HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1990-03-14, Page 43PAW'*
ltastmlizel ls
Unbelievable
Value!
AT IIIII
AIM
•*OVER 24 MONTHS/0.4.C.
(9.6%/36 MONTHS. 1 O.9%/48 ,MONTHS)
24 MONTH/O.A.C:.
.(9.9%/36 MONTHS. 10.9%/48 MONTHS
FINANCING AVAILABLE
ON 1990 NISSAN
STANZA & AXXESS
NISSAN
NISSAN
Built fortheStunan Rate
.., 0
GODERICH
AUTO
SALES & SERVICE
268 BAYFIELD RD., GODERICH 524.2131
268 BAYFIELD RD., GODERICH 524-2131
Bee keeping, one of the
oldest agindustries
e thim pap
roy do ihis it by fanni g it with their
1,1 INS to evaporate the .
moistureThey
also place a drop 'nectar on their
tongue and draw nectar in sad eat
many, many tunes. In daft this, not on-
ly is the nectar contently bei4 moored
to air and evapoirsted, it is +sieo starting
to fern the sugary,Crdar
that we know as honey. At istay, the
beast then this honey into the cells
of the where it is sealed with wax.
Rensevhig •
Twice a yearH lvvisiitts his hives to
remove the honey. He uses a smoker to
chasethe bees from the ad --aa
blower la used to r a any bees that
remain in the hive.
The honey supers are loaded onto a
truck and delivered to the
. The honeycombs are • ' in 'a
room at 90 degrees F , . , , :,, for
• about 24 hours. They go through an ex-
tracting proem
which removes thehoney
bycenttifugal orce. The honey is strain-
ed and allowed to settle to remove the
air. In about 24 hour% it is ready for
In ng the removal of the honey
. from the supers, Russel pointed out that
it is important to leave a certain amount
of honey in the .hive as food for the bee.
Pests and Diseases
One of the most de'vaeteting dismal; to
affect a = colony 'of bees is American;.
FoWbrood. This highly contagious disease
affects the early Stages in the life cycle
of the bee. Today, American Foelbrood
can be controlled with the' use of . an-
tibiotics.. Russelindicated that he fees .
TM25 as an antibiotic to the bees every`
fall. He explained that this is done simply
by nniaing: TM21 with icing sugar and
dusting it along the back of the comb int
the coolest part of the hive, as heat will
destroy the antibiotic. If a hive does
become infected, Russel would .have to
. burn the diseased hive and equipment hi
order to prevent further contamination.
far as Pests are concerned, "Skunks
are bad news for a beekeeper."; The
skunk will scratch on the front of . the •
hive, and eat the bees as they come out.
A skunk can destroy an entire colony
quite readily. When asked how he dealt
with this problem, Russel said, "I either
have to shoot or trap them." . •
He also indicated that mice are a real
problems in the apiary as Well. To control
this situation: he places mice poison in the
box in the yards where no other animals
can be harmed by it and this seems to
keep the mice population in check.
fns nod by farmers aloe pose
x serious *seat to the . Rowel
said that formes really *old notify a
if he intends to spray within a
beekeeper
apiary. Since bass are active
dotting the daylight boars, spray-
ing will
kill any bass butt are worldng in
that particular flat. As a result, honey
production can be cut in half for a .weak
or so, dame to the lent of those worker
bees. On the other band, evening moray-
bbeeef arendoes 't out workin affect the aPiarY because the
Whole colonies can be wiped out in
• +areas where farmers use Sevin on their
corn. The bees carry this back to
e as it sticks to their lege just as.
.. . :. As a result, the young been
the hive are poisoned.
Mention was also made about mites be-
ing a threat to apiaries, However, this is
not a serious problem in Ontario, scow
-
ding to Ituseel. It is a major concern in
the United States. So much so, the
packaged queen bees can no longer be
pfd from the Status.
In addition to making honey, 'bees also
produce bee glue or propolis: This is an
im , rtant component in their
. cated style of housekeeping. First
of all, thissubstance is gathered from the
sticky buds of chestnut trees and also
from spruce trees. The bees then useit
to "glue" or "cement" crevices in the
hive. They also use it to encase a dead
mouse or an -insect to prevent it from
decaying or smelling. Russel said,
" S4tmetlmes the bees will glue the hive so
tight that he really has to pry to get the.
hive apart."
Russel visits his yards about every two
orTthree weeks during the season to in-
-; wet the hives for any possible problems;
By late , October or early Noverpber, he
buns to. winterize. the hives., Ibis is1 done
simply by -wrapping the hive in tar paper
and using straw as an insulator. •
By. the first of May, he will remove the
tar paper and . at the, same time will
check the feet supplyforthe bees. He
will also check to see if the queen is lay-
ing, and will check for brood. At this
time, the overall condition sof the hive
will be assessed.
If by chance'' he feels'' that the food
supply is low, he will feed the bees a
sugar syrup consisting of one part sugar.
to onepart water. .•
Right now Russel is busy in his
workshop buildingnew hives. Unlike most
of us, he and the bees are eagerly
awaiting that carpet of yellow that covers
lawns and fields in the $ ' rin : t