Apiary Diary January 2021

[Wknz]

Even late last night they were still murmering outside.



outside at mine too. Chch was hot.

Did our first harvest today. Got community members to help decap, spin, cut out comb and crush what the spinner left over. We purified wax cappings into wax and got 12 litres out of 6 frames. Lots of tea spoons sampling the different color honey.
Lots of sticky mess.
It was great for the community to be engaged and learn more about bees. Our wooden mallets got a work out too.

I learned not to wear shorts near bees as a bee crawling up you leg stings when you move.

As an activity it was very inclusive. We had people with some real mobility / physical issues helping. Also kids, migrants etc.
A good shared experience.

 

[Trevor Gillbanks]

I learned not to wear shorts near bees as a bee crawling up you leg stings when you move.

I wear shorts all the time.
As a bit of assistance. Smoke your legs with the smoker and usually the bees will fly away, or just stamp your foot and they will fall off.
The odd sting is offset by being a lot cooler. I just wear a jacket bee suit.

Try this one

Yellow Vented Jacket - Folding Hood • Ecrotek

www.ecrotek.co.nz

 

[James]

Holy jesus... with all due respect... grant fiddles with the format and u got go leatn how to fly a spacecraft to reuse the gadget.
Anyway... we took a newman on. He was a chef in his last life.... He meeds bigger overalls.... but by day two he was in da grove , and feeling the love of his new life.

 

[Rob McInnes]

South Waikato is still providing a flow but all our other sites are at a near standstill. Fortunately not going backwards.

Yus totally. I've just ripped off 3 FDs boxes per hive, dropped 2 and the bloody things are almost full again. That's 2 weeks, insane but good

 

[tristan]

Yus totally. I've just ripped off 3 FDs boxes per hive, dropped 2 and the bloody things are almost full again. That's 2 weeks, insane but good

but is it anything you can actually sell?
a lot of beeks are not bothering to collect low value honey.

 

[James]

but is it anything you can actually sell?
a lot of beeks are not bothering to collect low value honey.

Very funny.... all we make is low value honey... but we seem to be making quite a lot of it...😓

 

[Trevor Gillbanks]

Very funny.... all we make is low value honey... but we seem to be making quite a lot of it...😓

But are you able to sell enough of it or are you just becoming a storage outfit.

 

[tristan]

But are you able to sell enough of it or are you just becoming a storage outfit.

that is a very serious issue for beeks.

@Maggie James i'm not stirring. some beeks are still sitting on stock from 3 years ago.
there is absolutely no point of taking a crop if you can't sell it.
we have the same issue, our bulk pasture honey is simply not worth taking off the hives.

 

[Goran]

The story at my place is there is deficiency of real honey in Europe.. There is lot of forged which is pouring from all sides.. In Croatia certainly this past season was one of the bad ones ( for me it wasn't quite disastrous as others complain, but my colonies were tuned for strong start and in short windows gather decent amount of honey). Also if someone recall how I said colonies are worthless, no one wants to buy bees.. Well that turned over night, now if I want I can completely pull out off beekeeping with selling all I have.. It all is due to shortage of real honey increased a price of it and demand for colonies increased, also heavy winter losses are reporting around..
There should be demand for your " low value honey" in Europe.. Maybe cost of transport is killing a deal?
Well, I am not selling colonies NOW.. 😀
Last spring had spring honey like never before, had to work on the edge of swarming and after all it was worthy.. In disastrous black locust forage when frost hit most of 1st flowers - 2nd flowers and addition of hawthorn pulled me afloat. And even after that had some awesome mix of chestnut/lime/blackberry/tree of heaven/honeydew extraction... Little to say bees were awesome, not sure I deserve them..

 

[Trevor Gillbanks]

That is great to hear of your success. Strange that the fake honey has given rise to real honey.

It is a funny old world we live in.

 

[tristan]

There should be demand for your " low value honey" in Europe.. Maybe cost of transport is killing a deal?

afaik the issue for us is gaining retail space and doing the promotion work. that simply takes time.

 

[Wknz]

afaik the issue for us is gaining retail space and doing the promotion work. that simply takes time.

Is Croatia one of your possible targets? My brother grows and distributes pumpkin oil there so he would possibly have some connections.

 

[tristan]

Is Croatia one of your possible targets? My brother grows and distributes pumpkin oil there so he would possibly have some connections.

i was meaning "us" as in nz.

 

[Goran]

Yesterday was little to say awesome day.. I was in T-shirt and pruning hazels.. Bees were very active bringing hazel pollen. Lot of sun and no wind.. We spent all day in the orchard and enjoyed in a day while bees were flying around us.. Today sharp change, first rain and now snowing.. Tomorrow should start making fondants if something doesn't prevent us..

 

[James]

Big day today .... again .... early start to bring more honey home ..... nearly fell asleep by the time we crossed over the Divide again ....The two way crackles as Main Man reports back that rata bees are cranking and need boxes asap ..... so Boys working OT tommorow to free up empty boxes while young 'un leaves at 4.00am for a recce back over The Hill to report back on more sites to the Bee Boss as he climbs out of bed at 8.30am.... ready to crank 500 horses for another coast mission.
I had a thought the other day ..... this seems to be a year of plenty here. We've made twice as much baleage than normal. We are swimming in honey ...... not that it is Manuka ..... but it tastes pretty good in a sandwich ...... it's one of those years to be grateful for.

And the phone rang the other morning from a packer looking for honey .
Blessed indeed.

 

[Gordie]

On a much smaller scale, checked the hive yesterday, and the super is full of 100% capped honey, feels like another 20kg at least, similar to what I took out a month ago...all going along nicely, extracting tomorrow....another sweaty day in the shed!

 

[Sailabee]

Is it nearly time for 'Apiary Diary February 2021' as the third is rapidly galloping in, and Trevor seems to be awol?

 

[Grant]

Is it nearly time for 'Apiary Diary February 2021' as the third is rapidly galloping in, and Trevor seems to be awol?

Please feel free to make one. It's not the job for anyone in particular and we'd welcome members making new topics as required. If you get completely stuck, use my first post as a template.