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NEW ZEALAND BEEKEEPER, DECEMBER 2016
‘Most of the time, I was to be found in the extraction room, a temperature-controlled unit within the gargantuan storage shed. Between two of us, we were expected to extract around seven pallets’ worth of super frames per day; this translates as around 1260 standard Langstroth frames over an eight or nine hour period. This number diminished if we were extracting manuka honey as its thick, gelatinous consistency means it travels through the tanks and tubes at a slower rate than other types of honey. ‘I really enjoyed working in extraction as I enjoy training to perfect manual tasks, in addition to getting the chance to see the super combs from many very different colonies. I was able to study various types of honey and pollen, as well as patterns in which honey can be stored by the bees within Langstroth boxes. (Here at Beeworthy Hives in the UK, we use modified National hives.) ‘When there was beekeeping to be done, depending on the task in hand, a small crew of between three and six beekeepers would disembark from headquarters in suitable vehicles with all the relevant kit (for hive inspections, varroa treatment, honey harvesting, etc) and set out to visit the numerous apiaries all over the Kaimai Range, the Waikato and Taranaki. The team worked quickly and efficiently to complete the tasks in hand, the newer and younger beekeepers (such as myself) always under the watchful eyes of the more experienced members of the crew. ‘The days could feel long. One had to remember to remain hydrated when suited up under the midday sun, but I’m sure I could never tire of driving around such a breathtakingly beautiful island.
Loaded up and ready to go to the manuka.
Phoebe’s story Phoebe tells her story in her own words: ‘As an apprentice bee farmer nearing the completion of my first training year, I was granted the opportunity to travel to New Zealand to study migratory beekeeping on a large-scale commercial honey farm. ‘After approximately 30 hours in the air, I found myself in Tauranga, a port city located on the north-eastern side of North Island. My placement was with Ralph and Jody Mitchell of Kaimai Range Honey. I was to assist with the management of more than 3000 colonies of honey bees in apiaries all over North Island. The Mitchells also possess a large extraction unit and take on extraction contracts from other local bee farmers. I was welcomed into a diverse multi-national team of mixed ages and abilities, and so the work began. ‘At the very start of my stay I was invited to shadow the team as they loaded 200 palletised colonies on to trucks and drove through the night for over 350 km. We were taking the bees into the Taranaki bushland, where densely growing manuka means that many copses and clearings suitable as apiaries can only be reached by helicopter! I was astounded to watch the hives get strapped together, lifted delicately into the air to be flown over the treetops to their new locations. ‘The colonies would not be inspected for a number of weeks during the summer, so only the strongest colonies had been selected for manuka-gathering and supers had been added pre-emptively.
Kaimai Range Honey Kaimai Range Honey, where Phoebe Lamb was placed, was started ten years ago by Ralph and Jody Mitchell. It is now a 1500 colony, multi-award-winning family business which specialises in manuka honey production throughout North Island. It also provides kiwi fruit pollination services locally around the Tauranga area. The business is a fully export- certified RMP (risk management programme) honey extraction and storage facility. The couple are also part of another 1500+ colony operation in a joint venture with friends. This business is called Kai Ora Honey, in Northland. In New Zealand, Kaimai Range Honey sells speciality honeys exclusively through the Tauranga farmers’market, but the majority of its honey is exported to Europe and Asia. The Mitchells are continuing a family tradition of beekeeping in the Kaimai Range since the 1920s with both of their daughters, Tamara and Zoe, actively working with the busy team. Members of the team are mainly in their 20s with around seven working from the home base and six working up north. Ralph is originally from Cornwall, in the UK. He went to New Zealand in 1989 to work, at the age of 21. Ralph and Jody are actively involved with the National [Beekeepers ] Association of New Zealand; Jody is vice president of the Bay of Plenty branch. [This article was written before the NBA became ApiNZ.]
Bees hard at work in Egmont National Park, Taranaki.
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