BEE-KEEPING.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 20 October 1913, Page 4

BEE-KEEPING.

Li hunting , for queens or examining broods for disease, it is, says Air 1 ,, . .11. Beuhne, the Victorian expert, necessary to see both sides of each comb. To do this ,many bee-keepers turn the coinb in the wrong way, resulting in a fracture of the cells near the top bar when the comb is not built right down to the bottom bar and it is at all heavy with honey. It also causes spilling- when the comb contains new thin honey. A comb should never be turned on a horizontal, but always on a vertical axis. Combs fractured or strained through handling them the wrong way often mush up in the extractor. When the combs are returned to Ihe hive the bees repair them; but as the damaged colls become elongated through the weight of the comb, they are large enough for drone brood, several rows of which will be found across the comb where it is fractured when the comb is used in the brood chamber. Combs so damaged are also very liable to come down in hot weather or in moving bees by road or rail. During the principal swarming months, a watchful eye should be kept on hives from 1.0 a.m. to ■I p.m. on fine days unless the conditions in regard to swarming tendency is known, from a record of the ages of the queens and systematic periodical examinations fo see whether swarming preparations are in progress.

AVhilc i( prevents the absconding of prime or first swarms, (be clippiii»" of queens often causes trouble through ilie (jueejis getting lost. The swarm returns to the hive only to issue again, a week or so later with a virgin queen and a greater number of bees. As a virgin queen is light and has greater ])ower of flight such swarms will usually settle high up in inaccessible places or abscond without clustering. It is, therefore, not advisable to clip queens, unless the hives are near a dwelling from which a view of i hem can be obtained, or the number of colonies is sufficient to keep a special watch on tlieni during swarming hours.