Caught up with beek friends today and was shocked to learn that every beek in our area is having a terrible yr.
Everything may be flowering fantastically but the weather has been cold and the bees not collecting.
My hives are not great but I thought that was just mine cause they had difficult spring matings. But all the beeks had the same issue.
True honey overwintered hives on a farm down the coast and cause we had a real wet windy spring , 250mls in nov, they lost a lot of hives.
They have now flown their hives away.
I do not know how they did . But if it was too cold down on the flat I can not see how they did ok up in the hills .
One beek I know is not taking any honey off this yr . But last yr they had a great yr with a pure manuka crop and good prices .
It will be a difficult yr for some local beeks who are having to deal with loosing sites to big pushy outside players and a bad yr .
The weather is good now but too late .
Everything may be flowering fantastically but the weather has been cold and the bees not collecting.
My hives are not great but I thought that was just mine cause they had difficult spring matings. But all the beeks had the same issue.
True honey overwintered hives on a farm down the coast and cause we had a real wet windy spring , 250mls in nov, they lost a lot of hives.
They have now flown their hives away.
I do not know how they did . But if it was too cold down on the flat I can not see how they did ok up in the hills .
One beek I know is not taking any honey off this yr . But last yr they had a great yr with a pure manuka crop and good prices .
It will be a difficult yr for some local beeks who are having to deal with loosing sites to big pushy outside players and a bad yr .
The weather is good now but too late .