dansar 5,524 Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 we cant just grow more flowers for food to meet the demand of more bee hives. Its protection may be worth the lack of freedom Hobbler, I reckon one could grow more flowers and add tree crops with a flower that has anectar/pollen source. there is a lot on marginal land in the waikato (in fact all over NZ) that could be seeded to provide bee fodder, with some thought and planning a seasonal blend could be planted. This could open another thread about contracts with land owners to provide land that has bee specific plants on it eg clovers, manuka, kanuka, eucalypts, etc, etc Link to post Share on other sites
Hobbler 494 Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 Getting a bit off topic, while I agree with you Dansar there is space for more friendly bee plants in the long term, I was thinking more short term. In a drought farmers can buy in feed (grain, hay, silage etc), what can a beekeeper do? Plant a big field of clover (or other suitable honey flower) and next minute the neighbour has hives on the boundry. Is there a market for sugar suryp honey? (Rhetorical) 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Grant 4,298 Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 Getting a bit off topic, while I agree with you Dansar there is space for more friendly bee plants in the long term, I was thinking more short term. In a drought farmers can buy in feed (grain, hay, silage etc), what can a beekeeper do? Plant a big field of clover (or other suitable honey flower) and next minute the neighbour has hives on the boundry. Is there a market for sugar suryp honey? (Rhetorical) Isn't that the idea being bee corridors, trees for bees and the upsurge in urban beekeeping? That people as well as having bees a rethinking their planting schemes to help provide a food source. Link to post Share on other sites
Janice 3,991 Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 It's two separate things. Bee corridors etc are a great theory and help maintain a healthy population as well as being a great aid to pollination. But to get best price for your honey you don't want just any old food source, you want monofloral honey that you can brand. However, if you plant it, your bees might still gather something else and muck up your branding, or your neighbour's bees might pinch half your harvest. Link to post Share on other sites
Shaun 1,555 Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 It's two separate things. Bee corridors etc are a great theory and help maintain a healthy population as well as being a great aid to pollination. But to get best price for your honey you don't want just any old food source, you want monofloral honey that you can brand. However, if you plant it, your bees might still gather something else and muck up your branding, or your neighbour's bees might pinch half your harvest. It would seem to me that getting the best price for monofloral honey and providing a good year round source of pollen and nector for the bees are opposing problems. When asked I say my honey is LOCAL multifloral cold extracted and unprocessed. 3 Link to post Share on other sites
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