof, and also that his apiary is well provided with shelter in the form of good hedges or other wind-breaks.

With regard to. the queen, autumn is the time when strict attention should be paid to weak and failing queens. None but the best queens should be allowed to .... , t-, go into winter quarters. Poor queens should be destroyed and either superseded by young and vigorous ones or their colonies united with those of the

better queens before the winter sets in. No queen should be tolerated which cannot provide the colony with an abundant supply of young workers before the cold ' W J . ° weather arrives. It is quite certain that the queen which goes back in the autumn will be in a worse condition after the winter and will not

* | ’HE flavour and colour of honey gives THE flavour and colour of honey gives a true indication of the floral source and determines the commercial value. Other natural elements are subject to changes which, at times,, result in a general improvement of the product, but to bring about any alteration in either the colour or flavour is, as yet, beyond individual producers, so that we still possess what might be termed a key to identify the floral source of honey. 1 The word clover has developed into a trade name, and is generally associated with honey of various standards of quality. This may be the result of the greater part of the output being gathered from this source, but we have completely overlooked the value of our native flora as an advertising medium to popularize the product. Climate and Temperatures. Climatic conditions and temperatures have an important bearing on nectar secretion, and consequently the quality or type of honey changes in given areas from year to year. The product of the Canterbury Plains reaches a high standard of quality- during a normal season, as 80 per cent, of the crop is gathered from

white clover. A wet season, however, generally gives heavier crops, but the colour is generally reduced to a lower white or border-line. The flavour is also more pronounced, but the variation in. either case is not sufficient to react on the value for local sales. Extensive areas of native bush are still found on the lower slopes of the ranges and foothills, with isolated patches on the rolling downs and plains, but the dense areas have failed to attract producers, as good pasture land, which is usually more accessible, is still available in white-clover districts. The absence of early spring flora is certainly a problem, but this can be overcome by making the necessary provision for stores during the autumn. First Honey Flow. Keeping in view the main producing centres in the province, the first honey flow of any volume is from willow, and as this is well established on all riverbanks and extensive areas . have- been grown to provide shelter both for stock and buildings there appears to be no dearth of nectar for spring requirements. Weather conditions are far from settled

Honey-producing Flora in Canterbury.

produce enough workers to provide a surplus in the following season, even if she does not fail entirely before the spring or develop into a drone-layer as soon as brood-rearing commences. —E. A. Earp, Senior Apiary Instructor, Wellington.

at this season, and producers anticipate a flow from this source, but experience has proved that this must not be relied upon.

Wild turnips (Sinapis arvensis) and rape (Brassica napus) follow in late October and November. The latter is grown on a fairly large scale and is of great value, as it begins to yield just before the clover. ' The honey is in the light-amber class, but it is seldom stored in sufficient quantities to warrant extracting or the provision of necessary additional super accommodation. Clover blooms about mid-October, and in warm and sheltered locations when the soil is dry a light flow will begin at the end of the month, but this is not sufficient to supply even immediate requirements, and, at times, is extremely misleading. Colonies should be at peak strength at this season, and if the food-supply is not maintained brood-rearing will, as a result, be restricted. The owering-period covers practically five months, and during a dry season is reduced to nine or ten weeks, with the main flow beginning in December and closing early in January. The secretion from clover is subject to a temporary check at any time, and if this occurs during the main flow any other source of nectar will be readily worked. Eucalyptus is not grown to any great extent in the province, but a few trees within flight range will give a heavy flow. This, of course, is not a welcome addition to the crop, as the flavour is strong and, if worked for any length of time, tends to lower the grade. Flowers in January. Cats-ear (Hypochaeris radicata), hawksbeard (Crepis capillaris) , hawkbit (Leontodon hispidus), and dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) flower towards- the end of

January and, during a dry season, somewhat earlier. These plants or weeds are somewhat similar in appearance, and are of great value to producers on the plains. The honey is in the light-amber class, and has a distinct and pleasant flavour. When packed in glass it proves most attractive in appearance, and finds a ready sale. It is quite obvious when the bees are working these small yellow flowers, as the combs become stained a light golden colour and a mild and pleasant aroma appears to permeate the hives. The

volume of the flow varies according to the season, and if unfavourable conditions continue for clover secretion for any length of , time a considerable quantity of honey is reduced in colour from white to light amber. The final flow of the season is from thistle (Cirsium conceolatum), and in view of the reduction in colony strength this is not worked to the fullest extent. The quality of the honey, however, is good, and if favourable weather rules a fair quantity will reach the extractor with the late crop.

Ragwort (Senecio jacoboea) and St. John’s wort {Hypercium perforatum) are not prevalent in the district, and although small areas are established in parts of North Canterbury the flavour has been detected in only one line of honey sent forward from that part of the province. Vipers Bugloss (Echium vulgar e), frequently called blue borage, is found in the same district and is rapidly spreading on the light soil and dry river-beds. The honey from this source is said to be of a high quality, so that it should, in time, prove of great value to producers operating in that area.

Not a Great Variety.

These remarks have been confined to the producing centres that are now finding favour, and it will be seen that there is not a great variety of flora. The few who operate adjacent to native bush certainly overcome the difficulty of spring food-supply, but the main flow in such locations does not reach the volume of the plains, as the higher rainfall, together with a heavier type of soil, requires considerably more settled weather than is usual in this province during a normal season. These locations carry practically the same native trees and plants that are found in other parts of New Zealand, and in the early honey crop the predominating flavour, is usually identified as fuschia (Fuschia ex cor Heat d) . This is a bright honey with a pleasant flavour, but, unfortunately, only small quantities reach the market. Ti-tree (Leptospermum scoparium) is abundant in parts of the province, mainly in the region of the foothills. This gives a low-grade honey, so that producers endeavour to keep their apiaries out of flight-range. The early spring flow is mainly from five-finger and kowhai (Sophova. tetraptera) , but in view of the unsettled weather at this season the honey stored only meets requirements for brood-rearing. Cabbage-tree (Cordyline australid) and flax are not worked freely by the bees. The honey is of a low grade, and a surplus from either source would prove difficult to dispose of in districts where consumers are supplied with mild-flavoured honey.

The absence of minor honey-producing plants and trees during the spring no doubt calls for greater effort from producers, but if good, clean pasture country which will give a main crop of firstquality honey is covered any additional labour or expense necessary to bring the bees up to peak strength is more than justified.

—W. J. Fix,

Apiary Instructor,

Christchurch,