CANTERBURY BEE FARMIN

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2449, 10 February 1882, Page 3

CANTERBURY BEE FARMIN

Amongst the many industries in our midst that have been considered likely to yield large returns, i£ attended to with care, to which the adoption of ‘ho latest improvements in the way of housing should ha added, that of beekeeping is by no means the most inconsiderable. The days of the old straw-made beehive and hackle have passed away, and in their stead the “ bar and section hive " bids fair to be very generally adopted. Mr Chaplin, of the Clare road, St. Albans—to whose care the liigurian bees, imported by the Canterbury Acclimatisation Society, have been entrusted, and who is an enthusiastic advocate of bee-farming—has devoted considerable time and attention to this subject, and, agreeably to an invitation from that gentleman, a member of the reportorial department of this journal recently paid a visit to his establishment. After the usual salutations had been exchanged, Mr Chaplin led the way to the spot where the cluster of hives indicated the model bee farm, and turning round on his way, counselled his visitor it the bees j began flying about whilst being handled, to remain quite still, because, remarked Mr 1 O , “ A member of the Fourth Estate paid me a visit recently, with the avowed object of acquiring information as to the method adopted by me, and whilst I was showing him a bar frame, the bees flaw off it about him, when he immediately commenced striking out wildly, and beat a precipitate retreat without his report.” The assurance was given that onr representative was not one of the nervous sort, by which time the locale of the Ligurians was reached, and the sloping roof frame that covered the square box of the first bee house was removed, then several strips of carpeting were successively lifted off, till a piece of cheese cloth was seen, covering the bar frames and the apertures between each of them. “ Just place your hand on the centre of this,” said Mr C , and feel how warm these little fellows’ quarters are,” and the warmth was found to be perceptible. “This hive,’* continued Mr Chaplin “is an amalgamated one,” which on enquiry was stated to be the placing together of two stocks. In reply to the question of what would result if two queens were to be thus brought together, ** Why then,” he replied, “ they would just fight for it—the weakest would be destroyed, and the victor would reign.” “Do the subject bees take any part in those affrays ?” was the question. “ Not that lam aware of” was the rejoinder ; “ they just stand by, and when it is all over give in their allegiance to the victorious monarch." The hive being uncovered, Mr Chaplin lifted out one of the bar frames with the attached comb, which was thickly covered on both its sides with bees, as be held it up in the air. The bees seemed very quiet, moving about leisurely over the combs, the cells of which were nearly filled with pupss, or bees in an embryo state; and the question as to which would turn out to bo working bees, and which would be drones, was answered by reference to the size and formation of the cells. Amongst the bees some were pointed out which had not long emerged from the embryo state, and as bar frame after bar frame was lifted out in succession, all questions pertaining thereto were most obligingly answered. “ What course would you adopt if you found any of your hives were in a foul state ?” was asked him. “ Why,” he replied, 11 I should at once set about preparing a new home for the bees;” and the necessary process was explained, which was to prepare fresh bar frames and, having provided them with combs, transfer the bees from the old to the new location, “ Are you often stung in that operation ?” was then asked. “ Very rarely,” was the answer; “ you see, there is a rignt and a wrong way to go about every thing,” and to our representative the right way appeared a very reckless one, as the expert stroked off handfuls of bees and enfolded them in his hand as one might hold a handful of fruit, and afterwards replaced them on the comb without receiving a solitary sting. “ Now,” remarked Mr Chaplin, as he replaced the bar frames, and proceeded to cover the top up again with the strips of cheese cloth and carpet, “ some people who profess to know a lot abont bees say that I keep mine too warm, but I don’t think so. I believe, like man’s Jcoat iin certain cases, what will keep the cold out will keep the heat out, and I pay every attention to due ventilation without establishing a draught, so managing the internal economy as to regulate the warmth of the inside by that of the outside.” And a practical illustration followed of the different courses adopted by day and by night. Next came the sectionised hives, by which plan the honey can be taken pure from the top of the hive, the whole of which space is occupied by twenty-four little boxes, something like small eleme fig boxes without tops or bottoms, which are placed side down, with only sufficient room between to allow the bees to work and fill the cells. Beneath these are placed ten bar frames, where the queen resides, and the brood combs are to be found. The great benefit arising from this method is, that as each of these little section boxes are filled with honey it is taken away and replaced by a blank one, and so on indefinitely. “ How do you take the honey," was asked, “by day or by night?” “At any time,” was the answer; and as one of the sections was full be at once removed it, simply easing it off by inserting the blade of bis knife between it and the next section to which it is fastened by beeswax. The operator then took up a soft brush and brushed the bees off both sides of the section hex on to the ground, from which they at once found their way back to the hive entrance. He then took up an empty section box, and having blown away the bees that had congregated in its place, fixed it ready for the bees to go to work at on the succeeding day. “Will bee farming pay?” was the question asked of Mr Chaplin. “If it is properly attended to,” was the answer, and the greatest aid to profit is not to kill the bees, as it is quite unnecessary where the bar and section processes are followed. Nor is it necessary in this colony, where winter is so much briefer than in Europe and America, and-the time of honey gathering extends to almost the whole of the year. We are quite sure that on the score of cleanliness alone this system of honey taking is preferable to the old plan, by which the honey was apt to be defiled by pupim Certainly the bee keepers of New Zealand would be gainers if they, once mastered Mr Chaplin’s method, which that gentleman intends making more widely known during the time the forthcoming International Exhibition is open