Apiary Diary. February 2020

[yesbut 6,170]

40 minutes ago, Maggie James said:

they are not prepared to stick their head above the parapet for it to be shot off. 

What on earth ?  Any examples ?  I respectfully submit they're more sit quietly at the back types than participants full stop.

[Trevor Gillbanks 6,771]

4 minutes ago, yesbut said:

What on earth ?  Any examples ?  I respectfully submit they're more sit quietly at the back types than participants full stop.

 

So, immediately a comment is made and the head above the parapet is shot at.

 

Consistent at least.

 

[Maggie James 836]

7 minutes ago, Trevor Gillbanks said:

 

Sad, but True.  I have also heard similar comments.  That is why I don't comment very often now days.

 

Such a pity really as this forum could be a so much more valuable resource. 

 

As we all know social media can be quite nasty, and there appears to be a bit of knack when commenting because we can't see eyes, body language etc, and this probably takes time to learn, so one is not making ambiguous statements etc.  

 

The forum is a valuable resource in terms of knowing how some feel about issues.  I suspect it is also a social resource for people working by themselves in isolated areas; whether they be commercial, hobbyist or market.  

 

There are a lot of experienced beekeepers out there who have a wealth of experience and opinions to share, and I certainly enjoy reading these informative posts.  I must admit at times, when someone has experience on a specific topic it is frustrating to see them clam up when the tempo on the forum rises.  It's always good to see some have a sense of humour, with not just themselves laughing at their own jokes.  Sometimes there is great photography, much of it when you look at with a beekeeper's eye there is a lot of detail in the shot.  

 

 

 

 

[tristan 4,295]

9 minutes ago, Trevor Gillbanks said:

 

So, immediately a comment is made and the head above the parapet is shot at.

 

Consistent at least.

 

they need to stop being a bunch of wimps 

 

its actually fairly typical of forums. most people why away from engaging, its normal behaviour and nothing to do with "sticking their head out to be shot at".

[kaihoka 2,936]

Beeks are probably feeling pretty fragile lately .

I think it is truly sad that a largely unregulated industry based on respect and cooperation of healthy boundries has been undermined by greed and the corrupting forces of money .

[Philbee 4,672]

14 hours ago, Gino de Graaf said:

It's amazing how some are still expanding. 

There is an age old idea that those who win big time are often those who are 180 deg out of cycle with the Masses.

Real estate is a typical example, buy on the lows and sell on the highs as opposed to scrambling for a piece of the action as the market heats up.

Bob Jones always referred to this in Boxing terms, 

When your opponent boxes you scrap and if he scraps then you box.
Someone else described the same thing using sheep,

When all the sheep run to one end of the paddock, a smart one will run to the other end.
This isolated expansion in Beekeeping is probably based on the same logic but IMO right now anyone playing this game will need to be looking a very long way ahead or be gambling that events will unfold in the Northern Hemisphere that favor us

 

20 minutes ago, Maggie James said:

 

As we all know social media can be quite nasty, and there appears to be a bit of knack when commenting because we can't see eyes, body language etc, and this probably takes time to learn, so one is not making ambiguous statements etc.  

 

The forum is a valuable resource in terms of knowing how some feel about issues.  I suspect it is also a social resource for people working by themselves in isolated areas; whether they be commercial, hobbyist or market.  

 

There are a lot of experienced beekeepers out there who have a wealth of experience and opinions to share, and I certainly enjoy reading these informative posts.  I must admit at times, when someone has experience on a specific topic it is frustrating to see them clam up when the tempo on the forum rises.  It's always good to see some have a sense of humour, with not just themselves laughing at their own jokes.  Sometimes there is great photography, much of it when you look at with a beekeeper's eye there is a lot of detail in the shot.  

 

 

 

 

During the rapid rise of the industry there was almost certainly a feeling that why should the wise help the newcomers to swamp them out.
There were probably many big guys watching the Forum and thinking ...H..o..l..l..y  S..........t  

[Maggie James 836]

15 minutes ago, Philbee said:

During the rapid rise of the industry there was almost certainly a feeling that why should the wise help the newcomers to swamp them out.

 

Once upon a time, when you helped someone, they generally didn't turn round and stab you in the back

[Alastair 8,474]

3 hours ago, Gino de Graaf said:

Has the buying outfit got lots of off shore funds? Propping it up? 

 

Gino they have run the business end of things very cleverly for quite a few years. 

[tristan 4,295]

5 hours ago, Gino de Graaf said:

Has the buying outfit got lots of off shore funds? Propping it up? 

if its is W thats been buying then they are also do retail/exporting side of it as well. probably low balling beeks like a lot of other buyers which keeps their profit high.

while retail is still doing ok they can expand a bit, especially if they can buy hives on the cheap. they are old timers who have been through the ups and downs more than a few times, so they are playing the long game.

2 hours ago, Philbee said:

During the rapid rise of the industry there was almost certainly a feeling that why should the wise help the newcomers to swamp them out.
There were probably many big guys watching the Forum and thinking ...H..o..l..l..y  S..........t  

i don't think the forum actually makes any difference in the amount of commercial guys. they will still exist no matter what.

almost all the info is out there and available at a book store.

where the forum helps is attitudes to things like mites and afb which effect as all.

[jamesc 4,633]

15 hours ago, Stoney said:

Totally agree Tristan, my point being honeydew really has no monetary value for my business anymore, it used to be a good crop off strong bees following Manuka production that didn’t even involve a second shift to chase it, now I must keep all for the bees feed which involves other issues. 

Much easier to deliver full boxes to extraction, they will bog up the brood nest and run right out of puff pretty quick if you don’t have mega loads of empty boxes to keep adding. 

 

Quite.

Now Mr Stoney..... you being a wise man with quite a bit of savvy,  now is the time to remove your veil and put on your other hat.... or perhaps it’s a case of straightening up, give your lower back a break and engage the top two inches and come up with a cunning plan to find a use for this useless Dew.

The new brain and second opinion has often won the day.

[Maggie James 836]

46 minutes ago, jamesc said:

Quite.

Now Mr Stoney..... you being a wise man with quite a bit of savvy,  now is the time to remove your veil and put on your other hat.... or perhaps it’s a case of straightening up, give your lower back a break and engage the top two inches and come up with a cunning plan to find a use for this useless Dew.

The new brain and second opinion has often won the day.

 

Mountain Dew?  Ideal place for a still in them there foothills.  You could do some picturesque marketing of the scenery

 

 

 

2 hours ago, tristan said:

almost all the info is out there and available at a book store.

 

I've read a lot of books,  but doesn't mean I know all the info

Edited February 8 by Maggie James

[Philbee 4,672]

56 minutes ago, jamesc said:

Dew

Has anyone tried Honey dew Mead?

There is an outfit down your way that makes Mead, I wonder if they produce one from Dew?

My rough calcs say that Mead is around 45% Honey?? 

[tristan 4,295]

1 hour ago, Maggie James said:

I've read a lot of books,  but doesn't mean I know all the info

you don't need to know everything to be able to run a successful beekeeping operation.

you can go a long way by just getting the basics right.

[Gino de Graaf 982]

3 hours ago, jamesc said:

Quite.

Now Mr Stoney..... you being a wise man with quite a bit of savvy,  now is the time to remove your veil and put on your other hat.... or perhaps it’s a case of straightening up, give your lower back a break and engage the top two inches and come up with a cunning plan to find a use for this useless Dew.

The new brain and second opinion has often won the day.

My favourite forest, Beech. They are quite incredible, able to share nutritional resources via soil fungi. Huge networks. 

They feed the young shaded trees, keeping them alive, ready to go forth when an old one falls. Some of those scrawny ones are as old as the biggies. 

And very appealing on the eye. Throw in black mould and those dew bugs. 

Great story. 

[Alastair 8,474]

When you go to a site to harvest today but expecting it to have done poorly. First hive is queenless and confirms your suspicions.

 

But after that, every box, on every hive, like this.   

 

 

Edited February 8 by Alastair

[tristan 4,295]

1 hour ago, Alastair said:

When you go to a site to harvest today but expecting it to have done poorly. First hive is queenless and confirms your suspicions.

 

But after that, every box, on every hive, like this.   

 

i would be kicking myself for not having enough boxes on.

[Alastair 8,474]

Just before Christmas I put my last box out, not one left. The trick was to figure where they would be wasted, and where they would not. Mostly i got it right. But you can never always be right.

 

Other thing, I'm paying for extracting by the box. So i only want to take full ones in.  Brood boxes in most hives are full but i'm leaving plenty honey on, don't want to buy sugar if i can avoid. 

Edited February 8 by Alastair

[CraBee 1,744]

2 minutes ago, Alastair said:

Just before Christmas I put my last box out, not one left. The trick was to figure where they would be wasted, and where they would not. Mostly i got it right. But you can never always be right.

 

Other thing, I'm paying for extracting by the box. So i only want to take full ones in. 

 

Was it kanuka Alastair?

 

Long day today unloading the harvest after dark.

 

A few photo's from the day below

[Alastair 8,474]

LOL those bumblebees are always optimists. 

 

19 minutes ago, CraBee said:

Was it kanuka Alastair?

 

Pretty much.

 

Last year that site was very heavy on Rewarewa. This year Kanuka is the in thing.

[Philbee 4,672]

Lol

All dressed up with nowhere to go

 

[Alastair 8,474]

Phil that looks like a 2 box hive with 3 staples in it? Why only 3 staples across the box?

[Gino de Graaf 982]

@Nuc_man how is it going with you?

[Nuc_man 83]

1 hour ago, Gino de Graaf said:

@Nuc_man how is it going with you?

Not that great cold summer minimal crop no buyers and hearing same thing all round me both queen and nuc money running low now ...Really not sure what direction to take from here. Any honey price under 6 or 7$ will just put salt in the wound , how about you @Gino de Graaf

[Jamo 512]

22 hours ago, tristan said:

 

almost all the info is out there and available at a book store.

where the forum helps is attitudes to things like mites and afb which effect as all.

The problem with many beekeepers that get their info from a book is the fairytales that they dream up when reading between the lines.

[Philbee 4,672]

7 hours ago, Alastair said:

Phil that looks like a 2 box hive with 3 staples in it? Why only 3 staples across the box?

Its a trial Hive and here is a jpeg of its trial  history.

This spring it got 7 staples and 4 of them were replaced twice.

 

When it became apparent that the Bees weren't chewing, which was one of the Spring trial test goals,  I used some hives to demonstrate  the affects of adding fresh treatments mid course.

After all the idea is to extract as much data from a licenced trial as possible given that this trial was allocated just 450 treatments to use.

 

It should be noted that this trial Hive has a good health history