1920.] 



Restocking of Bees Scheme. 



703 



was headed by an Italian queen reared from the imported 

 queens, were raised at these Restocking Apiaries, and, with the 

 exception of a few that were reserved for the following season's 

 work, were distributed to participators in the scheme. This 

 means that during 1919 the stocks of bees in this country had 

 been renewed to the extent of about 1,500. These Restocking 

 Apiaries were examined during the summer by the Ministry's 

 Technical Adviser, and, with the exception of three only, were 

 found to be well managed. 



This initial success was a sufficient indication of the 

 advisability of continuing the scheme in the future. For this 

 to be successful, however, it woidd be necessary to continue, 

 3*ear by year, the importation of Italian queen bees for dis- 

 tribution to the Restocking Apiaries, in order that the stamina 

 and disease-resisting quality should be maintained. Subse- 

 quent in-breeding w^ould considerably weaken this strain, and 

 would ultimately annul the good results already achieved. 



Arrangements w^ere accordingly made for the importation 

 of a supply of Italian queen bees during the summer of 1920. 

 The demand proved considerably greater than w^as the case the 

 previous year, and it was found necessary to order a total of 

 1,600 queens. 



Five additional counties agreed to carry out the Ministry's 

 Scheme, owing to the successes achieved elsewhere. It was 

 decided that no Dutch stocks should be requisitioned for these 

 counties, but that the Committees should be asked to make 

 their ow^n arrangements for procuring the necessary stocks to 

 form the basis of the Scheme. 



The delivery of the queen bees this year commenced some- 

 what later than was expected, owing to postal and railway 

 difficulties in Italy, and as a consequence, it was necessary to 

 reduce the order to 1,555, a number of bee-keepers wishing to 

 cancel their applications. The queens were received at 

 intervals and re-despatched from the Ministry during the period 

 May- September . 



The results of this season's work at the Restocking Apiaries 

 ^re not yet reported, but it is anticipated that a larger number 

 of nuclei wnll have been disributed than was the case in 1919. 

 A proportion of the nuclei sent out wall be kept under observa- 

 tion, and it is hoped that in this way valuable information will 

 be obtained as to the manner in which the imported bees have 

 been able to adapt themselves to the climatic conditions of this 

 country. 



