Heather 2018

[Ian123]

Back in 2007 or 08 we had a very dry summer in the south. I remember it quite well as we took the roof of our bungalow and replaced with second storey it got to stage we did not even bother covering up at night. It lasted from about last week in may to first week in August when we had some heavy rain the heather on the heath that year was good. And that ground is as sandy and dry as you can get

 

[mickbees23]

I am nowhere near ready to go to the heather yet, colonies still stuffing the frames with god knows what. No June gap this year but it looks like everything will come to a halt very quickly soon. No Himalayan balsam in my area.

 

[mickbees23]

Sunny and dry forecast here for the next 2 weeks so its bound to rain. Cheers, Mick.

As usual I am right and the BBC weather wrong. Pouring down here this morning. The BBC have completely no understanding of the Teesside or North East climate.

 

[Millet]

As usual I am right and the BBC weather wrong. Pouring down here this morning. The BBC have completely no understanding of the Teesside or North East climate.

I am over the moon it has finally rained and so will the 15acres of thistle fields around the hives, they seem to flower forever and the bees are all over them and the clover.

 

[Tonyatcwfarm]

Don't bring hives to the heather but the biggest home apiary colonies find bog heather sites close by and usually fill a super each that I can't extract
Last year I scraped some comb back to the foundation and used it for jars with a chunk added
Plan this year
Iv made up 30 super frames with plastic foundation
Going to try sell full frames if they do get a heather flow

 

[Beefriendly]

As usual I am right and the BBC weather wrong. Pouring down here this morning. The BBC have completely no understanding of the Teesside or North East climate.

Dunno about pouring down
BBC local hourly forecast for Redcar and Saltburn was drizzle and light rain clearing to cloud and cool 16C...So we headed over there for a respite from this oppressive humid heat where we live. We drove through drizzle and light rain which cleared to cloud and the coolness was heaven... I even had to put on a light sweater for the first time in months. Went paddling and usual fish and chips and Ice cream....
Drove back over the western moors....heather status report in next post.....

 

[Beefriendly]

Western edges of North Yorks moor heather update.

All is stunningly well and appears to be on normal time schedule. Bell is out and the scent was good. Ling is about 2 weeks away from being in full bloom, most plants are just starting their florets; odd one going slightly pink. All strong healthy looking plants.
Most hay fields that have been recently mown are mainly green up there. Where we are they are brown.
Fire warnings on every entrance to the moors. Camp sites looked deserted as stoves are banned from being used....still didn't stop silly barsteward having a BBQ at the Lord Stones....they dug the fire out just in time......

As HM said there is a lot of water locked up in the moors.

 

[Hivemaker.]

And how did the heather yield in 1976?
In comparison to other years....

...found this about yields in various places...https://www.evacranetrust.org/uploads/document/5e274ee382a8183f686338ee37377872757cae2c.pdf

Tipping down with rain here now.

 

[Beefriendly]

Thanks for that....suggests we are in for a ling disaster Although the 76 drought started later after a dry winter.
On a positive note mine were bringing in bell nectar but hadn't collected enough to cap it over and I can now smell ling heather in there....so once more my hopes of a bell heather crop are dashed.
Had a couple of tremendous thunderstorms today but drop in the ocean....more rain forecast for weekend. Please.
We shall wait and see what happens on the moors, could well be location location location.

 

[buzz lightyear]

Anyone on the Derbyshire moors? Just wondering the state of play. To go or not to go, that is the question.
Our game keeper seems to think it;ll be another week or so before it really gets going. Thoughts...
Thanks all

 

[Gwr]

We’ve had our best crop from bell heather this year, over 40lb from each of my 14 hives and the ling has been out for 13 days and I’m already up to 3 supers on each hive, 2 are nearly capped and 3rd supers partially filled. I’ve put 2 more supers on each hive as they are going great guns.

This year none of my hives produced any swarm cells and all have stayed producing brood so they are bursting at the seams with bees, so I have the perfect storm for honey production which will be a first for me.

The long sunny days and then several days of rain have been brilliant for us and the nectar flow this year and now with heather coming in I guess that’s the joys of living within a hundred yards or so of the Ling heather - don’t we’d to move my hives.

 

[Beefriendly]

Excellent news. Need to see how mine that are already up there are doing....

 

[Hivemaker.]

Strong colonies at some sites have now filled three supers with heather honey in just over a week, rather annoying as cannot get some apiaries cleared of normal honey as fast as I would like to.

 

[Beefriendly]

Aye, it's a bugger...It's mad up there at the moment.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Heather not really opened with us yet, still a week or so away I should think

 

[SDM]

Heather not really opened with us yet, still a week or so away I should think

Same here.
On the plus side, being a seek or so early makes a nice change to always being a seek or 2 late. Not sure what we'll be getting for weather mind you.

 

[Hivemaker.]

...just back from checking another group of 50 hives, they were taken to the site 10 days ago, 40 of the fifty have almost fully filled two supers and need a third adding.
...so the long dry period looks to of made little difference to the heather, perhaps all that water held in the big sponges.

 

[SDM]

Unfortunately a flow won't have started here til were into more typically crappy weather.
Can't win em all.

 

[Gwr]

4 supers totally filled and capped on all my hives with heather honey already and 2 more supers are drawn out and being filled. I wish I’d have been able to start with predrawn frames but had to start with empty foundation and some skewer frames this time.

This is the most honey we’ve ever had so it’s excitting times for us.

 

[Beefriendly]

Business as usual on the Western edges of the North Yorks moors. Between 2- 3 supers filled and mostly capped per hive, had to add more supers as running out of room. These ones only went up there 10 days ago and some more were only taken up there today. And no, these ones haven't got three supers full. My bees are good but not that good
Could be a lot more to come. The heather is not yet fully out in some places, it seems the flowering is a bit staggered. Possibly due to different soil moisture during the drought? Who knows but it might extend the flow
Lots of commercial operations hogging greats swathes of the moors, just as well there is plenty of room up there for us hobbyists as well.