THE UNION OF STOCKS,

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume IV, Issue 265, 12 February 1848, Page 4

THE UNION OF STOCKS,

Is a branch of the craft which does not so much belong to the young Bee master, as to those who are in possession of fully stocked apiaries. The former is of course anxious to multiply his stocks as much as possible, the object of the latter is rather to increase the produce of his hives than their number. The forrter may easily obtain his object, for one fcive this year he may have from ten to twenty next if he hive each swarm separately. I have known as many as Jive and twenty in a year. The latter, if he is to attain his end, must use a directly contrary course, which I am now going to speak about. W e will suppose he is living in a district which will not feed above a hundred hives, and that he begins the swarming season with his twenty five old stocks. The average increase of ten to one would give him far too many, even after he has dispensed (remember that physic in one's own bottles) to his friends, acquaintances and others, all that they require. What is he to do ? Is he to kill the young swarms as I have heard some New Zealand Bee masters seriously propose, or is there any means of preventing such an excessive swarming ? The first remedy would be barbarous in the extreme. The second remedy is impracticable, at least to any great extent. It is not true that a great increase of temperature and a want of room are the sole causes of swarming ; and that if the one be kept low and the other freely given the swarming breed may be entirely prevented. For last year a very fine swarm from a French hive which was thorougblyscreened from the sun, and had all its shutters down, at the moment when the swarm rose ; in fact theßees were as it were hanging with their combs under a four legged table, for the French hive is nothing more when all the shutters are down. The temperature of the hive could not have been much above the surrounding air. This hive too at the time it cast the swarm had plenty of room, so that I would assume that swarming cannot be entirely prevented, though it maybe checked. Nay, I would go further, and say, that I would not wish to prevent it, but would rather strive to turn it to the best account. And how^ should this be done but by the union of stocks. More honey may begot from one very strong hive — say with 40,000 Bees in it perhaps than from the same number of Bees if divided into two or more stocks. The reason of it is this. The Queen Bee lays from 10 to 30,000 eggs in the year. In a stock containing 5000 Bees, almost all of them in middling years will be busy in rearing the grubs, for they are such good nurses that they think it their first doty to feed the young ; gathering honey is their second. In due season, when a number of these foster children come to maturity, a swarm goes off. You have two Queens, each with 5000 Bees, in separate hives all engaged in rearing the eggs which the two Queens lay all through the summer. They have no time to lay up surplus honey, and in a very dry summer will even chance to die if they are not well fed. Had they all been kept together 5000 Bees who are engaged as nurses to the grubs of one Queen in the weak hive, would do the same thing in the strong one, while 5000 more would be continually engaged in

storing boney. So my practice is as follows ; I keep all my hives as strong as possible by preventing their swarming as much as I can : and by choosing to have my fresh stocks of the year few in number and powerful in Bees. So I unite all the swarms which rise on the same day. Often it will happen that whilst the first swarm is in the air the second will rise, and they will join together without any care on your part, lighting on the same bough. Old Bee masters give long directions as to the mode of separating them into two swarms. I shall do no such thing, but be glad of their voluntary union. The two Queens will most probably settle the matter between themselves, in that case the weakest, who goes to the wall, will be seen lying dead before the mouth of the hive the following morning. Sometimes however a swarm -w ill the next day rise from this new hive, which I think is occasioned by one of the Queens rushing out of the hive, from fear of her more powerful rival, and being followed by her own party. To prevent this I always capture one of the Queens of a self united swarm if I can see her, though it is of no great consequence, as it is not often that a self uuited stock again separates, il you give them a hive sufficiently roomy.