BEE-KEEPING.

Taranaki Daily News, 12 November 1919, Page 6

BEE-KEEPING.

(By "Honeysuckle.".! Watch your hives just now, as there [are a good many dying out for the want of food. This is a very bad season, the rough weather doing the bees a lot of harm. About the town there is no honey coming in just now, and as there are now plenty of bees hatching it doesn't take long for them to starve out. I know several who got a surprise last week to find some of their hives dead. If you find them short of stores half fill a 21b treacle tin with sugar, pour boiling water on it and stir till melted. Punch a few holes in the lid with a small nail, jam the lid on tight and turn upside down on top of the frames. Cover it well over and give it to them warm. You will need to put a half super on them before you can get the cover on. If you see grubs or young bees taken out of the cells and thrown out of Hie hive it h a pretty good .sign that they are getting short of stores.

Tim bees towards .the Mountain are doing a long wily better than those near town. I visited an apiary of fiitecn colonies last week and they arc in tiptop order. Four had swarmed, and several others liad young queens in cells, so they would swarm the first fine day. A swarm that came oil' on the 2flth October had drawn out five frames. Where they are getting the honey from I do not know; but they all hail plenty of new honey. My bees near town are being fed or they would ''so West."

I hear there are still some box hives about. Five pounds is the fine for keening bees in this way, so I would advise anyone having bees in boxes to transfer tliem to frame hives as soon as possible. This is the best time to transfer them, and, if anyone doesn't know hojv to do so, if they will write Die, care News Office, I will help them by sending them full instructions.

The bee keepers were favored with a fine day for the demonstration at Mr Fussell's, Waiongona, on the 30th, There was a large attendance of beekeepers, intending beekeepers, and the school children, with their teacher. The hives of Italians' were in great order and vere much admired, the first one opened having a fine Italian queen, which was shown round. The different work in the hive, from the eggs to worker bees and queens, was explained by Mr. F. W. Sanford. After sever*! hives had been opened, afternoon tea was served on the lawn by Miss Fussell, and Mr. Sanford then gave a lecture 011 foul brood. A vote of thanks was proposed by the president, Dr. Blackley, to Miss and Mr. Fussell for their kindness. The next demonstration takes place at | Tikorangi on the 13th November at Mr. [Cox's, near the school, and Mr. Foreman s, opposite. Mr. Jacobsen, Government instructor, will be present.