RANDOM REMARKS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 210, 22 November 1909, Page 5

RANDOM REMARKS.

Bee farming is found to be a highly profitable industry by those who undertake the business on a comprehensive scale, while even certain amateur apiarists have been heard to wax enthusiastic over the prospective profits derivable from their hives. To be candid 1 most say the enthusiam of | the amateur is nt lasting, but whether : this is attributable to the lack of time on the part of the average amateur to devote to bis hobby, or to the fact that the profits have remained in the prospective is a deep and dark ; mystery to the writer. Pos«ibly the ' sudden cessation of enthusiam on th® part of some experimenters is do« at a i certain stage, to the a definite and precise realisation that bees are armed with stings, and know how to use them. In the first stages of his enthusiasm the amateur is apt to make light of the difficulty of handling the bees, and neglect the precaution of making friends with the queen. According to my friend Jones the rational method of handling bees is to make friends with the queen in each hive. When amicable relations arc thus established the bee farmer can imx with his hives withou fear. The difiicntly which naturally presents itself to the hive owner is the process of wooing and winning the affections of the queen. Jones' method i 3 somewhat elaborate, and requires the pcscssion of a prismatic compass, therefore the full account of the process is deferred for the present. Should any cnthosistic amateur wish for further cnlightment on the subject the writer will be glad to furnish bim with Jones! address.

All this is prefactory to the relation of the experience of my next door neighbour last week. A swarm of bees settled cloee to his house, and his enthusiam having been fired by a friend as to the profits of bee-keeping, he determined not to miss the opportunity of laying the foundation of his apiary. Several neighbours assembled round the tree on which the swarm had settled : boxes- were procurred, and suggestions as to how to get the bees into a box were freely offered. The only workable proposal seemed to be to shake the branch to which the bee* adhered, and allow the bees to drop into the box. This appeared simple though not unattended with danger, übt faitnig a better scheme would have been adopted if one of the neighbours had not suddenly suggested consulting W. B. Our gifted fellow townsman courteously placed his knowledge at the disposal of the company, but his ideas on the- subject snared on higher than the shaking of the branch, a feat which he had often performed in his younger days. He however, firmly declined to oblige the company on the occasion in question, but offered to lend them a book on the subject. Visions of cheap honey, and a comfortable competency in future began to fade from my neighbours mind when a Maori boy, attracted by the crowd, appraoched. Taking in the situation at a glnce he picked op the box, shook the bees into it and placed it on the ground. Jones on being told of the occurrence, smiled superior, and made the cyptic remark that the boy must have been a healthy subject. Pressed as to the meaning of his remark Jones stated it was well known that bees always attacked rheumatic subjects with ferocity, and persons suffering from housemaid's knee, or kleptomania were also peculiarly obnoxious to bees. At times the writer is moved to wish that Jones' weakness was open to attack.