Commercial Only: This season's crop

[Old Timer]

How is / was the honey crop around the country? I'm interested to know how different regions fared.
I'm in Dunedin, have most of my hives inland on a high country station. Currently re-supering and taking off about 50kg per hive. The clover is still in full bloom and with this small spell of rain should boost the clover till mid March. Looking like a good year, all we need now is some decent prices on 0 - 9 clover. Price is hovering around $5 - $5.50 Hardly worth beekeeping for that kinda money.

 

[Bron]

We are very dry, the same or worse than last year. The clovers burnt off ages ago. Not gonna get out there for awhile as our honey house is not doing the multi floral/bush for another couple of weeks.

 

[southbee]

Further south than you are @Old Timer, plenty of clover, but too cold to nectar at the moment. Might improve yet....Had a good season on the bush.

 

[Jamie213]

In South Waikato harvested about 350 - 400kgs of my 7 personal hives last Saturday, little bit of rain this arvo hoping for more as its also pretty dry.

 

[nikki watts]

We’re on great barrier island. It’s very dry here too. Our crop is about 1/3 down on last year.

 

[James]

Busy as bees here ....harvesting , extracting, putting boxes back out. Took three boxes, replaced with two empties and put another on after that.
We haven't touched the clover yet , but in the foothills rain belt it may go for a bit yet.
Honey Dew is starting to run .....
Average to date is in the high 3okg' per hive.
The weather came right a bit late ..... but I don't starting counting until it's all in the drum

$5.50/kg would see us right for this year.

 

[Dennis Crowley]

I don't do non manuka, what are prices non manuka have been getting, I heard of $5.00 the other day for some

 

[James]

As I have mentioned before ..... a mediocre beekeeper can make a wage in a good site, and a good beekeeper can go broke in a bad site.
We've had some good and bad sites this year, but this site illustrates that if your timing is good, then things will happen and the bees make honey.
These hives were moved onto the Rata had 2.5 boxes of pre crop of Kamahi taken off them on on January 11. A month later the good ones had another 4 boxes of honey on them.
I work on 15kg extracted honey per box .... so these bees have made us something over 90 kg so far.
They'll come home to the dew in another ten days and might do another two boxes,..... bringing us upto 120kg. Multiply by $5.00 gives us a yield of $600 /hive.
So .... maybe 'White Honey Matters', eh.

Oops

 

[southbee]

As I have mentioned before ..... a mediocre beekeeper can make a wage in a good site, and a good beekeeper can go broke in a bad site.
We've had some good and bad sites this year, but this site illustrates that if your timing is good, then things will happen and the bees make honey.
These hives were moved onto the Rata had 2.5 boxes of pre crop of Kamahi taken off them on on January 11. A month later the good ones had another 4 boxes of honey on them.
I work on 15kg extracted honey per box .... so these bees have made us something over 90 kg so far.
They'll come home to the dew in another ten days and might do another two boxes,..... bringing us upto 120kg. Multiply by $5.00 gives us a yield of $600 /hive.
So .... maybe 'White Honey Matters', eh.

Looks like a beautiful site! One of the joys of beekeeping to work in places like that and worth something too...and try to go for 5.50, the extra will make you really smile and pay for some repairs....or some extra beers!

 

[Maggie]

We’re on great barrier island. It’s very dry here too. Our crop is about 1/3 down on last year.

Is your husband one of the men swimming the 100 km to Auckland? Knew that it was difficult getting off the island the last few days, but....

 

[James]

Looks like a beautiful site! One of the joys of beekeeping to work in places like that and worth something too...and try to go for 5.50, the extra will make you really smile and pay for some repairs....or some extra beers!

Hmmm .... we got an offer on some honey . Ranges between $4.50 and $5.00/kg ..... the lighter the honey, the higher the price. Six month drip feed ..... its a start.
I wonder if I could put the fuel bill on an interest free drip feed, or the grocery bill, or the staff, and so it goes on.
Livestock sales are settled within 14 days.

 

[Maggie]

Hmmm .... we got an offer on some honey . Ranges between $4.50 and $5.00/kg ..... the lighter the honey, the higher the price. Six month drip feed ..... its a start.
I wonder if I could put the fuel bill on an interest free drip feed, or the grocery bill, or the staff, and so it goes on.
Livestock sales are settled within 14 days.

Can't find where the like or love emoji is, so this is instead of it

 

[nikki watts]

Is your husband one of the men swimming the 100 km to Auckland? Knew that it was difficult getting off the island the last few days, but....

hahah. no, although he has plenty of built in floatation.

 

[Maggie]

he has plenty of built in floatation.

Luv it! Does he read the forum?

 

[southbee]

Hmmm .... we got an offer on some honey . Ranges between $4.50 and $5.00/kg ..... the lighter the honey, the higher the price. Six month drip feed ..... its a start.
I wonder if I could put the fuel bill on an interest free drip feed, or the grocery bill, or the staff, and so it goes on.
Livestock sales are settled within 14 days.

Beekeepers are still expected to carry some of the cost, it didn't matter when the price was up, but now it hurts. Are you getting paid for the drums? The drip feed is annoying, depends if you trust the company and hope they won't go broke. Beekeepers should have a union....

 

[frazzledfozzle]

I wonder if I could put the fuel bill on an interest free drip feed, or the grocery bill, or the staff, and so it goes on.
Livestock sales are settled within 14 days.

just like the old days

 

[nikki watts]

Luv it! Does he read the forum?

no !!!

 

[Dansar]

In South Waikato harvested about 350 - 400kgs of my 7 personal hives last Saturday, little bit of rain this arvo hoping for more as its also pretty dry.

About the same for me. Pulled 21 very full FD boxes off 7 hives in Tokoroa.

 

[frazzledfozzle]

Our season has been pretty rubbish.
We have reduced hive numbers heaps so it didn’t take long to harvest.

We got around a third of what we got last year so on the bright side not too many drums to find space for

 

[James]

I’m probably a bit embarrased to sau it, but we is having a boomer year.
Dew hives left on the farm because they were not up to dpeed for pollination made three boxes.
I brought another load back over the hill tonight.
It’s quite a big hill , and my crop gauge is what gear we drop down to on the steep grades. Empty we cruise up in 9and 10.
Tonight we were down to 5.
Good girls.