HINTS ON THE MANAGEMENT OF BEES. By the Rev. W. C. Cotton, M. A.

New Zealander, Volume 2, Issue 93, 13 March 1847, Page 3

HINTS ON THE MANAGEMENT OF BEES. By the Rev. W. C. Cotton, M. A.

To the Editor of the New Zealand Spectator. Sir,— l gladly comply with the request you made me, that 1 would draw up a manual for the use of such persons in this district as wish to keep hees, but do not like to do so, because they feel they know not where to apply for information. Their ignorance magnifies, as is always the case, their difficulties, and they shrink from what they would find a pica' sant employment from fear of failure. I will do what I can to supply the want which they feel, but I would warn them that in this, as in all other matters, what a man can learn by reading is nothing to compare with what he mvit learn, 'f he is to sue ceed at all, by his own observation and experience. His own bees will be betier teachers than any other Bee-master whatsoever ; all that such a person can : do for him, is to introduce him as a pupil in this school, and then leave bun to make the best use of his own eyes. For the sake of clearness, I will fancy that 1 am actually speaking to one of these honest would be Bee-masters, and will iry to tell him all that is actually needful to enable him to make a beginning, so that Bee-masters of older standing must not be surprised at finding nothing here but the simplest and plainest practical hints. ?et even they may perchance learn something new ; for if they have kept bees all their lives in England, they will have many of their old notions to unlearn in this more equable climate. They will see many things which would be perfectly incredible if t.»ld of bees in England. But more of this in its proper place. I will without further preface proceed at once to dividemy subject, for the sake of reference, under the following heads :— I. Proper situation for an Apiary. 11. Obtaining and moving Bees. HI. Form of Hives. IV. Swarming and H ; ving. Y. Taking Honey. VI. Uniting Bees. VII. Feeding VIII. Preparing Honey and Wax for use. IX. Bees' Enemies, X. Miscellaneous remarks. I. Proper situation ron an Apiary.— lt must be sheltered from the prevailing wiuds. and yet not blocked up m the front, by high trees or buildings j opcu to the sun in the morning, and yet so consiructed as to screen the hives from' its direct lays at midday; this may be done by an overhanging roof, which will also keep the drippings of the rain fi'om the hives. Every one may use !ils own taste in the form of his bae house, for this is of no consequence if

the hives are only screened from the sun and sheltered from the wind; and yet I think a shed open in front, so that the air may circulate freely about the hives, and keep away damp, with roomenough for one or more persons to pass along at the b'ick o r , the hives, and look into any which may have windows, or glasses on the top, is as good a* form as can he. It h not, indeed, at ail necessary to have any house at first. The single hive which a sottier may get, may stand on a stool, in some sheltered nook ol his garden, within sight of his door, if it he only covered by a straw hackle, such as arc used for this purpose in England. And when not this single hive alone, but a goodly row of off-shoots is seen in his g.mlen, when the owner of them finds bee keeping a p errant ami profitable employment, he may then tliink of pulling up a permanent shed for his favourites, or rather their produce of the foUavhis year, (as I shail presently explain). I said above '' in sight of his l door," because his bees must be in some place where the eye of their master may l>e constantly upen them, specially atswar.ning time, or else many an unobseivcdswaun will make off into the woods. I remember to have seen in Switzerland hives spuding in a handy and picturesque situation, \'.a., on a shelf under the overhanging gable end of tue houses, which are almost universally decorated with this beautiful t<ving cornice. But I fi'ir it will be a long time before our English setilen get out of the way ot" running up the sightless sqiwe wcalherbo.mlcd boxes, with which our clearings arc studded, where thtro is not a (oo.'s breadth of shade or shelter under roof or gable, no room to place a row of hives, hardly r.-om under the eaves for a swa'low to build her nest, were there such a bird to gladden the cottages of this island. Remember, I do not speak up for a Swiss cottage, on'y by reason of its greater external, beauty, but as n>i exccl'ent shelter in a climate remarkable for the severity of its storms of wind and rain. A weatherboarded box is neither wind nor water proof, and nearly as hot ns an oven in summer, whilst a Swiss farm house is warm in winter and cool in summer. This by the way. I spid above that your bee house mu.t be sheltered from the prevailing wind 1 ?. You may perlnps answer what is the u=e of keeping bcc> in such a place as this, if wind is luit'iiVi to them, where we have enough a-id to spare. Let your bee house itself be sheltered, and then, as to the rest, the hoes vviU look ont for themselves. You may observe them ticking about, as it were, in order to get to windward, and. taking advantage of every bit ul available cover, like clever sharp-shooters, and as long as they are at the top of their speed they will come to no harm. But when they are preparing to pitch on the lighting board of the hive, and are poised as it were in the air like a bird before it perches, then it is tint a violent blast of wind cutting across the mouth of ihe hive throws them to the ground, and i r it is wet and cold they get chilled and cannot rise a^aiu. Tuis often happens when there is plenty of honey pnu bee bread to be collected. I have seen hundreds of bees strewn in the front of a hive, with their thi!ji><; henvdy laden with their yellow i'-cght. N. B. It i; quite a fable to say as bee writers have done one aner another, that bees carry between their legs little stones «o steady them in high winds. The loads of bee bread which ol'ten prove fatal to them must have been taken for this extra ballast. So much for the situation proper for your bees, in reference to your own house and garden. What I have to say about the best stations for extensive ap'arius in reference to the country at large, will ißore properly come under the head of l iking honey. (To be coitiiucd.)