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NEW ZEALAND BEEKEEPER, MARCH 2017
Frank Lindsay, Life Member DEALING WITH A DIFFICULT SEASON AND PREPARING FOR WINTER ABOUT THE APIARY There is a real feel of cold in the air, indicating autumn is coming. Dew is covering the car in the mornings and already some of the willow leaves are turning yellow. While this is happening, I’m seeing the odd magnolia tree with flowers. Along the railway lines and in waste areas, fennel is flowering. In the hills, the last of the autumn sources, crimson vine rata and koromiko, are starting to flower.
Stuck in soft mud. All four wheels turning, but going nowhere.
Current conditions We are still getting a lot of ‘natural irrigation’on farms. I’m still using winter tyres and got stuck in a low area coming out of an apiary. I’ve got over the embarrassment of asking for help. I’ve spent hours getting myself out of holes and mud, jacking up to put on chains and then using a fencing strainer to gradually pull the truck forward, when a quick call to a farmer could have had me out in minutes and given them something to smile about. Everybody gets stuck at some time, but in summer? Our bees are confused. There’s a dribble of nectar coming in between showers, stimulating the bees to build up, but they are doing this mostly on the early honey they brought in. At the same time, bees in some apiaries are throwing out the drone pupae, a sure sign the season has ended. In Wellington, we have heard of large swarms taking off in early February. I don’t know whether we will we get a warm spell in late
autumn, with perhaps a late clover or lotus major flow, but recent night-time temperatures indicate that the season is over. I think it might be prudent to start feeding to put on winter stores and treat for varroa, and forget about doing any extracting once the treatments start, even if there is a late flow. Having healthy bees in the spring is more important. For those of us in the Wellington area, we just experienced the summer that wasn’t. This honey season is going to be hard on new entrants to the industry who were hoping to make money from mānuka. These beekeepers have fed supplements and sugar to boost bee numbers, only to see very little return for their effort. Don’t be tempted to take honey from around the brood nest as you are likely to be extracting part of your sugar feeding, which will end up as rejected honey because of high C4 sugars.
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