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NEW ZEALAND BEEKEEPER, DECEMBER 2016
FROM THE COLONIES REGIONAL REPORTS
[Editor's note: these colonies reports were written before the North Canterbury earthquakes.]
WAIKATO
We are no longer in mud; instead, the drying winds have taken their toll and the ground is hard and cracked. However, rain has finally come, which is a relief. Meantime the western parts of the Waikato have been doused with rain and the beekeepers are sick of it. In line with the vagaries of the weather are colonies that are very variable, some ready to take a crop while others are struggling. Beekeepers here are disconcerted by the arrival of the ‘corporate’ businesses. Huge loads of hives have been brought to the Coromandel in the past couple of weeks and a number of local beekeepers—people who not only work their hives here but live here too—have come up against the promises of money and been asked to leave their current hive sites. This is very often at short notice. In the end, everyone will lose out because there will not be enough mānuka or bush nectar to support such huge numbers of hives. In the central Waikato there are similar concerns regarding the huge ‘assembly line’ holding yards where the hives change in vast numbers almost daily. Maybe the managers of these operations should pay more attention to the lectures at Conference (e.g., Gordon Wardell on almond pollination in the USA). The day one of the field-staff beekeepers overlooks a case of AFB will start a major headache for many others. I was shocked to see a photo of giant willow aphids infesting Japanese fodder willow in the King Country: see photo at right. I presume that the mild winter has meant that aphids have overwintered well and are already into their new season. Some biological control measures can’t come soon enough. The Waikato Hub will have held two more Apicell meetings by the time this goes to press, then probably a lull while we all concentrate on getting the best from the summer season. However, we have set a date for a field day, to be held on Saturday 8 April 2017 in Thames. Although open to all, the particular focus of the field day will be for new entrant beekeepers. I should have more information on this for the next colonies column in February.
Giant willow aphid, taken on 21 September. Photo: Rob Atkinson.
BAY OF PLENTY
BOP is a hive of activity with kiwifruit pollination in full swing. I had some hives in a hail net trial and have been pleased with the results. I will expand on this in the next journal. I am hearing reports of very big differences in hive conditions between beekeepers. Overstocking in areas is becoming a problem, but it can happen very easily because you may have no idea of sites that may only be 500 metres away. Beekeepers need to network and talk to each other to get on top of this problem. I am starting to see irresponsible beekeepers filling up at service stations with no scrim over their bees again. We will get banned from using these stations if these few idiots don’t start being more considerate. The general public is scared of bees.
Meantime, I wish everyone a sweet and successful season.
- Pauline Bassett, Life Member
Photo taken by 15-year-old Emily Woods, Opotiki.
Anyway, we are looking forward to a great season.
- Bruce Lowe
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