Commercial beekeeping during covid lockdown level 4

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349
449
Bay of Plenty
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Commercial
Lockdown or no Lockdown ..... the bees don't care.
These babies are our Nuc Mothers .....young queens placed right next to the gorse and kowhai to encourage them to expand and explode in a month or so ....... when we will break them up, grabbing four or five two frame nucs , and leaving them with two frames of brood and the queen to rebuild.
They get a lite sugar feed every ten days, rain or shine.View attachment 684
Your not locked down, beekeepers are essential workers under MPIs Primary industry.
APINZ confirmed again with MPI on Tuesday when we went into level 4.
 

Alastair

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Auckland
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That's what I thought.

But - two of my site owners have told me they don't want me to go to their property till after lockdown. One of them cos they are very old, not yet vaccinated, and she got some kind of immune disease or something, they don't want to take any risks.

A little annoying but I got to consider I am there at their pleasure, I got to be respectful. It's also only 2 sites out of 31, the rest I'm getting treatment into now but those 2 have to wait till after lockdown, whenever that may be.
 
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Grant

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But - two of my site owners have told me they don't want me to go to their property till after lockdown.
If you get extended again you could go on to explain non contact services are allowed and you are a designated service allowed to operate.

As long as you are not indoors on that property and maintaining a min 2 meters between you colleagues and have no contact with the customer, all good.

Don't forget you and your employees also need to wear a mask while you are working, which could be interesting under the new legislation.
 
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8,865
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maungaturoto
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That's what I thought.

But - two of my site owners have told me they don't want me to go to their property till after lockdown. One of them cos they are very old, not yet vaccinated, and she got some kind of immune disease or something, they don't want to take any risks.

A little annoying but I got to consider I am there at their pleasure, I got to be respectful. It's also only 2 sites out of 31, the rest I'm getting treatment into now but those 2 have to wait till after lockdown, whenever that may be.
vaccinations are open to 40 and above. i think anyone with major medical condition has been allowed to be vaccinated for a long time.
plenty of spots open, i just booked yesterday for early next week.

imho the 2m rule is a bit BS, thats really close. but it probably doesn't matter as it stays in the air for people to breath in. hence why mask use is so important.
but otherwise its a case of don't touch anything they will touch, or clean it.
 

Alastair

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Auckland
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Agreed, I feel these landowners may be being a little precious.

But I'm not going to throw the law books at them, I have good relationships with my landowners, which is needed cos they are always being approached by other beekeepers, and it is based on that they feel I treat them with respect.

However if the lockdown gets extended to where these hives need attention urgently I may go back to them and plead my case. But I don't want to let them feel imposed on. The hives can probably sit for another month.
 
5,764
6,323
canterbury
Experience
Commercial
Your not locked down, beekeepers are essential workers under MPIs Primary industry.
APINZ confirmed again with MPI on Tuesday when we went into level 4.
True Kimosabhe ..... we are essential workers .... but when the pull start on the syrup tank motor breaks, and the repair shop is shut ... what then....?
When I need new belts for my bee box belt sander, and the engineer supplies are shut,,,,, wot then?
When I need the new saw blade for the big bee box chop and repairtsaw, and the blade repair shop is shut .....
And when I need Gib screws to keep the team eployed in job creation schemes and ITM is shut...f
And when I need the diff lock fixed on the Toymoto because it's so darned wet , and the garage is shut
Wot then Kimo ?
For sure, we are essential , but we need tools that work to keep being essential.

Time for a break in Raro eh .....
 

Grant

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4,941
Agreed, I feel these landowners may be being a little precious.

But I'm not going to throw the law books at them, I have good relationships with my landowners, which is needed cos they are always being approached by other beekeepers, and it is based on that they feel I treat them with respect.

However if the lockdown gets extended to where these hives need attention urgently I may go back to them and plead my case. But I don't want to let them feel imposed on. The hives can probably sit for another month.
That sounds perfectly reasonable. I can understand with their co-morbities and feeling vulnerable, but their decision whilst reasonable probably isn't a fully informed one and that's the difference
 

Grant

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True Kimosabhe ..... we are essential workers .... but when the pull start on the syrup tank motor breaks, and the repair shop is shut ... what then....?
When I need new belts for my bee box belt sander, and the engineer supplies are shut,,,,, wot then?
When I need the new saw blade for the big bee box chop and repairtsaw, and the blade repair shop is shut .....
And when I need Gib screws to keep the team eployed in job creation schemes and ITM is shut...f
And when I need the diff lock fixed on the Toymoto because it's so darned wet , and the garage is shut
Wot then Kimo ?
For sure, we are essential , but we need tools that work to keep being essential.

Time for a break in Raro eh .....
All these places are open for essential services that reason. ITM is shut to the general public, not essential trade.
My bottle store is closed, but still does non contact deliveries.
Online orders are available for non contact delivery for your fixings and tools or you can get there and collect with your trade account.
Truck repairs: My boy isn't working due to reduced load, but he's on an essential service and available on call for when demand calls. Call your mechanic and he can do a non contact repair. As an essential worker, I can even get my car serviced.
 
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canterbury
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I cruised past ITM yesterday ..... the sign says OPEN ..... but the gate was locked at 3.30pm
The local garage is definitely shut, as are Thodes Saws and the Engineers supplies.

No drama's. It is what it is .... we'll get the hang of it.
Last lockdown was easier as it was in the quiet season.
 

Grant

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I think it just a case of giving them a ring, they wont be sitting on site or going further afield.
"Our stores will be closed except for emergency supplies. Please contact you local store or rep for advice."

essential home delivery

Shout out to Airborne Honey for getting their name out there
 

kaihoka

Gold
328
270
whanganui inlet
Experience
Hobbyist
That's what I thought.

But - two of my site owners have told me they don't want me to go to their property till after lockdown. One of them cos they are very old, not yet vaccinated, and she got some kind of immune disease or something, they don't want to take any risks.

A little annoying but I got to consider I am there at their pleasure, I got to be respectful. It's also only 2 sites out of 31, the rest I'm getting treatment into now but those 2 have to wait till after lockdown, whenever that may be.
Surely your hives are a long way away from the house and the occupant anyway.
How could it be a problem .?
 
349
449
Bay of Plenty
Experience
Commercial
True Kimosabhe ..... we are essential workers .... but when the pull start on the syrup tank motor breaks, and the repair shop is shut ... what then....?
When I need new belts for my bee box belt sander, and the engineer supplies are shut,,,,, wot then?
When I need the new saw blade for the big bee box chop and repairtsaw, and the blade repair shop is shut .....
And when I need Gib screws to keep the team eployed in job creation schemes and ITM is shut...f
And when I need the diff lock fixed on the Toymoto because it's so darned wet , and the garage is shut
Wot then Kimo ?
For sure, we are essential , but we need tools that work to keep being essential.

Time for a break in Raro eh .....
James i'm sure if you sat down with your"doctor" you may be able to come up wth a way to fix your above issues, but don't spend to long with him or you might go the other way.
 

Alastair

Founder Member
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Auckland
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Surely your hives are a long way away from the house and the occupant anyway.
How could it be a problem .?

It's not a problem. But -

One old lady is a funny old nervous type creature, the hives are quite a long way from the house, but it's an excellent site.
Her decision is emotional rather than rational I'm sure. But it would not be hard to upset the apple cart with her.
Her neighbour, where I also have bees, is going to try to catch her at a good moment and convince her a visit from me will present no danger.

One way or another, I think essential care of the bees will happen within the needed time frame.
 
5,764
6,323
canterbury
Experience
Commercial
Sweeten her up with a care package....
Face mask
Sani lotion
Dozen jars of yer finest honey
The most expensive chocolate you can find

And don’t forget the card.
 
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James i'm sure if you sat down with your"doctor" you may be able to come up wth a way to fix your above issues, but don't spend to long with him or you might go the other way.
Ha .... spent a bit of time with The Doctor tonite.
It was a good time. We cracked the tops and cranked the tunes and told some truths, and watched the big screen as protesters marched, and young fellahs fired bullets into the sky of paradise,
And concluded that life ‘aint so bad in Jimme’s man cave.
The picture is bigger thsn a busted pull start and gib screws.
Tonite we sat as a family and shared food in peace.
That is pretty darned special in todays world.
Tune of the night.... kenny chesney... american kids.
Them Afghans will sort it with The Prophet in charge... one way or another
 
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Grant

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To put it into context the figures for the South Island were 120 people linked to places of interest.
So I know that Ashburton Mitre 10 accounts for some of that blob down there as they attended Spark arena.
Their day 12 tests are today as it happens. If they come through clear, they isolate until Thursday, then we are good.
Baileys had their event the day after, so they have day 12 tests tomorrow, then isolate until Friday, then we're good.
See where this is heading? Lockdown notification change date is set for South Island on Friday, when the govt will have a clear picture from the day 12 test results of those groups.
 
5,764
6,323
canterbury
Experience
Commercial
Hmmm ......

I slaved away in my bubble today .... cracking lids and checking feed supplies.
Some hives we had been too greedy with in the autumn , but with a 1000 litres of syrup on the truck the shortfall was fixable.

There were some interesting hives today .... strugglers that are going to take a bit of fixing , if indeed they do get fixed.
One yard that came out of pollination had quiet a few queenless in the late last summer. My policy with those is to pop in a frame of eggs and persuade them to raise another queen.
Because they are queenless they don't get a varroa strip, the thought being that there is no brood for the varroa to grow in..... and I can save a few dollars
Several weeks later quite a few had raised a queen and were brooding up.
We treated them with apivar as we wintered down.
Today many were riddled with Varroa.

Tricky things those varroa.
We seem to be fighting battles on multiple fronts these days.
 
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