April 2019 Apiary Diary

[kaihoka 2,925]

4 hours ago, BJC said:

We have the same level of Harlequin ladybirds all looking for a place to stay

I would like more .

I hope they build up a population here .

[yesbut 6,157]

1 minute ago, kaihoka said:

I would like more .

I hope they build up a population here .

Careful what you wish for..they're displacing the native ones in UK...

[kaihoka 2,925]

11 minutes ago, yesbut said:

Careful what you wish for..they're displacing the native ones in UK...

We do not have many lady birds of any description here .

I may not have enough aphids for them to feed on .

[Goran 1,400]

3 hours ago, jamesc said:

Honey .... we was making clover honey when it was sold for  $1.20/kg.  We started carting bees up in to Kaikoura and produced Manuka that sold for $4.80/kg bulk . We were in heaven.... but were getting abusive phone calls from Canterbury beekeepers chastising us for paying site rentals .  But without the site rental the cocky could'nt afford to upgrade his tracks so we could get our bees in.

We started putting it into jars and flicking it into the UK and were making $20/kg.

We had three bad years and pulled out of Kaikoura ... putting our energy into comb honey that was making us $400/hive ..... then that collapsed and we went back to Kaikoura, but some  lowlife had stolen all our sites [ I say that tongue in cheek] .... at about that time Babies started appearing and so  we clipped our wings and nestled in  for the important things in life.... after which  we loaded the bees onto trucks and hauled them up north and opened the can of worms. Abusive emails ..... Death threats ..... yup, from respectable NBA members who will always remain nameless out of PC .... but who won't be forgotten.

We sold out of there for a very good price ..... thank goodness we did .... and regrouped back home.

So, we've come full circle. Back home .... raising a family, putting  real honey into jars .... the world is round .... and every Rainbow does'nt come with a pot of gold under it.

 

Dogs home .... dunno about the pig .

Why the sad face  Goran ..... I think the pig was smarter than the dog, she's not called Clown for nothing !

Not for the pig.. For the hard work which isn't appreciated much.. When someone tell me: Aaah beekeeping, easy money.. No one appreciate how is this physically and mentally demanding work.. All just count the money you receive. The costs, setbacks, the stress, job load - no one ( cause that are not their backs in matter).. I know it is not advisable, but I returned much of last year spring honey to bees rather than to " sell" it for low money. At least bees knows that is first class multifloral honey. They will return it to me with black locust honey - hopefully..

[frazzledfozzle 7,413]

@Goran do you get paid a premium for black locust honey ?

what is the price you get for your multi floral and your black locust ?

[Goran 1,400]

In season when we have decent weather and black locust offer its nectar I manage to get nice quality. It doesn't crystallize for 2 years. Unfortunately I have to wait pretty long to sell it for decent price. I demand minimum 4 euros ( about 6,72 nzd) per kg at large but stand for its quality.

Black locust - young trees in foot of the mountain preparing to open flowers, uphill I have more time. I wait to black locust flow start  and then extract multi floral honey, that way I also get pure black locust honey. 

When weather is right, and colonies prepared, the black locust flow is must see and feel. Whole area is filled with one synchronized pulsating buzz, bees are then like one organism.. and when evening come seducing smell of black locust flowers flood area and make you so tranquil.. Sometimes then when I watch starry sky while walking on hill some quiet sadness overwhelm.. 

For multi floral honey, they offer me 3,62 nzd per kg at large. My multi floral honey is from the mountain, no OSR near. The yield in good years is 5-7kg per hive, extremely I got around 15kg per hive last season.. It is weather dependent ( unstable spring weather). I tell them that I have no so cheap honey and no more discussion about it. I personally eat mostly this multi floral honey, share to friends, family and they also like it as myself. I don't use sugar in my coffee..

 

[kaihoka 2,925]

8 minutes ago, Goran said:

don't use sugar in my coffee..

I tried using honey , but it affected the taste of the coffee so I went back to sugar.

Honey is good in tea .

[Goran 1,400]

7 minutes ago, kaihoka said:

I tried using honey , but it affected the taste of the coffee so I went back to sugar.

Honey is good in tea .

 

I got used to it that way. Now when drink without honey it feels empty to me. Especially I use multi floral honey which has strong flavor by itself. I also like tea with honey, except sage I have to drink it straight.. Forgot, I don't drink green/black indian tea. Decades ago when I was drinking it, also I liked it more straight than with sweetener. 

Edited April 25, 2019 by Goran

[tudor 1,551]

You might like Red Bush Tea from South Africa.  Very good taste, no caffeine, and honey goes well with it.

 

[tristan 4,283]

8 hours ago, kaihoka said:

I tried using honey , but it affected the taste of the coffee so I went back to sugar.

Honey is good in tea .

i'm much the same.

however if you get a coffee that tastes like its burnt, bit of honey in it takes that taste away.

[kevin moore 669]

9 hours ago, Goran said:

In season when we have decent weather and black locust offer its nectar I manage to get nice quality. It doesn't crystallize for 2 years. Unfortunately I have to wait pretty long to sell it for decent price. I demand minimum 4 euros ( about 6,72 nzd) per kg at large but stand for its quality.

Black locust - young trees in foot of the mountain preparing to open flowers, uphill I have more time. I wait to black locust flow start  and then extract multi floral honey, that way I also get pure black locust honey. 

When weather is right, and colonies prepared, the black locust flow is must see and feel. Whole area is filled with one synchronized pulsating buzz, bees are then like one organism.. and when evening come seducing smell of black locust flowers flood area and make you so tranquil.. Sometimes then when I watch starry sky while walking on hill some quiet sadness overwhelm.. 

For multi floral honey, they offer me 3,62 nzd per kg at large. My multi floral honey is from the mountain, no OSR near. The yield in good years is 5-7kg per hive, extremely I got around 15kg per hive last season.. It is weather dependent ( unstable spring weather). I tell them that I have no so cheap honey and no more discussion about it. I personally eat mostly this multi floral honey, share to friends, family and they also like it as myself. I don't use sugar in my coffee..

 

5 -7 kg per hive, i think i had about 5 hives produced about that each this year,

[yesbut 6,157]

46 minutes ago, tristan said:

i'm much the same.

however if you get a coffee that tastes like its burnt, bit of honey in it takes that taste away.

Is your local coffee shop not up to much then ?

[Stoney 1,503]

8 hours ago, tudor said:

You might like Red Bush Tea from South Africa.  Very good taste, no caffeine, and honey goes well with it.

 

I live on this . Couldn’t agree more. 

I have 6 or 7 different honeys that sit next to the box of Rooibos bush tea. 

 

[tristan 4,283]

1 hour ago, yesbut said:

Is your local coffee shop not up to much then ?

local one is pretty good, but some around are horrible.

[Mummzie 679]

On 25/04/2019 at 5:37 PM, BJC said:

We have the same level of Harlequin ladybirds all looking for a place to stay

I would like more .

I hope they build up a population here .

 

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/112272040/the-vets-thought-it-was-a-joke-ladybirds-infesting-dogs-mouth

 

not so sure I would be wanting this to get established

[M4tt 4,939]

Alrighty.......

 

House apiary today . 7 hives .

First one , second year Frazz queen. Looks good .

Second. There is a half paralysed new supercedure queen . Hardly any bees . It got merged with its neighbour , the third hive , who is full of shiny bees ........hmmm.

 Fourth . Strong . Full of shiny bees , mostly working the edges of the hive . Brood nest workers look ok .

Fifth . Shiny bees . Weak and fading .

Sixth .  Shiny bees . Weak and fading . Merged with Seventh , shiny bees , weak and fading . 

 

Seven became Five which I am pretty sure will be One in the near future.

 

Any one else seeing this ? 

 

 

Feeder is full of dead shiny bees , and hairy bees . No syrup been in there 

Edited April 27, 2019 by M4tt

[jamesc 4,558]

23 minutes ago, M4tt said:

Alrighty.......

 

House apiary today . 7 hives .

First one , second year Frazz queen. Looks good .

Second. There is a half paralysed new supercedure queen . Hardly any bees . It got merged with its neighbour , the third hive , who is full of shiny bees ........hmmm.

 Fourth . Strong . Full of shiny bees , mostly working the edges of the hive . Brood nest workers look ok .

Fifth . Shiny bees . Weak and fading .

Sixth .  Shiny bees . Weak and fading . Merged with Seventh , shiny bees , weak and fading . 

 

Seven became Five which I am pretty sure will be One in the near future.

 

Any one else seeing this ? 

 

 

Feeder is full of dead shiny bees , and hairy bees . No syrup been in there 

What are 'shiny ' bees ?

[M4tt 4,939]

3 minutes ago, jamesc said:

What are 'shiny ' bees ?

Chronic Bee Paralysis Virus 

 

From what I gather , it affects healthy adult bees and their hair falls out , leaning them no so healthy 

 

I usually see one or two in a hive 

Edited April 27, 2019 by M4tt

[jamesc 4,558]

Oh Crud ....my advice is close em up and take a holiday for a month. Then go back !

[M4tt 4,939]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronic_bee_paralysis_virus

 

Does not look at all good 

[jamesc 4,558]

Where the heck that come from ...?

[JohnF 706]

Can you take a video of them @M4tt ? They have a characteristic ‘tremble’ on the frames, if it is CBPV. 

We see a bit of it in our viral testing but high levels can be crippling 

Edited April 27, 2019 by JohnF

[M4tt 4,939]

5 minutes ago, JohnF said:

Can you take a video of them @M4tt ? They have a characteristic ‘tremble’ on the frames, if it is CBPV. 

Will do . Rain tomorrow but I’ll get it 

 

Original pic from iPhone has several  frames, like a video . Bees look drunk . Swaying uncoordinated from side to side while trying to walk . Others are not moving . They are wandering aimlessly . 

Hairy normal bees are moving normally 

Edited April 27, 2019 by M4tt

[tommy dave 1,162]

1 hour ago, M4tt said:

Alrighty.......

 

House apiary today . 7 hives .

First one , second year Frazz queen. Looks good .

Second. There is a half paralysed new supercedure queen . Hardly any bees . It got merged with its neighbour , the third hive , who is full of shiny bees ........hmmm.

 Fourth . Strong . Full of shiny bees , mostly working the edges of the hive . Brood nest workers look ok .

Fifth . Shiny bees . Weak and fading .

Sixth .  Shiny bees . Weak and fading . Merged with Seventh , shiny bees , weak and fading . 

 

Seven became Five which I am pretty sure will be One in the near future.

 

Any one else seeing this ? 

 

 

Feeder is full of dead shiny bees , and hairy bees . No syrup been in there 

 

are there mats of dead bees in front of the hives?

i've only seen this a couple of times, and full recovery. Here's what was done in those hives, no idea if the correlation of management approach with hive recovery indicates any cause or just coincidence, but maybe worth a shot? I've got a hypothesis about why the extra box helps, but it's based on gut rather than anything useful...

1 - make sure there is heaps of food on board

2 - put a solid hive mat on top and get rid of the feeder

3 - add a box of drawn frames below the box or boxes currently in use

4 - chuck varroa strips in

5 - reduce the entrance right down

6 - what @jamesc said = leave them alone for a while and cross your fingers.

[M4tt 4,939]

4 minutes ago, tommy dave said:

are there mats of dead bees in front of the hives?

i've only seen this a couple of times, and full recovery. Here's what was done in those hives, no idea if the correlation of management approach with hive recovery indicates any cause or just coincidence, but maybe worth a shot? I've got a hypothesis about why the extra box helps, but it's based on gut rather than anything useful...

1 - make sure there is heaps of food on board

2 - put a solid hive mat on top and get rid of the feeder

3 - add a box of drawn frames below the box or boxes currently in use

4 - chuck varroa strips in

5 - reduce the entrance right down

6 - what @jamesc said = leave them alone for a while and cross your fingers.

They are exactly as you say, except for the top feeder, which doesn't feed them at all. It just gets the Burr wax and hive scrapings in it.

 

There is so much honey on them I will have to think what to do with it all.....

 

In most cases , the bottom box of 3X3/4 are nearly empty. They've eaten them and moved up a box.

 

Staples been in for ages. No sign of varroa whatsoever 

 

Entrances been reduced for months 

 

Yes, masses of dead bees out front of some . They've gone from 3 boxes to less than half of bees . The one strong one hasn't yet, but it will. That is the one the pic of bees on the frame is from 

 

There's really nothing that can be done but sit back and watch ........

Having done some research , the bees in my pic are trembling with splayed wings and display both Type  1 and Type  2 symptoms , indicating many of the hairy bees are also sick .