Package Bee Trials

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 87, Issue 3, 15 September 1953, Page 207

Package Bee Trials

THE possibility of the economic use of package bees from North Auckland to replace winter losses, strengthen weak colonies, and make spring increase has been a recurring topic among southern beekeepers for many years. Although a few small private shipments from the North Island to the South Island are reported to have been made from 1932 onward, no trials of any magnitude were undertaken until 1940, when the Department of Agriculture sponsored a shipment of 25 31b. packages of bees from Whangarei Honey crops from hives established with these packages compared quite well with those from overwintered hives, but no worthwhile trade in package bees appears to have developed. As the inevitable delay in transit and the extensive handling inseparable from available surface transport • were considered to be possibly a major i C m r J n k efa ' U ? of / rade A +o , develop . a further trial using air transport was undertaken Ik- 1952 by Department of Agriculture Apiary Instructors and interested beekeepers. In this article D Roberts, Auckland, and I. W. Forster, Oamaru, Apiary Instructors of the Department of Agriculture, describe the various aspects of the trial and outline the conclusions reached.

ALE of package bees to apiarists in * x the j. northern and mid-western states of U.S.A, by beekeepers of the southern states, who are favoured by mild spring climates and plentiful early nectar sources, has long been a feature of American beekeeping. The development of a nation-wide interest in the value of honey bees as pollinators of important economic plants has caused a large demand for package bees for pollination and for honey production and the value of the trade in packages, pioneered by the late Mr. “•■r Root, now amounts to several million dollars annually. New Zealand does not have the same extremes of climate as America, where severe winters in the north make it necessary, if the bees are to survive, to pack hives with heavy insulating material or store them underground in cellars. However, many New Zealand beekeepers have long ' appreciated the possibilities of development of a package bee trade between beekeepers in North Auckland, where the mild climate and ample _ spring nectar sources provide an early build-up of colony strength,

and southern beekeepers, with acute wintering ' and spring - increase problems. The obvious benefit to the southern beekeeper of using package bees is the saving of the large amount of highgrade honey which is normally used in sustaining his colonies over autumn, winter, and spring. Other advantages are that the working season is much shorter when package bees are operated, thus saving man-hours and the expense of extra trips to out-apiaries. Depreciation of hive equipment is reduced by having the equipment stored indoors instead of exposed to winter conditions. As package bees start with a young queen, the labour and .expense of requeening overwintered colonies are avoided. Earlier Trial The Departmental trial in 1940-41 showed that if 31b. packages of bees with young queens were shipped from Northland to the South Island and the bees were established in hives fitted with drawn ' combs containing some pollen and honey, the hive would build up rapidly to a colony strength

great enough to enable the bees to produce crops comparable with those from colonies overwintered from the previous season. At the time of the experiment air freight facilities in New Zealand were not readily available. Trial packages were sent by rail to Ranfurly, north Balclutha, and Gore, and were up to 3 days in transit. Some packages were not transferred until the day after receipt, the bees thus being confined for 5 days. No serious ill effects due to the lengthy confinement were observed, but unless conditions of temperature and ventilation are exceptionally favourable in a journey of this duration serious loss is likely. Owing to the uncertainty of surface transport and the unstable conditions caused by the Second World War dispatch of package bees was not proceeded with at that time. 1952-53 Trial Final arrangements for the trial in 1952-53 were completed in October 1952, Messrs. W. I. Haines, Kaitaia, and G.-B. Sharp, Matakana, co-operating in the preparation and supply of packages and bees and Mr. G. E. Gumbrell, Geraldine, in the operation of the test consignment-in the South Island. Five packages each were supplied by Messrs. Haines and Sharp, each package containing over 31b. of young bees with a caged young queen accompanied by escort bees. Two sites were selected for the test apiaries on the south-western side of the upper reaches of the Rangitata River. This area consists of fairly extensive river flats surrounded 'by steep hills carrying a considerable growth of tussock and snowgrass The average altitude of the pasture land is about 1500 ft. Rainfall is moderate and winters fairly severe. North-west winds are reported to be persistent,

but these were not excessive during the trials. The main nectar-secreting flora are white and alsike clover, Canadian and Scotch thistles, catsear, and matagouri. Considerable Lotus major growth occurs on the marshy parts of the river flats, but the bees did not appear to work the abundant blooms of this plant. Presumably the wet soil conditions kept root temperatures'too low for nectar secretion. . Transport It is essential when package bees are being transported that temperatures of greater than 80 degrees F. should be avoided; otherwise excessive activity will generate further heat which . ; may destroy the package within an hour or less. Disturbance caused through excessive handling at transhipment points may also cause nervous and excited bees to generate heat, with consequent danger of suffocation. Exposure to the direct rays of the sun will have similar effects on caged bees, and where numbers of packages are. stacked together in sunlight for . more than a few minutes overheating will quickly occur. United States experience showed air transport to be the most suitable and it is used in that'country whenever freight rates are economic. Generally high rates, however, cause shippers and buyers to prefer motor transport, and journeys by truck and trailer of more than 1000 miles are commonplace. New Zealand’s topography is such that the rapid movement necessary for the continued successful shipment of package bees between the North Island and the South Island cannot be provided by surface transport. Air freight offers very rapid transport with a minimum of handling. In addition, owing to the cool temperatures during flight, there is little risk of overheating. Package bees can withstand quite cool temperatures and will travel much more satisfactorily at temperatures of 70 degrees F. or less than they will in warmer temperatures. Consideration of these factors-

decided the use of. air transport for the trial.

Air transport allowed delivery to be made thus: Mr. Haines’s packages were caged during the afternoon* of 27 October and dispatched by air from Kaitaia at 1.55 p.m. on 28 October. Mr. Sharp’s packages were caged late on the morning of 28 October and forwarded from Whenuapai airport (Auckland) at 4 p.m. the same afternoon. , Both consignments were delivered to the Christchurch airport at 8 pan. the same day. The time taken in transit from point of dispatch to the Christchurch airport was 6 hours for the Kaitaia consignment and 4 hours for that from Whenuapai. Air distances were 700 and 500 miles respectively and the periods of confinement were 50 hours for the Kaitaia packages, and 32 hours for those from Matakana.

Construction of Cages

Because the rates for air freight are fixed on a per pound basis, with a strict limitation on the size of individual parcels, close attention was paid to the construction of cages and crates in an endeavour to reduce weight and dimensions to the minimum consistent with strength and safety. Particular care was exercised in the construction of the cages to ensure that there would be no escape of bees in normal circumstances. All : package cages were of wife gauze with wooden tops and bottoms and with strips of thin wood tacked over all edges of the gauze. Cages were constructed by Messrs. Haines and Sharp and dimensions were approximately 16|in. x B|in. x s|in. Cage weights varied with the timber used, Mr. Haines’s cages averaging

31b. 9oz. empty and Mr. Sharp’s, made of a lighter timber, 21b. lloz. Both types travelled equally well. Some of the cages were provided with a slot in the lid to hold the queen cage, some had a further opening covered with perforated metal to provide additional ventilation, and others had solid lids. The inner side of each lid was provided with two shelves to hold candy for feed. For transport, framework crates of 2in. x lin. wood were constructed. To provide comparative data of ventilation requirements one crate was built to give a 4in. to sin. spacing of packages and the other 1-jin. to 2in. As all packages arrived in excellent condition, 'it would seem that the ventilation provided in the more compact crate with the ljin. to 2in. spacing was adequate. The lighter cages, the Matakana shipment, showed no evidence of damage or strain and this design should be suitable, for air transport. The more compact ’crate size possible with the smaller spacing of IJin. to 2in. was considered to be . much more suitable for storage in aircraft and in addition provided a saving of some pounds in the weight of the crate. Experience may provide information which will lead to further small reductions in the weight of cages and crates, but the paramount necessity for security in air transport cannot be outweighed by consideration of reduced freight costs. As the cages cost about 3s. each, their return by parcel post would be economic, giving a saving of about 2s. per package. Prices for the supply of package bees are usually based on this system of returning containers. Filling the Bees into Packages To ensure that all packages were drawn from healthy stock •10 hives in an apiary of each of the suppliers were numbered and carefully examined for visible signs of disease. In addition, specimen bees from each selected hive were sent to the Department of Agriculture’s Animal Research Station, Wallaceville, for examination for the presence of Nosema apis and other bee diseases. All samples returned negative results.

As it was desirable to use only newly hatched bees (up to 12 days of age) for the trials, the selected hives were prepared in the following manner:—

The day before the packages were to be filled the hives were examined and all brood more than a few days old was lifted into the second hive body. All bees in the second and third hive bodies were then shaken in front of the hive, a queen excluder was placed over the lower body, and the other bodies were replaced. With the hives in this condition the majority of the young bees were found clustered on the brood in the second chamber. By filling the packages during the warm part of the day, when the flight from the. hive was at a maximum, and by taking only those bees clustered on the brood above the excluder, the inclusion of drones and many worker bees of more than the desired age was avoided.

When the packages were being filled bees from the brood combs of the prepared hives were shaken or brushed directly into a large funnel which fitted into an opening in the

lid of the cage. During filling the cages were stood on a platform scales which was compensated for the weight of the cage and funnel. When the cages were filled the funnel was withdrawn, the' queen cage with the queen and escort bees inserted and fastened, and the lid nailed down. The packages with the perforated ventilation pieces in the lids were filled through these openings, the queen cages being inserted previously. Queens Queens used for the trial packages were those from the hives from which the packages were drawn. Five were early spring rearings and five were overwintered rearings of the previous autumn. Half of the 10 queen cages supplied were fitted with guards over the candy-filled entrances, the balance being unguarded. • Queens from _ the unguarded cages were released in transit with no apparent ill effects. Others were not released until 2 days after installation on the hives. All queens were accepted. The release of queens in transit, if acceptable to buyers, would give such packages an advantage of several days’ brood rearing over those where the queen is not released until after establishment. Food Required for Journey Because bees are unable to exist for more than a very short period without food, all packages were supplied with varying quantities ,of queen cage candy, a mixture of honey and powdered sugar. To . establish the minimum quantity of candy necessary to maintain the bees in transit packages were supplied with amounts varying from 4 to 7oz. each. All candy was stored in the shelves in the undersides of the. lids, where it would be immediately above the cluster of bees. The following table shows the period of confinement and the amount of candy supplied to and the consumption of each package:■

Minimum requirements appear to be loz. of candy every 24 hours for every pound of bees. Thus a 31b. package expected to be confined for 48 hours would need to be furnished with not less than 6oz. of candy. Reduction of Bee Weight during Transit Because it was anticipated that some loss of bee weight would occur in transit, packages when filled were given overweight allowances varying from |oz. to lib. 2oz. The average over-all weight of the .bees in packages at dispatch was 31b". 6oz. Weights were carefully checked before the packages were installed and loss of weight was found to vary from 2 to 15oz. The over-all- average loss was approximately s|oz. or 10 per cent, of shipped weight. This is in accordance with experience overseas, where it is the practice of reputable suppliers of package bees to include an overweight allowance of up to 20 per cent, at dispatch. Collection and Installation When collected from the aeroplane at Christchurch the packages of bees did not appear to be unduly distressed or over-heated and within an hour were l completely settled down. It had been considered that it would be necessary to give the bees water to quieten them,, but this was not required. .= Next day the packages were conveyed to the test sites and after beingweighed were installed in hives in the: late afternoon.

The 10 hives with drawn combs containing the equivalent of one full comb of pollen and 151 b. of feed honey per hive were set up on the respective sites. An empty super was placed either beneath or on the top of each hive to house the package. To prevent the bees rushing from the hives immediately they were released the hive entrances were lightly blocked with green grass. This grass had wilted sufficiently by next morning to be easily pushed aside by the bees seeking egress. Syrup of half sugar and half water was brushed on to the wire-gauze sides of the cages some 10 minutes before the bees were installed. However, as the bees showed a tendency to fly out when the tops were prised from the packages, it was found necessary to splash water into the cages and dump the bees down several times to wet them to an extent which prevented their taking wing. After the tops of the packages had been removed the queen cages in which the queens were still captive had the candy guards removed and were then placed between the combs as close as possible to t where the bees in the package were to be. The packages with lids removed were placed either right way up in an empty super beneath the combs or upside down in an empty super above. This method of installation was entirely satisfactory, but it would perhaps be more convenient if the bees, suitably wetted with syrup or water to prevent flying, could be dumped from the package on to” the combs. This would save the return trip to collect the empty cages. Wetting of the bees should be done with caution, especially if the night is likely to be cold. If the installing were done in the evening, very little moisture would be required to control the bees. At the test apiaries 2 days after the packages were installed the bees were found satisfactorily established on the combs. About 20 dead bees were found in front of each hive, .which would represent only. the ordinary death-rate of a colony. The five queens that had been released from the cages during transit were laying. A pencil was pushed through the candy in the other cages to hasten the release of the queens in them. No other variation of condition was discernible according to type of cage, method of crating, or installation procedure. As no established hives were present in the area, there was no danger of the package bees being robbed before they were sufficiently organised to defend themselves. It would be necessary to guard against this danger when package bees were installed in established apiaries. Opera-Hon of Test Apiaries 7 On 25 November three nucleus colonies, each having three frames of brood, were placed on the sites to act as checks and from then on both packages and check hives were given ordinary apiary management. The queens were .clipped on 25 November and excluded down to the bottom box on 23 December. Drawn combs were used throughout the trial and the hives were stripped of all honey on 17 February. The full supers from each hive were weighed as were the

empty supers and combs after extraction to allow the net weight of honey to be computed. The following summary shows the main factors in the performance of the test and check hives. Package bee test hives Check hives 29/10/52 Installed in hives 25/11/52 Averaged 6 frames Averaged. 3 frames of brood of brood / ' ' 23/12/52 Averaged 10 frames Averaged 6 frames of brood of brood 17/2/53 Average crop 1061b.Average crop 761 b. When the main honey flow began, in the second week in January, about 10 weeks after the packages were installed, the test hives were well up to. full strength. This build-up rate is similar to the experience of American beekeepers. The five hives whose queens were released during transit started well with an initial advantage of two frames of brood per hive over the hives whose queens were still confined on arrival. Although this lead was maintained throughout the build-up period, these more forward hives produced no more honey and this may indicate that packages could well be established a little later than 10 weeks before the honey flow or that a smaller package of, say, 21b. of bees would give equally good results. The comparatively good performance of the weaker check hives also suggests this. Further investigations of this aspect are required. At intervals during the season 4 of the 10 package bee hives became queenless. This seriously affected honey production. Queen losses in colonies started from packages is a recognised problem in America, but such losses usually occur within the first few weeks as a result of supersedure. The sporadic incidence of queenlessness in the test hives would suggest some other factor as being the cause. All 4 hives that became queenless were at one apiary, where the only noticeable feature was that the site was on the lee side of a ridge surrounded by a ' dense growth of

matagouri which tended to create very hot conditions in the apiary. The build-up of package bee colonies could be considerably aided by the addition of a comb or two of brood from established hives. Such a practice would also be beneficial in restoring the balance _»f age groups of the bees and should mitigate any tendency , that packages may have toward queen supersedure. \ " No difference was noticeable in the performance of the 5 spring-reared queens as opposed to that of the 5 autumn queens. Pollen As pollen provides practically the entire protein requirements of the honey bee colony, an ample supply of this is essential for normal broodrearing activities. When pollen is in short supply the nurse bees preparing brood food must draw on reserves of protein stored in their own systems to their bodily detriment. Thus a shortage of pollen causes a weakening of the adult bee strength of the colony as well as reduced brood rearing. Such a condition is serious in a colony of bees under normal circumstances, but to a package colony depending on a quick build-up from a standing start any curtailment of brood rearing or weakening of the adult bee force would be disastrous. It was noticeable., how the entire comb of pollen given to each installed package was used in raising the first brood cycle. The furnishing of ample pollen is undoubtedly an important factor in the operation of package bees, particularly if the food used is sugar syrup. Should natural pollen not be available, it would be necessary to feed a pollen supplement. Particulars of feeding these supplements are obtainable from Apiary Instructors of the Department of Agriculture. Combs The fact that drawn combs were used greatly facilitated the installation and build-up of the test colonies. The

initial progress of package bee colonies would be precarious and very slow if they were required to establish themselves on foundation only. Economy The costs of landing each package at Christchurch were as follows: — £ s. d. 31b. of package bees and young queen delivered to aeroplane . . • • ..166 Air freight to Christchurch on . gross . weightBlb. at Is. Id. per lb. from Kaitaia 8 8 To which must be added all costs thereafter, including:— Collecting and' installation of bees. Honey or sugar for early feeding (approximately 151 b.). Apiary management, transport, and extraction of crop. Interest on value of hive equipment used and outlay on bees, etc. Depreciation and maintenance of hive equipment. These costs would vary according to the distance travelled to pick up packages and the distance of the apiary

in which they are established from the beekeeper’s residence. The package bees under trial last season were established 40 miles from the beekeeper’s residence and were started off on combs of honey. They averaged a total production of 1061 b. of honey and beeswax last season. Utilisation of Package Bees It would appear from the results of this trial that package bees could be economically used , in the following ways:— 1. They could be operated for one season only; the bees could then be gassed, all honey extracted, and the equipment stored until the next season. . 2. They could be used to make permanent increase in colony numbers. 3. They could replace winter losses. 4. A set number, of colonies could be united at the beginning of the honey flow to give a strong gathering force and replaced the next season with packages. 5. Packages could be united to weak hives to boost their strength before the honey flow.

Any practice adopted for the use of package bees would need to be applied fairly consistently, as the venders of packages would need to be assured of a reasonably steady trade with firm orders well in advance; otherwise they could not organise their businesses for this trade with any confidence. The buyer on the other hand would need to have delivery guaranteed by a set date. Results of Test .. Results of the test indicate that:— 1. Package bees from the far north can be economically brought south and operated for honey production. 2. Air freight provides. a very suitable means of transport. 3. Delivery 10 weeks before . the honey flow gives . ample time for normal build-up. 4. Pollen is an essential requisite in establishing package bees. 5. Package bees could be successfully operated only by skilled beeKeepers with the necessary food, combs, and equipment.

■ Amount Package Period of of candy Candy no. Period of confinement Amount of candy supplied Candy consumed hours oz. oz: 1 .. hours . . 50 oz. oz. 5 5 (all) 5 (all) 2 .. . . 50 , 7 5 3 .. ..50. 7 61 4 .. ' . . 50 4 4 (all) 5 .. . . 50 4 4 (all) 6 .. . . 32 5 3 7 .. ■ . . 32 5 2 8 .. .. 32 5 3 9 .. . . 32 . 4 ' 3 10 .. . . 32 4 21