December 2020 Apiary Diary

[john berry 5,636]

Years ago when I lived in a dairy farming area I couldn't grow tomatoes or grapes because of hormone spray drift. I had a similar problem where I live now when I got some really nice topsoil from a dairy farm and all the tomatoes curled their toes (and their leaves) up. I am not sure whether I should be worried about glyphosate residues in my food or not but I am sure there are plenty of things that are worse.

[tristan 4,362]

10 hours ago, nikki watts said:

we’ve had one company that buys a small amount of our honey ask us to sign a supply doc stating we won’t site our hives within 6km of any area that uses glyphosate. i realise i could just sign and say as far as we know that the case but that’s not how his contract is worded and i’m not keen to sign something knowing i can’t be 100% sure,  i don’t control what others do on their own land.

There were other things like not feeding any syrup and not moving hives just to get a crop.  

i think it’s just a feel like good marketing doc to show potential buyers. When  i questioned how any beek could sign the agreement i was told plenty have.

 

first thing is why bother?

they would test for glyphosate anyway and buy on those results. so any supply doc would be pointless.

 

the other is it smacks of fake organic honey. i would guess high chance your honey would end up on the shelf with an organics label and high price tag. i've seen that sort of BS before. the supply doc is arse covering so you get the blame instead of them.

[nikki watts 905]

6 hours ago, kaihoka said:

Its really strange to me that the hakea in your area does not provide a winter flow .

The beeks in the western golden bay are greatfull for it over the winter .

I wish it did but not a drop. 

[nikki watts 905]

1 hour ago, tristan said:

first thing is why bother?

they would test for glyphosate anyway and buy on those results. so any supply doc would be pointless.

 

the other is it smacks of fake organic honey. i would guess high chance your honey would end up on the shelf with an organics label and high price tag. i've seen that sort of BS before. the supply doc is arse covering so you get the blame instead of them.

That’s possible. I think it could be more about the tourist market they target. Tour bus load at a time 

[jamesc 4,924]

This morning I went shopping resl early on the net to beat the rush for some Christmas bargains.

Not sure if whst I found at an Arrowtown honey shop is a bargain or not!

That comes in at$6792 /kg.

 

Not bad coin really.

Edited December 17, 2020 by jamesc

[jamesc 4,924]

I have to think these prices are a bit ho hum . For the few years we were up North making our fortune, we always thought a 20 umf was pretty good ..... no one ever suggested there was honey available in the low 30's ..... my goodness, if only we'd known ......

[kaihoka 2,976]

2 hours ago, jamesc said:

I have to think these prices are a bit ho hum . For the few years we were up North making our fortune, we always thought a 20 umf was pretty good ..... no one ever suggested there was honey available in the low 30's ..... my goodness, if only we'd known ......

Do you think anyone actually ever buys honey at that price in NZ .?

[yesbut 6,233]

52 minutes ago, kaihoka said:

Do you think anyone actually ever buys honey at that price in NZ .?

I'm sure they used to, but now they're staying in China. 

[john berry 5,636]

You have to assume that somebody will .. I remember talking to Dr Peter Molan about UMF and he told me that 10+ was all that was needed for external wounds . It's also debatable whether you should be even eating honey with levels higher than +10 .

[nikki watts 905]

3 hours ago, jamesc said:

This morning I went shopping resl early on the net to beat the rush for some Christmas bargains.

Not sure if whst I found at an Arrowtown honey shop is a bargain or not!

That comes in at$6792 /kg.

 

Not bad coin really.

one things for sure, if anyone got 31+ they won’t be talking about it. 

how long would a 20+ take to grow out to 31+ ? if it could 

[Maru Hoani 650]

1 hour ago, nikki watts said:

one things for sure, if anyone got 31+ they won’t be talking about it. 

how long would a 20+ take to grow out to 31+ ? if it could 

I remember packaging drums of 30+ 10 years ago, havent seen any since

[Maru Hoani 650]

On 15/12/2020 at 9:59 PM, yesbut said:

A good thing surely, if it makes a few recalcitrant beeks rattle their dags.

What about guys like me? I cought AFB in one of my sites that has never had it before, do I now have to extract that site separately and pay to test a part drum as there may be spores still in the hives that haven't shown up as it can take up to 18 months?

[yesbut 6,233]

1 hour ago, Maru Hoani said:

What about guys like me? 

Pass. You might be more tempted to go for a cruise with a big stick ?

[tristan 4,362]

5 hours ago, Maru Hoani said:

What about guys like me? I cought AFB in one of my sites that has never had it before, do I now have to extract that site separately and pay to test a part drum as there may be spores still in the hives that haven't shown up as it can take up to 18 months?

always advisable to extract that site separately. mark them so the extractor knows its afb site. the stickies can then go back on that site.

if you don't want to test, don't send it to china.

[Maru Hoani 650]

46 minutes ago, tristan said:

always advisable to extract that site separately. mark them so the extractor knows its afb site. the stickies can then go back on that site.

if you don't want to test, don't send it to china.

I always quaranteen AFB sites for 2 seasons, my honey gets sold and they do whatever with it so I'll ask them first, cant afford to be testing 1 part drum this season, things are going to have to get tighter.

[BRB 96]

Having hives on a shed roof is a good idea until you have to put your 5th FD super on a hive and need a ladder. At least I built a flat level platform. 

I'm disappointed that the cam locks aren't long enough for 7 boxes.. I had to find 2 strops to do the job..

[Maggie James 906]

1 hour ago, BRB said:

Having hives on a shed roof is a good idea until you have to put your 5th FD super on a hive and need a ladder. At least I built a flat level platform. 

I'm disappointed that the cam locks aren't long enough for 7 boxes.. I had to find 2 strops to do the job..

If those boxes are chocka with honey, do you need to consider weight bearing issues?  A full depth super can hold 50 kg of honey.  How many hives & supers do you have and what might be the total weight of your crop and brood boxes on the roof top, plus your own weight?

[yesbut 6,233]

1 hour ago, BRB said:

Having hives on a shed roof is a good idea until you have to put your 5th FD super on a hive and need a ladder. At least I built a flat level platform. 

I'm disappointed that the cam locks aren't long enough for 7 boxes.. I had to find 2 strops to do the job..

What are the 7 boxes full of ?

[BRB 96]

1 hour ago, Maggie James said:

If those boxes are chocka with honey, do you need to consider weight bearing issues?  A full depth super can hold 50 kg of honey.  How many hives & supers do you have and what might be the total weight of your crop and brood boxes on the roof top, plus your own weight?

It was considered in the building process. 

Long story short it can take the weight. As platform is 4m long. And it has 3 bearing on 2x walls and one oversized beam. 

You can trust a builder to over build something 

[BRB 96]

1 hour ago, yesbut said:

What are the 7 boxes full of ?

Fresh air and sunshine. With a touch of comb, brood and some honey.

I'm not sure what else you expected there to be in bee boxes?

[Gerrit 215]

2 hours ago, Maggie James said:

If those boxes are chocka with honey, do you need to consider weight bearing issues?  A full depth super can hold 50 kg of honey. 

Maybe your Mainland FD supers are over sized to ours or a "typo".

[Maggie James 906]

1 hour ago, Gerrit said:

Maybe your Mainland FD supers are over sized to ours or a "typo"

On a good flow, have definitely done 50 kg bulk honey in a LANGSTROTH EIGHT FRAME FULL DEPTH box.  But not always; particularly lately!  

 

Haven't done full depth export cut comb for a few years, but I always loathed lifting that undersupered 3/4 depth bulk honey underneath it.  That 3/4 box was heavy lifiting - a real b.....d when doing the AFB check & escaping prior to harvest!  Although loved the honey cheque for cut comb.  

Edited December 19, 2020 by Maggie James

[john berry 5,636]

Hate to disagree with you Maggie but I don't think you can fit more than 30 kg of honey in a full depth box and that box would be absolutely bollix.

[tristan 4,362]

3 hours ago, Maggie James said:

On a good flow, have definitely done 50 kg bulk honey in a LANGSTROTH EIGHT FRAME FULL DEPTH box.

disagree on that. your probably looking around 50kg total.

3/4 boxes even with eight frame mainly is not that heavy to lift (been extracting them for weeks).

i suspect it feels heavier than it is. especially when you get back to base.

if those 3/4 are heavy then your not picking up that FD.

 

i've had a few boxes that has taken two people to lift, but thats because the box probably weighs 30kg empty.

[yesbut 6,233]

5 hours ago, BRB said:

Fresh air and sunshine. With a touch of comb, brood and some honey.

I'm not sure what else you expected there to be in bee boxes?

A hive that size is bigger than the pauperish things I manage to maintain. I was curious to know if you already had a couple of full boxes of honey, or if you had a heap of brood, but never mind.