916 



Bee-Keeping in Norfolk. 



[Jan. 



plicity of tools and methods. The W.B.C. type of hive is 

 recommended; its possibilities of extension and contraction 

 fulfil all practical demands. This hive is a perfect home for 

 bees if kept painted so that it is watertight. In the same 

 manner the British standard and shallow frames serve every 

 practical purpose. 



Italian bees are favoured owing to their docility and powers 

 of working. They are less susceptible to brood diseases than 

 other races. A few queens are imported each season and in- 

 troduced to the stocks in each apiary. The best of these pure 

 queens are kept for breeding in their second season; the result- 

 ing bees are vigorous and with few exceptions very easy to 

 handle. 



The position of the apiary should be sheltered from prevail- 

 ing winds and in a dry position; for the latter reason a grass 

 bottom is not desirable, but gravel, ashes or cultivated land 

 are preferable. Bees thrive best in a dry, warm, light, airy and 

 quiet position; shade from trees is a disadvantage. *Full advan- 

 tage can be taken of an open sunny position by painting the 

 hives white. In the spring we stimulate the queens by un- 

 capping stores and interchanging combs, but unless the weather 

 is warm the brood nest is not split. Syrup feeding is started 

 in April, if necessary. Towards the end of April the strongest 

 stocks are doubled, and if the season is early all the stocks 

 crowding the brood chambers are supered in May. The first 

 super consists of shallow frames containing brood combs, 

 narrow spaced, as an addition to the brood chamber. Queen 

 excluders are then put on and further supers added when 

 necessary. This system gives very few swarms. The bees 

 begin work on the cherry, plum, apple and bush fruit blossoms. 

 Easpberry honey is particularly good. The blossoming of these 

 fruit trees is closely followed by bean, sainfoin and clover, and, 

 later, by turnip, cole seed and buckwheat. The important 

 point in summer management is to keep large colonies of bees., 

 with ample room for storing, ready to take advantage of any 

 nectar flow which the crops and weather produce. 



Comb honey is taken from the hives as soon as it is sealed, 

 once every nine days during the season. The sections are then 

 cleaned, graded and packed away (Fig. 5). The extracted 

 honey is taken when convenient, or left in the hives 

 until August; but farmers usually prefer doing this work 

 in July, before harvest commences. The hives are then 

 put into trim for wintering and doubtful stocks re-queened. 



