29
NEW ZEALAND BEEKEEPER, MARCH 2017
CHRISTCHURCH
NELSON/UPPER SOUTH ISLAND
[Editor’s note: Lindsay Moir wrote this report before the Port Hills fires. Fortunately, the Christchurch Hobbyist Beekeepers’ Club site was not damaged, but the fire came dangerously close to the site, as shown in the photo above.] What a lousy beekeeping season here in Christchurch: some are saying it’s the worst in 35 years. The cold southerlies keep coming and the bees are staying home. The odd hot nor’wester burns off any moisture that arrives. It seems the bees have gone from spring to autumn, missing summer altogether. Even some trees are showing a touch of yellow on their leaves. Fellow beekeepers are reporting honey packed around the brood and the bees are not even looking at anything above the queen excluder. Consequently, there have been late swarms including my own home hive, probably due to congestion triggering the swarming urge. Maybe there is still hope for a late crop. Some are reporting an average harvest of three three-quarter-depth supers from six hives to date. With autumn varroa treatment due soon, it doesn’t leave much time for excess honey to build up. Christchurch Hobbyist Beekeepers’Club hives are chewing through the stores they built up over spring and will need feeding. The club’s site is in a superb and secure area in an old orchard on the outskirts of Christchurch, at the foot of the Port Hills. However, it has never been a very good honey-producing site as the hills dry off early, leaving no forage for the bees. In my 20 years with the club, I can recall only two years when there has been surplus honey left over for sale after we have given some to the farm owner. Honey production is not the aim; educating beekeepers is (although it would be nice to have some honey to manipulate, as this would also be educational). Interest in beekeeping is still strong, with 132 people attending the last field day. About 75% were new potential beekeepers. Honey extraction was demonstrated, along with pollen cleaning and what to do with propolis mats. The club is hosting a one-day course for beginning beekeepers in March, which will cover the basics from woodware assembly to lighting your smoker, etc. The course is already fully subscribed, reflecting the continued strong interest from ‘newbees’. Local DECA courses are well attended, with requests for separate refreshers to be held as well. Some rescheduling has had to be done, as one course booked for Wairau was cancelled due to the Kaikoura earthquake.
Like the other regions, Nelson is also having a very patchy and poor season so far, with few reports of high levels of honey. This is probably not surprising given the unusual weather patterns we have had to date. Many fruit crops are also looking at an average or below-average season as well. Unless there is a dramatic change, it might be a case of making sure that hives are in good shape for the future cooler weather and stop thinking of the negative aspects. One advantage of such a season is it may make some cowboys who are just trying to make a quick buck in the industry go broke and disappear. On a more positive note, the publicity concerning wasps and the community-led plan to have a ‘WaspWipeout’week from 18–26 February appears to have been successful, with the initial funding target reached. The strategy is to have a coordinated approach to try and make Nelson a wasp- free region; it will be supreme if it’s successful. I for one am looking forward to the results. The fewer wasps, the better. I hope there is still some warm/ hot weather to come, as it has been distinctly lacking this season.
- Jason Smith
Above: David Alexander kindly supplied this photo showing the fire damage in the Hoon Hay Valley in the Port Hills, Christchurch, in February. Unfortunately, three houses and a shed burned in this location. The yellow circle shows the location of the Christchurch Hobbyist Beekeepers’ Club site. Club member Lindsay Moir praised the work of
the helicopters and ground crew in containing the fire. © David Alexander Photographer. All rights reserved.
Below: David Alexander took this photo of hives being worked on a field day at the Christchurch Hobbyist Beekeepers’ Club.The man in the brightly coloured suit is Kevin Gates.
Hoping for a late flow.
- Lindsay Moir
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