kaihoka

That is good to know . So I should order in autumn ?

Will breeders sell just one or two queens to a hobyist . A few yrs ago they wouldnt bother . I breed my own queens because I could not buy singles , has that changed . ? I would like to introduce new genetics .

You obviously have a sheltered location . I am surprised when I check a nuc of a newly hatched queen that she is still there .

My rabbits love it too. They would be so happy to live in that paddock . No worries about them digging holes unless you reinforce their feet with titanium .

Between beekeepers and purists I totally agree . But your average punter who buys a jar of borage honey because they like taste would get confused and it would effect sales . Even if it was only temporary , in the current honey sales climate it would not be worth the risk to be botanically accurate . White rata vine is a rata , but I do call it white rata .

If you were trying to sell it in a jar you would have to call it what consumers were used to , accurate or not .

I have catsear everywhere here but the bees completely ignore it . They will be on the lotus right beside it .

I always put food colouring in my syrup when I feed . I can tell whose robbing who . The colour shows up well in new frames but in dark brood frames it harder to tell .

Running as small a country as NZ as one herd makes a lot of sense in efficiency. Its such a shame that the whole process has been ruined by what ever stupidity let M bovis in the country .

From.your description I think I have very little southern rata honey here .

How is the honey different ?

How can you tell the ratas apart in the frames . What colour is northern rata . It would be very hard to get the consumer to start calling borage honey ,echium honey . It would be a marketing disaster .

That beautiful . What is the pink flowers . How far south does the echium grow .?

What sort of alcohol do you use . I have some industrial stuff for cleaning my garlic . Or do you use whisky or vodka etc

Is there more honey coming in if you wanted it . I have learnt if you want the bees to clean up and refil the wets properly you have to put them on when theres a flow. If I take too much wax off when I scrape and put it back in the hive when the flows nearly over they cap the frame over with thin layer of honey .