Seasonal Work for Beekeepers

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 63, Issue 5, 15 November 1941, Page 438

Seasonal Work for Beekeepers

Prevention of Swarming

SWARMING usually coincides with the beginning of the main honey flow, which takes place in New Zealand late in November or early December, according to location, but the intensity of swarming fever varies with different races and strains of bees, and also with seasonal conditions in different years. While a colony should be induced to bend all its efforts towards building up a large population .of worker bees, the beekeeper must also see that the bees are kept constantly at work without swarming until the main honey flow begins, when the desire to swarm usually ceases; other - wise, a series of swarms may result which seriously disorganises the work in an apiary, and also considerably reduces the surplus honey crop. The prevention of swarming is one of the beekeeper’s biggest problems, and he must have a knowledge of the causes before he can apply the principles of control. In nature, swarming is a natural process as' a means of populating the earth with the species, but in modern apiary practice it. is totally unnecessary and undesirable. , Contributing Factors Conditions likely to, cause swarming in modern hives are lack of suitable ventilation, insufficient roopa for the expansion of the brood nest, and lack of combs for the storage of pollen and honey. , Ample comb room is also required for the young bees that are continually hatching at this time of the year. All units which comprise a normal colony and its organisation must be kept steadily at work without a check, otherwise the nursing and storing instinct is curtailed and preparations for swarming begin. Beekeepers should, therefore, keep a special watch on all strong colonies during intermittent . changes of weather conditions. Colonies headed by old queens very often have a greater tendency to swarm. This condition can be remedied by a plan of systematic re-queening at least every second ■season. ■

Drones The male population of a colony varies considerably with the season of the year under normal conditions. Their sole purpose and duty are to mate with any new queens that may develop. Therefore, they are tolerated by the worker bees just so long as there is likelihood or necessity for this normal function, but at the close of the summer period they are driven out of the hives to die, except in colonies that are queenless, or in extreme cases where the queen is failing. Drones first appear in the hives early in August or September, according to location and seasonal conditions, and, unlike worker and queen bees, they enjoy the liberty of entrance to any hive, provided it happens to be the season for drones and nectar is available in the fields. The , period from the laying of the egg to the adult drone is twenty-four days. . It is difficult, however, to assess the longevity of the male bees, as they appear to live until the worker bees, or the performance of their natural function, cause their death. The worker bees kill them off at the close of the season by forcing them to remain outside the colony cluster and denying them food. A concentration of wailing drones will very often be found along the bottom bars of the frames or on the floor board in the early autumn. The workers will also destroy drone brood in late summer when there is a sudden check in the yield of nectar brought about by low temperatures. Control Desirable While it is necessary to have good quality drones flying in an apiary where queens are to be raised, it is essential for the beekeeper to control the number raised in honey hives; otherwise, excessive swarming, may result, with consequent loss of honey crop. If the beekeeper neglects to provide full sheets of comb foundation, or if any irregularity of the comb surface occurs through, bad \ wiring, bending, or sagging of the comb foundation, the

bees will build, drone comb, in which the queen will deposit male eggs, according to the number of drone cells available. A large population of drones in a hive tends to induce the swarming impulse, and should be avoided by providing the bees with full sheets of good quality comb foundation properly fixed in the frames so that no cells are damaged and very little or no : opportunity is left for the bees to build drone comb. < . Where, it is not possible to supply the bees immediately with suitable comb foundation or good worker combs, the beekeeper' should decapitate with a sharp knife any drone brood present, and continue to do so until all combs containing patches of drone cells have been removed from the brood nest. These combs need not be destroyed immediately, but may be used in the supers for the storage of honey after the main honey flow begins. If, however, they are placed on the hives before that period the queens will usually , find their way to them, resulting in great loss of time, energy, and stores to the colony. ... . Where a good strain of bee is established with young queens at the head of each colony, swarm control is largely a matter of comb and hive manipulation before the start of the main honey flow, but care should be taken not to place more super accommodation on the hives than is actually required by the* bees from week to week; otherwise, it will not be possible for the bees to maintain the necessary temperature for successful brood raising and ripening of freshlygathered nectar. Use of the Smoker Success or failure in handling bees during the honey season with a minimum of discomfort to the beekeeper depends on the . general condition of the colony, climatic conditions, the strains of bees, and the amount of food available to , them, and, finally, the correct use of smoke. .■

It is surprising how few beekeepers know when and how to use the smoker correctly. At the entrance to a hive guards are stationed to protect the colony from robbers of their kind, and when . a beekeeper opens a hive he, too, is subject to attack if the guard bees are not forced back into the hive by a gentle puff of smoke from a beesmoker. which also quietens the bees within the hive. Where a gentle strain of bee is kept very little smoke applied in this manner is usually sufficient, provided further light puffs are wafted over the tops of the frames while the lid and mat covering are being removed, and also an occasional puff directed at any bees which appear to be moving upwards over the top bars from the combs below. This will cause the bees to retire between the combs while the work of examining the hive continues. A little cool smoke is also useful in gently driving the bees from the ends of the frames in order that they may be placed down

without crushing ' any bees, which would excite other bees to sting. Where smoke is roughly poured down between the combs, the bees will rush madly about in utter confusion and cluster in heaps along the side of the hive and under the alighting board. Such treatment disorganises the work of the colony for a considerable time, and makes the bees angry for days afterwards. Every motion while manipulating the combs and bees should be smooth and deliberate, with as little jarring of thehive parts as possible. The ideal smoker fuel is one whichburns very slowly and will not readily go out. Dry, clean, weather-worn sacking is best for these requirements, and, if rolled so that it fits, neatly. and fairly tightly, ’ gives off a cool, clean smoke when the bellows of the smoker are not worked too vigorously. • -■■■■

T. S. WINTER,

Senior Apiary

Instructor, Wellington.