Neglected Apiaries

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 87, Issue 1, 15 July 1953, Page 13

Neglected Apiaries

By

R. GODDARD,

Apiary Instructor,

Department of Agriculture, Tauranga

DEEKEEPERS who take a pride in their ” equipment and the general appearance of their apiaries are naturally perturbed when a neighbouring apiary, whether containing I hive or 50 hives, is allowed to deteriorate to such an extent that bee stocks dwindle, die out, or swarm away, leaving hives weak, unprotected, and a potential source of disease. Some people start keeping bees with a burst of enthusiasm, but the handicaps associated with this industry often prove too formidable, resulting in the bees being left to fend for themselves and the apiary becoming neglected. AS with all homes, the hive which houses bees varies with the tidiness of the owner. Although the' equipment in an apiary, may be in poor condition, it does not necessarily follow that the apiary is neglected, as the bees may be getting regular attention. A neglected apiary is one in which the owner has not attended to the bees and their requirements at critical periods during the breeding season and where the condition of the bees, combs, and equipment has deteriorated to such an extent that the apiary is not in working order and therefore constitutes a menace to the beekeeping industry. Most beekeepers take great care when selecting sites for their apiaries, as the location of hives has an important bearing on the resultant crop of honey. Good sites therefore are an asset well worth protecting and keeping in order. Yet, after taking considerable trouble in selecting a site some beekeepers fail to keep weed growth in check. If grass and weeds, such as blackberry, gorse, and fern, are uncontrolled, the apiary soon has a neglected appearance, as the illustrations show. Untidiness Increases Work In a well-planned apiary the heavy work involved is cut down to a minimum, but it is increased in an untidy yard. Boxes and frames strewn over the yard not only hamper the beekeeper considerably in his work, but when covered with long grass they constitute a danger, as a fall over these hidden obstacles could result in serious injury. Apiaries where hives are surrounded or covered with weeds cannot be worked properly and are therefore considered to be neglected. Hives left in this state are soon subjected to extreme dampness in wet weather. Mould growth attacks the combs and the bees soon object to being housed under these conditions. Survival is precarious, particularly in winter, but even if the bees manage to keep alive, it is usually in a much weakened state. Hive boxes, lids, and bottom boards will not stand up to continued dampness, and if left m such circumstances, they rot very quickly. Even if weed growth is not extensive, it is most important to keep all hive entrances

clear, as heavily laden bees easily become entangled in long grass and have difficulty in getting free. Obstructions also tend to wear away the bees’ wings, causing a big loss in the field strength of a hive. Commercial Apiaries Unfortunately there are a number of large neglected apiaries in each district and each is a menace to beekeeping in New Zealand. Why do beekeepers neglect their property? Perhaps the apiary was established miles away from the beekeeper’s headquarters with the object of securing feed honey for other hives or for testing a new site. Possibly it finally proved uneconomic to manage this apiary .or the site was not as good as expected. Whatever the reason, neglected apiaries do exist with bees and equipment left unattended. The initial cost of establishing an apiary is high. Frames, boxes, bottom boards, lids, paint, nails, wire, and foundation wax have all increased in price and replacement costs will no doubt be considerably higher. Surely this, expenditure warrants equipment being given regular attention. Hives not looked after soon lose their saleable value and bee combs rapidly become worthless. Bee stocks dwindle in unattended hives and wax moth and field mice wreak havoc with bee combs. Domestic Apiaries In attempts to obtain honey and to overcome the sugar shortage of the war many people in New Zealand without any previous experience or knowledge of apiary management bought hives of bees. Initial enthusiasm with bees usually ends when the

inexperienced operator receives his first stinging; consequently, officers of the Department of / Agriculture are finding numerous hives that have not been attended to for years. Many domestic apiaries in New Zealand are neglected in some way by the owners. Equipment which may have been first . class years ago has rotted through lack of attention, hives are rarely opened by the owners, crossed combs are numerous, and weed growth extensive. / The Department urges beekeepers Who no longer require these hives and who are not prepared to/ give them the necessary attention to dispose of them to a qualified beekeeper or to have them destroyed. Danger of Wax Moth In the North Island, where the climate is comparatively mild, careless beekeeping methods would attract the larger wax'moth (Galleria melloneJla), the larvae of which may cause a great deal of damage to stored or unoccupied bee combs. The larvae seldom attack clean combs, but because of their varied diet requirements they thrive particularly well on old combs containing pollen. The larvae, in search of food, tunnel along the midribs, leaving a mass of webbing

and damaged combs which are not fit for further use. These pests breed prolifically and neglected apiaries with dead hives, overturned supers, and general untidiness provide an ideal breeding ground for them. It is not generally known that wax moth is a disease within the meaning of the Apiaries Act 1927 and that beekeepers must rid their apiaries of this pest. American Foul-brood The greatest . danger in an unattended apiary is the possibility of an outbreak of American foul-brood disease. For years the fight against the spread of this disease of bees has been carried out in New Zealand with a great deal of success, but this work would receive a serious setback if an outbreak occurred in a neglected apiary. As hives contracted the disease they would gradually become weaker and be robbed out by stronger colonies, which in turn would be infected. In this manner neighbouring apiaries would become diseased and swarms from every infected apiary would also help to carry the disease to all parts of the district. One diseased apiary left unattended could cause a most serious outbreak in an area, and unless drastic action was taken in the initial stages by all beekeepers concerned, the disease could cause a very severe loss in bees, equipment, and potential crops of honey. A blow such as this might force a newly established beekeeper out of business. Fire Danger When an apiary is overgrown with grass, fern, blackberry, and gorse as shown in the illustrations, the fire danger is extremely great. During summer the undergrowth reaches a tinder-dry state and if a fire started and spread to other parts of the district, an owner might find himself in serious trouble. The rapidity with which fire spreads is well known, and thousands of pounds of damage could result from an outbreak, particularly in afforestation areas and in country which dries out quickly. The Department is fully aware of the dangers of neglected apiaries and all Apiary Instructors are keeping a careful watch on any which come to their notice, but the beekeepers concerned should co-operate by bringing their apiaries up to working order or by removing the hives. Before any removal or sale is contemplated, however, a permit must be obtained by the owner of the bees from the local Apiary Instructor. The section of the Act dealing with the sale and moving of bees to a new location is enforced to prevent the possible spread of bee diseases.

Potash Dressing on Horotiu Sandy Loam ' In the notes about recent research work on potash responses on Horotiu sandy . loam, which appeared on page 477 of the May issue of the “Journal”, an annual maintenance dressing of muriate of potash was given at the end of the second paragraph as about. l|cwt. This should have read about g cwt.

Aerial Topdressing Fertiliser Dump

MORE and more farmers are making use of aerial topdressing, and the problem of holding large quantities of fertiliser, generally for only very short periods, has given farmers food for serious thought. A practical solution has been evolved by Mr. Lachlan Maclean, Glencoe Station, Maraekakaho, Hastings. The accompanying illustration shows an inexpensive and easily made fertiliser dump containing 150 tons of serpentine superphosphate in I cwt. paper bags alongside the airstrip' on his farm. (See cover of this issue.) The materials used in the construction of this dump are empty tar drums, 6in. x 2in. tanalised Pinus radiata timber, fencing wire, and tarpaulins. Each tar drum is capable of supporting the weight of I ton of fertiliser, so that 150 drums were used for this 1 50-ton dump. The drums are placed base down and timber is laid along their tops a few inches apart. This makes an excellent platform for the bottom layer of bags. Important features of the dump are (I) its mobility in that it can be easily moved to any part of the farm, and (2) it obviates the necessity of double handling, as the fertiliser can be taken direct from the railhead to the airstrip. When the dump is not open for use two strands of number 8 fencing wire are tied around it to hold it together so that stock cannot interfere with it. Timber is laid on top and covered with a few sheets of corrugated iron'. To obtain maximum life from the tarpaulins used to cover the dump and to rid them of fertiliser impregnation they are hung on fencing wire stretched between two trees and left to clean in the weather for about a week before storage.

—F. H. COLLIN,

, Fields Instructor, Department of Agriculture, Hastings