BEEKEEPERS’ FIELD DAY

Manawatu Times, Volume LIII, Issue 6544, 28 February 1928, Page 3

BEEKEEPERS’ FIELD DAY

SUCCESSFUL OUTING. Members of the Feilding branch, of the New Zealand Beekeepers’ ■ Association held a very succesful field day at the apiary of Mr H. Smith, Awahuri road, during the week-end. There was an enthusiastic gathering and apologies were received from Mr Gordon Eliott, M.P. and Mr J. Eentoul, chairman of the Honey Control Board who were unable to attend through previous engagements. _ Mr IX S. Robinson, • Departmental Instructor, first of all explained the various appliances of the apiary. Mr Smith has a modern plant having just commenced beekeeping at Feilding. Ho also spoke upon the uses and abuses of the queen-excluder and the various methods adopted to find the queen bee. A colony of bees was made to pass through' a queen-ex-cluder, the queen, being larger than the rest of the colony, remaining behind. She, was then captured and exhibited, when some of those present saw a queen bee for the first time. This method was stated to bo the surest way of finding a queen especially when dealing with black bees. The uses of a drone trap were then explained, and the method of taking honey from a hive by using a bee escape was demonstrated. Mr Robihson then dealt with Queen rearing and the formation of nuclei hives. %

Questions were asked and answered and ■ points of the new Apiaries Act explained. Several new members were elected. The meeting decided to make a joint display from the Feilding district at the Palmerston North Winter Show. At-the conclusion of the demonstration, those present were entertained by Mr Smith, who was accorded ■ a hearty vote of thanks. A similar compliment was passed to Mr Robinson,, with the request that similar field days b® organised again.