BEES IN THE ROYAL SHOW YARD.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume IX, Issue 442, 30 September 1881, Page 19

BEES IN THE ROYAL SHOW YARD.

The department alloted to bees attracted, as was to be expected considerable attention, not only from practical agriculturists, but also from amateurs. There were two exhibitors, the British Beekeepers' Association and Messrs Neighbour and Sons, of London ; and during the week practical exemplifications of an interesting character were given, showing how bees should be handled under various circumstances, and bow they can be driven from one hive to the othei with comparative safety to the operator, provided certain well-known rules and precautions are observed, Under the old system— if system it could be called— the bees were destroyed ere the honey could be secured ; the object of the new system is to secure the greatest possible amount of honey, and yet preserve the bees. The contrivances for this end are almost endless, and only the practical beekeeper would be able to appreciate their manifold excellences. Messers. Neighbour and Sons Bhowed a great vaiiety of hives, from the humble "skep bive" adapted to the pocket and the needs of the cottager, up the elaborate •' bar hives," which, though not difficult to understand, are in comparison with the "skep" complicated and intricate contrivances. By the aid of these last the beekeeper can almost manipulate his bees as he pleases, and every possible contingency seems to have been foreseen and provided for. The hives can be enlarged so as to make room for fresh comb, they can be contracted so as to enable the bees when clustered for their winter rest to be surrounded on every side by a thick wall of chaff, or other non-conducting material, and they are, in addition, light, portable, and, as our Scotch friends, say "self-con-tained." The beekeeper wh» purchases one of Messrs, Neighbour's more expensive hives has, in fact, half his work done for him. The same firm showed a variety of contrivances in the shape of " supers," bee glasses, feeders, smokers, fumigators, bee masks bee veils honey knives, and so forth, which would be tedious to describe, and there were also ingenions machines for the extraction of honey from the comb which were well worthy of inspection. Altogether thebee exhibits made a most important and interesting feature of the show, and the frames in which the busy insects could be seen at work were the centre of attraction for large numbers of people throughout the whole of the week. * Mr. T. B. Blow, expert of the British Beekeepers' Association, delivered each day an interesting lecture in the association's tents on the showground, on the construction and management of barf ramed hives. The frames could be lifted from the hives and any alteration easily effected. It wonld be impossible to do that with a straw skep. Another advantage in the nse of the barf rame hive was that the honey could be extracted from the comb and the comb returned. Of course that was impossible with a straw ekep. That was a matter of great consideration in a busy honey season. Some beekeepers did not collect iheir honey, but preferred to use the extractor. The comb, after being removed from the hive and the sealing of the walls removed, is placed in the extractor, and by means of centrifugal force the honey is thrown off to the sides. The comb is then returned to the hive and the bees can fill it again. Sometimes the bees refill a comb in one or two days. That was a material consideration in regard to wax. Wax was nothing more than a changed form of honey. If they examined bees closely they would find small flakes of wax exuding from pores in their bodies. Those ffakes were used for the construction of the cells. A large amount of heat it generated, and the honey in their bodies was changed into wax. Wax was used for the making of the combs, aud the honey was stored into them afterwards. Some people supposed that the lumps seen on the legs of bee 9, more specially in the spring time, was wax. They were not wax but pollenor beebread, obtained from various flowers. The importance of bee, keeping was great to the agriculturist and to the flower grower. That matter bad not obtained the consideratien it ought to have. Bees "fertilised the flowcis and ensured a large supply of fruit. Many large fruit growers k^pt a great number of bees to ensure the fertilisation of their fruit. Many agriculturists little knew of the benefits of bee-keepinur. By the visits of the bees large crops of seeds were ensurjd. The construction of the bar-framed hive was simple, and one could be constructed by an unskilled workman. It was not necessary to have a hive nicely finished for the successful keeping of bees. The only thing to be particular about was the measurement.

The frames did not fix tightly. If the frames were fixed tightly the bees would cement them to the sides of the hire by what was technically known as properties — a sticky substance obtained from trees. If the space was too lar*re a comb wonld C3nstruct3d, and, therefore, bse keepers allowed a space of a little over a quarter of an inch to inter* vene between the bars and the wall of the hive. The advanced beekeepers did not allow the bees to build thair o<*n oombi, wishing to get the largest amount of honey from their bees. They, therefore, supplied them with wax for combs. The result was a saving to the beekeepers. The bees built up the combs from that foundation far more quickly than if the wax was not supplied. Again, bees did not always build straight, but that foundation compelled them to do so. Three hundred tons of honey we re sent to this country annually from America. It was certainly not so good as the Eugrlish honey, bat being attractive to the eye it 'met a ready sale. The Beekeepers' Association had been established to infuse a knowledge of beekeeping and to show how bees could be kept wi«-h great profit, and so prevent sending to foreisn countries for honey. All who kept bees should join the various Beekeepers' Associations, and aid them in their efforts. There was no loss in giving bees to much food in the autumn. Bees consumed just sufficient, according to the state of the tempera f ure. The queen bee would lay from 1,000 to 3,000 eggs per day. If by any chance two queens bees get into the sams hive a fight took place, one was certainly killed. The queen only used her sting to kill a rival. Smoke was administered to the bens to terrify them ; they rushed to their combs, and having gorged themselves with honey were comparatively harmless, and might be handled with impunity. The lecture showed how to mamge the bar-framed hive in cold weather, and related several interesting facts relating to the keeping and management of bees— "The Farmer."