Like other rural industries, they also faced economic pressures, changing regulations and the occasional natural disaster.<\/p>\n
These newspaper reports trace some of the challenges and developments that shaped New Zealand beekeeping.<\/p>\n
They are from the Daily Telegraph (Napier) (1888), the Wanganui Herald (1907), the Levin Daily Chronicle (1933) and the Hawke\u2019s Bay Herald-Tribune (1938).<\/p>\n
Bee convention<\/p>\n
Daily Telegraph (Napier), November 19, 1888<\/p>\n
Auckland, this day. <\/p>\n
A bee convention and exhibition of apiarist appliances will be held here shortly.<\/p>\n
The Union and Northern shipping companies have agreed to carry bee keepers at single fares for the double journey.<\/p>\n
The Government are to be approached for concessions in railway fares and freight.<\/p>\n
Bee Keepers\u2019 Association formed at Hastings<\/p>\n
(Per United Press Association)<\/p>\n
Hastings. October 17<\/p>\n
Wanganui Herald, October 17, 1907<\/p>\n
At a meeting of bee keepers last night, Mr Isaac Hopkins\u2019 (Government Apiarist) proposal to form a Hawke\u2019s Bay Beekeepers\u2019 Association was carried into effect, and many members were enrolled, with the Rev. D. Kennedy as president and Mr Archibald Lowe as secretary and treasurer. <\/p>\n
The principal object of the Association is to join with the Government bee experts in eliminating foul brood disease, practically the one trouble of bee keepers.<\/p>\n
Sugar duty hits bee-keepers<\/p>\n
Question asked in House<\/p>\n
Wellington, Last Night.<\/p>\n
Levin Daily Chronicle, December 1, 1933<\/p>\n
Mr. C. A. Wilkinson asked the Minister of Agriculture in the House of Representatives this afternoon whether he was aware that bee keepers were suffering severely owing to the duty of over \u00a39 per ton imposed on sugar, which was largely used as a bee food when there was a short supply of natural food.<\/p>\n
He asked that the bee keepers should be given relief. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe effect of the sugar duty on the bee-keeping industry was discussed fully last year with the Minister of Customs,\u201d said Hon. C. E. Macmillan, \u201cbut as a result the Government found itself unable to remit the duty, the practical impossibility of ensuring that duty free sugar was utilised only for the feeding of bees having an important bearing upon this. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe whole question has lately received further attention, and, as the information is not available in New Zealand, the High Commissioner was communicated with some weeks ago and requested to ascertain, if possible, details of some method of denaturing sugar which would not detract from its fitness for bee-feeding purposes.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf this information comes to hand shortly it may prove of material value. <\/p>\n
\u201cIn any case, the whole matter will be given consideration.\u201d<\/p>\n
Flood damage to bee hives<\/p>\n
Methods of treatment of those affected<\/p>\n
Small keepers suffer<\/p>\n
Hawke\u2019s Bay Herald-Tribune, May 28, 1938<\/p>\n
\u201cAs far as I am aware, none of the really big keepers were wiped out, though of course a good number of them suffered fair losses. However, many of the smaller keepers suffered greatly, losing most of their colonies,\u201d said Mr L. Riesterer, Government Apiary Instructor, of the Department of Agriculture Hastings, this morning when commenting upon the extent of damage done to the honey industry by the recent floods. <\/p>\n
Mr Riesterer said that in the Mangateretere, Puketapu and Pakowhai districts, the greatest losses were suffered.<\/p>\n
In one instance a keeper lost the whole of his sixteen colonies, while in another case 14 out of 16 colonies were swept away.<\/p>\n
In quite a number of cases in these areas 50 per cent or even more of the colonies were drowned. <\/p>\n
However, in the greater majority of cases, the keepers were able to salvage most of the bee ware, such as hives, combs, and supers.<\/p>\n
A certain number of the combs would have to be melted down into wax.<\/p>\n
\u201cSubstantial savings have been and can still be effected by the right treatment of those hives partly submerged, say up to 14 or 15 inches, even to 18 inches, of water in the floods,” he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cA little work by the keepers now and the bees themselves will do wonders in cleaning up the combs and the losses will be reduced to a minimum.\u201d <\/p>\n
The treatment, of course, to be followed, he explained, was for the keepers to spray the damaged combs with water.<\/p>\n
Mere submerging of the combs in water would not be at all effective, because of the air content of the cells; a good firm spraying is what is required.<\/p>\n
The water should then be extracted, and the combs, or frames, dried thoroughly in the open-air.<\/p>\n
When dry they should then be submerged in a syrup and afterwards placed back into the hives.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf this course is carried out it will be found that the bees will work far better than the keepers themselves in cleaning out the silt in the cells,\u201d said Mr Riesterer.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe work must be done almost immediately, for the bees should be disturbed as little as possible after the end of this month. Provided that the keepers bring the combs to a satisfactory stage for storage, further attention can be given to the cleansing work after the bees have done their work, which would be next spring.\u201c<\/p>\n
Mr Rlesterer said that several hundred colonies were partly submerged by the flood waters, but the bees escaped destruction by moving to the top supers, or boxes, thus keeping above the level of the encroaching waters.<\/p>\n
It is in respect of these hives that considerable salvage work and saving can be effected by proper treatment.<\/p>\n
He emphasised, however, the need for as little disturbance as possible of the bees after the end of this month.<\/p>\n