BEE-KEEPING.

Taranaki Daily News, 18 April 1917, Page 7

BEE-KEEPING.

UIVK REGISTER. (By "Clomatis.")' All kind-, of contrivances and systems arc used to vo.iri-.tor the details of the inside of a hive and the wason's working. This below is simple and effective. Cut small pieces of paper a little less Mian a half-plate nhoto glass, and write whatever is necessary with an TIB. pencil. Have small pieces of glass cut the same size, place, tho paper on the roof and tlic glasi on top. The glass acts as a weight, and the- writing may be read even when wet, WHY NOT KEKP BEES? _ You are anxious to serve in every possible way your King and country .'in the present crisis. The war brings" an enormous expenditure for the equipment of our fighting) men, and for the support of those dependent, on them. Our financial obligations can only bo met by developing the country's natural resources A valuable natural resource is the honeyi, which is produced every cummer by the millions of flowers, blooming on the farms and waste places. Honey not only satisfies the human craving for sweets, but has a real food value. At present many tons are wasted for .want of bees, and many bees are kept under unprofitable conditions for lack of skilful management. A few locations are at present fully stocked with bees, but large areas rich in honey resources are practically unoccupied. If you have bees and. havo access to a good unoccupied location you cannot increase food production more rapidly or profitably than by earing for them. Think the matter over, and ,mafce preparations for next spring, thereby assisting a healthy, interesting and profitable industry. PREPARING FOR WINTER. Those who have not taken or extracted* the surplus honey should do so at the first opportunity, and prepare the bees for their winter quarters. In doing so ascertain that the lower box or brood nest contains between 30 to 40 lbs of sealed honey, as with that amount in store, and with what little will be gathered), brood rearing will bo kept "up well on in the autumn, as the more bees there are to go into winter quarters the better will be the results during the spring and summer monthi REMOVING TOP SUPERS. Top boxes should be removed now as ;oon as possible, and any brood in the top super should be put down in the bottom box or brood nest. This is very important at this time of the year, as in some colonies where the queen has been laying in the top super or box, it may happen there is not sufficient bec3 to use the brood, causing it thereby to die. Should there be any surplus honey other than what can be put down in the brood nest or lower box, it should be extracted, and the super removed to the store-house for use again next summer. In doing so, shake or gently brufh any adhering bees from the frames in front of the hive.

REPLACING OF MATS ANB VENTILATION". Now see to4he replacing of the mats that have dune duty during the summer months on top of the frames. Cut a piece of clean sacking double thickness to fit tight over the frames. Keep your "bees as warm as possible during the winter, conserve the heat of the hivei, and thus avoid an excessive amount of stores being consumed by the bees. The colder the bees are the more food they will require to keep them warm. The ventilation of the hive 19 controlled by the bees from the bottom boardv therefore sea that not less than six inches of an entrance is left. WEAK AND QUEENLE&3 COLONIES. These should be united with another Colony, and should be done in the late afternoon or evening,' when the bees are all in and quiet. Remove the cover and mat of the hive you are going to put the weak or queenlcss colony on, place a niece of newspaper on top of frames, and put on cover. Puff a little smoke from the ainoker into the entrance of tho hive, and all will be well. By the time the bees eat through the paper between the two hive*, thsy will mingle together without any signs of fighting. In the course of a few days the bees can all ,be put down in tho lower box and the top one removed as indicated in another part of these notes. WINTER SHOW. Beekeepers should now have their exhibits wll under and I tiust that entries will come forward in largo nuiuber,3, as tho show table is a first-class advertising medium that is not taken advantage of by the beekeepers as it should bo. Mead and vinegar have been added to the schedule, and I understand that a class will be added for the best observation hive of bees, hive made by exhibitor. This will be, if well supported by those' handy with tools, an attractive exhibit, with an educational value to tho public.