Russ 319 Posted December 19, 2019 Share Posted December 19, 2019 Rewarewa is a no show for me this season. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jamesc 4,633 Posted December 19, 2019 Share Posted December 19, 2019 All's good ..... we still putting bees into radishes. Bird in the hand ...... looked pretty black over there again tonight. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nikki watts 868 Posted December 19, 2019 Share Posted December 19, 2019 1 minute ago, jamesc said: All's good ..... we still putting bees into radishes. Bird in the hand ...... looked pretty black over there again tonight. Just curious, what does radish honey taste like ? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jamesc 4,633 Posted December 19, 2019 Share Posted December 19, 2019 Good question ..... and to be honest I have no idea ..... as generally the bees go in with with half a box of dew, clover is flowering, along with the borage ..... and the honey comes out at a 24 ish colour ...... three boxes of low grade multi floral ..... the nice part is the rental fee. 1 hour ago, Bighands said: For the 1st time in many years the Westland quintinia has not flowered and I do not think the Kamahi is going to do itys thing.I am talking about the Otira valley.The Kamahi is flowering in the Taramakau but not the Otira so chances of a S. Rata showing are very slim. Bye the way it is still raining and temps are forecast low teens. Coast Manuka must be pouring in .... right ? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kaihoka 2,936 Posted December 19, 2019 Share Posted December 19, 2019 11 minutes ago, jamesc said: Coast Manuka must be pouring in .... right ? No way manuka would produce in current coast weather. Even though its flowering as good as I have seen . 1 hour ago, Bighands said: For the 1st time in many years the Westland quintinia has not flowered and I do not think the Kamahi is going to do itys thing.I am talking about the Otira valley.The Kamahi is flowering in the Taramakau but not the Otira so chances of a S. Rata showing are very slim. Bye the way it is still raining and temps are forecast low teens. That sucks for you . Kamahi has pretty much finished here. Had a really good flower . The rata just starting , plenty of buds . Just need a month of sunny windless weather 24 minutes ago, nikki watts said: Just curious, what does radish honey taste like ? Mustard honey is pretty nice , I think raddish would be similar . Quite a light honey . 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mischief 134 Posted February 9 Share Posted February 9 My 'True Greek' Oregano is getting loads of visitors from mid morning to early evening, even though its in partial shade and not full sun. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tommy dave 1,163 Posted February 9 Share Posted February 9 Clover and nodding thistle.. Packing it in - added two supers each hive, one dry, one wet. See if they end up full by mid.march Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Alastair 8,474 Posted February 9 Share Posted February 9 If there is any kind of a flow still going, putting on a wet super is the way to get the bees straight down to work. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Philbee 4,672 Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 (edited) Ive just got in from a drive down the western access road (32)and over to Omori I see hives returning from the Manuka siting in the barren scorched paddocks. What stood out was the poor state of the Koromiko, its about 1/3 it's usual self. Id say that there's barely a drop of nectar in anything for the Hives to put away for winter. If this season draws out like the previous two then the Bees will be flying for 3 months yet, all for nothing. Just burning stores and spreading Mites Edited February 14 by Philbee 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
john berry 5,518 Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 One of my sites has a hillside of koromiko just across the road from it or it did. I was up there today and the whole hillside has gone up in flames. Fortunately it didn't get to the bees but it was close enough.. 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kaihoka 2,936 Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 6 hours ago, Philbee said: Ive just got in from a drive down the western access road (32)and over to Omori I see hives returning from the Manuka siting in the barren scorched paddocks. What stood out was the poor state of the Koromiko, its about 1/3 it's usual self. Id say that there's barely a drop of nectar in anything for the Hives to put away for winter. If this season draws out like the previous two then the Bees will be flying for 3 months yet, all for nothing. Just burning stores and spreading Mites Its going to rain all next week . Normally that would really annoy me but right now I am.ok with that . Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Philbee 4,672 Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 (edited) 5 minutes ago, kaihoka said: Its going to rain all next week . Normally that would really annoy me but right now I am.ok with that . I wonder if the Koromiko will come back to life? In our deep gorge its fine but out on the flat land in the drying wind its fried Edited February 14 by Philbee Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kaihoka 2,936 Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 49 minutes ago, Philbee said: I wonder if the Koromiko will come back to life? In our deep gorge its fine but out on the flat land in the drying wind its fried My bush hebes are fine but I noticed a couple of ornamental hebes on a dry bank are looking a bit sick . The ground here has finally lost its moisture so the rain has come just in time . I think we will be one of the last places adversely affected by climate change. Everything here is used to adapting to difficult conditions . Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bighands 1,033 Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 Red Rata Vine is flowering in Greymouth. This tells me autumn is here. This is the last plant to flower in the bush before winter. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
YTB8TA270 47 Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 8 hours ago, Bighands said: Red Rata Vine is flowering in Greymouth. This tells me autumn is here. This is the last plant to flower in the bush before winter. The white rata vine has just burst out in flower this last week here along with five finger and broard leaf. Bees very happy when sunny. No red vine flowers yet. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kaihoka 2,936 Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 3 hours ago, YTB8TA270 said: The white rata vine has just burst out in flower this last week here along with five finger and broard leaf. Bees very happy when sunny. No red vine flowers yet. Our white rata finishing early I think. Some red vine flowering but bees are never so interested in that . Quote Link to post Share on other sites
YTB8TA270 47 Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 5 hours ago, kaihoka said: Our white rata finishing early I think. Some red vine flowering but bees are never so interested in that . White Rata,Koromiko and Lancewood is full on now. Definitely later than last couple of years.Had extracted and had Bayvarol strips in by this time last year. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Popular Post Mummzie 703 Posted March 10 Popular Post Share Posted March 10 If only all town sections looked like this. I found this today on a lunchtime stroll through a new housing area. Its near an inlet so the sections are built up about 1.5 metres. This is looking up from street level. Every inch of this section that is not house or path is planted- front, back, sides- most very bee friendly. Such a contrast to the bark and a hebe or two gardens surrounding it. The air was full of insect life. Barely any ground was visible, every space was filled. Such a pleasure. 10 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Maggie James 836 Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 Yesterday it was great to see that the gorse hedges have started flowering again; now that the hot temperatures have abated and we are getting atmospheric dew at night. Also lots of hawkbit on road verges 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kaihoka 2,936 Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 3 hours ago, Maggie James said: Yesterday it was great to see that the gorse hedges have started flowering again; now that the hot temperatures have abated and we are getting atmospheric dew at night. Also lots of hawkbit on road verges In the lovely calm warm sunny weather we are having my bees have decided that the closest forage is each others hives . I have reduced entrances so there is no robbing , just lots of try hard bees around the top honey box . 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
yesbut 6,170 Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 52 minutes ago, kaihoka said: In the lovely calm warm sunny weather we are having my bees have decided that the closest forage is each others hives . I have reduced entrances so there is no robbing , just lots of try hard bees around the top honey box . Ha ha no migrants to blame this time !!! 1 1 4 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mischief 134 Posted March 30 Share Posted March 30 My Japanese wind anenomes are out, bees just loving their yellow pollen 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jamesc 4,633 Posted March 30 Share Posted March 30 Sun flower made it! 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kaihoka 2,936 Posted March 30 Share Posted March 30 1 hour ago, jamesc said: Sun flower made it! Are the red flowers a sort of marigold ? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bighands 1,033 Posted March 30 Share Posted March 30 Catsear still flowering in the valley and loads of orange pollen coming in. Drones still flying so can't be too cold yet. 1 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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