Having a terrible year?

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24
20
Marlborough
Experience
Semi Commercial
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 .
i believe the clover crop has been very poor as well,
 
5,764
6,323
canterbury
Experience
Commercial
Been the worst season in northland that I've seen and I've been beekeeping for 12yrs
Ah there you are Maru ...... kicked back on the beach feasting on Kina and Lion Brown 😉 ?.....
clovers been ok here .... two boxes ..... bees still on a flow in the foothills .....nodding thistle ?
Haven't even looked at the Dew ..... just trucking them in as it's what we do at this time of year.

EB564C0D-7DE9-4704-992E-53A00F91EA6A.jpeg

Meanwhile, the daytime job is moving hay at mates rates.
 
11
14
Northland
Experience
Commercial
Ah there you are Maru ...... kicked back on the beach feasting on Kina and Lion Brown 😉 ?.....
clovers been ok here .... two boxes ..... bees still on a flow in the foothills .....nodding thistle ?
Haven't even looked at the Dew ..... just trucking them in as it's what we do at this time of year.

View attachment 203

Meanwhile, the daytime job is moving hay at mates rates.
Been a hard year for me not only with work but now my family is gone, makes me wonder sometimes why I've worked soo hard, I accomplished my dreams now I'm wondering where too next?
 
5,764
6,323
canterbury
Experience
Commercial
Been a hard year for me not only with work but now my family is gone, makes me wonder sometimes why I've worked soo hard, I accomplished my dreams now I'm wondering where too next?
Yo gotta have a dream Bro .... sometimes they have twists and turns and sudden sharp wake ups .....and for sure , it's a fine line between following that dream and making time for those we love and who are the bones of our lives.
 
5,764
6,323
canterbury
Experience
Commercial
Anyway, moving along here ..... today we signed a contract on a honey sale. Red letter day indeed because it's been that long I've forgotten what a honey sale contract looks like.
The world is round because we are back in business with the company that took me under their wing in the early days of my career , and I have always had a lot of respect for them. No matter that their honey price was always at the lower end of the scale and that for many years we got a better price on the export market, one has to realise that times change and one has to move with them.
So, all is good. Mother has a smile on her face, Jimmy C can buy some more Apivar and get the trucks some new tyres and road legal .... and that will be about the dollars gone.
I wonder if they want some more ?

I see today that S&P have upgraded NZ's credit rating and the dollar has improved against the Greenback, which should make our honey a better buy on the world market. I wonder if that will generate interest in our honey listed on Albert Sapiano's website.
 
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Reactions: Manz and kaihoka
158
136
Taupo
Experience
Hobbyist
I see today that S&P have upgraded NZ's credit rating and the dollar has improved against the Greenback, which should make our honey a better buy on the world market. I wonder if that will generate interest in our honey listed on Albert Sapiano's website.
Someone will correct me if I am wrong, But I think we need a weak NZ dollar to help exports...Takes less 'greenbacks' to buy our goods if our dollar is weaker, so our product becomes 'cheaper' to the overseas markets.
 

Grant

Staff member
Founder Member
Platinum
10,498
4,941
  • Good Info
Reactions: southbee

Sailabee

BOP Club
1,238
1,296
North Auckland
Experience
Hobbyist
I would think that many in the likes of Texas will have burnt a power of diesel for home heating in the unusually cold snap, and be panic buying in case it happens again - bit like dunny paper.
 


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