1922.] 



Bee-Keeping in Norfolk. 



917 



The principal points to remember throughout the year are to 

 have the best queens, strong stocks, ample stores, and weather- 

 proof hives. The surplus honey combs are taken when all 

 cells are sealed, the cappings are cut off and allowed to fall 

 into the top of a ripener lined with butter muslin, and the 

 honey is extracted (Fig. 2). When the honey in the extractor 

 reaches to the spindle socket, the cappings in the top of the 

 ripener are tied up, and the muslin bag thus made is hung over 

 a basin to drain. A clean piece of muslin is now placed over 

 the ripener and the honey in the extractor is strained as it is 

 run into the ripener Fig. 3). The honey is now free from 

 particles of wax and ready for putting into jars (Fig. 4). Plain 

 glass jars are used, and every effort is made to make the jars of 

 honey bright and neat. An attractive label is used and the 

 honey readily sells. 



The Committee has found that one year in ten produces an 

 exceptionally good supply of honey; one year is very poor, and 

 the remaining eight years vary from good to moderate. In 1911 

 the late Mr. Bunkle, of Brancaster, obtained two tons of honey 

 from 21 stocks of bees, while the flow in the following year was 

 very poor. In 1921 the supply proved exceptionally good. 



The intensive and extensive development of apiculture is 

 seriously menaced by casual keepers of bees. For instance, an 

 old infected hive left in an out-of-the-way place in a garden 

 is repeatedly tenanted by straying swarms. Disease sets in 

 and the bees die. The stores are then robbed by bees from 

 apiaries miles apart, setting up new centres of infection. In 

 several instances the writer has traced the source of the ruin 

 of hundreds of stocks of bees to this careless practice. At 

 present there is no law to prevent the sale of old infected hives 

 which spread ruin to apiaries over wide areas. This retards 

 development; the experienced bee-keeper hesitates to put more 



eggs " into his bee-keeping basket." 



The abstract value of apiculture to agriculture and horticul- 

 ture is of considerable importance, and the annual loss of 

 hundreds of tons of one of Nature's choicest foods should be 

 rectified . 



