Heather honey 2022?

[The Poot]

after a pessimistic forecast for here, I've just been rushing around the home apiary before the heavens open as they're shovelling in the heather, even three newly promoted nucs now begging for a second super.

“You can never tell with bees”

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

saw reports on facebook earlier that a lot are reporting the best heather season in Wales for years

 

[Erichalfbee]

after a pessimistic forecast for here, I've just been rushing around the home apiary before the heavens open as they're shovelling in the heather, even three newly promoted nucs now begging for a second super.

I’ll have a bucket off you then, Emyr.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I’ll have a bucket off you then, Emyr.

It's in the book already

 

[elainemary]

Checked my 2 colonies on the moor on Sunday which I took up with 2 empty supers each. One full super of heather honey each colony (couple of frames with early signs of capping), second super all combs were half filled. They’ve been on the moor, for 5 days, doing well.

Meanwhile at home put a 4th super on one colony and a 3rd on another, both have filled one empty super with heather / garden flowers honey and needed another whilst finishing off the other supers from pre heather flow.

@mbc the queen you supplied me in July is doing well, on 9 frames of brood. I’ve just put a second super on her colony, she’s in a different apiary but again within flying distance of the heather & smells strongly of heather nectar

I’m having to take full frames of heather / balsam mix out of double Nucs (will use as winter feed later) and giving back empty comb for space

Forecast rain yesterday and today but hasn’t happened here in West Yorkshire.

 

[biglongdarren]

There was a lovely flow on this past few weeks in the Mournes, some hives with the second brood nearly filled, will get up tomorrow evening to see what the change in weather has done . Haven't been up since last Wednesday.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Memorial to Gwenllian at Kidwelly Castle.

this came up on farcebook this morning:
The battle of grug mawr.. Nr of aberteifi (cardigan) October 1136...the combined armies of gwynedd and deheubarth under comand of owain gwynedd, cadwaladr ap gryffudd and gryffudd ap rhys come together seeking vengeance for thr brutal muder of princess gwenllian (the mother of the future lord rhys, prince and saviour of wales.)... The battle was a complete rout of the English forces that were confident of an easy victory that morning.... Their forces led by Robert fitz Martin, Robert fitz Stephen and maurice fitz gerald buoyed with over confidence led a charge uphill not realising the layout and makeup of welsh force's... Massed archers showered the chargung knights possibly from the hillocks over looking the battle field causing the english forces many casualties (3000 dead) and mass panic broke out amongst them before turning and running... To be engaged and chased back into cardigan by over 2000 welsh cavalry... The cry of cofiwch Gwenllian (remember Gwenllian) was raised and a Massed charge of wales fuelled with hatred and revenge they tore through the streets of cardigan burning and slaughtering...several reports say of the bridge over the teifi collapsing under the weight of English men... The push back had began!!!
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[Into the lions den]

saw reports on facebook earlier that a lot are reporting the best heather season in Wales for years

Reports now coming in of a really good heather week up to Monday all over the north and west of the UK. Up our way it ground to a halt and has turned very autumnal now....all our east and south heather past its best...northwest heather still good but no flow since the heatwave went past (heather a bit roasted). However even if no more comes in its still a good year for most...........bad news on that of course is that it will not be a price rise year, and with everything else rocketing up it is not great for returns. Might be the situation for a couple of years as one or two out of Yorkshire are reporting getting equivalent to 2/3/4 years of crop in one hit. One bee farmer suggesting 80 to 100kg average......that's fantasy land.

 

[peterbees]

Heather honey on my hives at home today, a mile from the heather on the Carneddau, north Wales. Better than expected.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

smelt heather at one apiary today - more than four miles from the nearest patch!

 

[Erichalfbee]

Better than expected.

Thank heavens. Conwy heather honey is lovely.

 

[peterbees]

Thank heavens. Conwy heather honey is lovely.

We have over 25 beekeepers booked in to sell honey at the Conwy Honey Fair on Tues. 13th September.

 

[Nannysbees]

this came up on farcebook this morning:
The battle of grug mawr.. Nr of aberteifi (cardigan) October 1136...the combined armies of gwynedd and deheubarth under comand of owain gwynedd, cadwaladr ap gryffudd and gryffudd ap rhys come together seeking vengeance for thr brutal muder of princess gwenllian (the mother of the future lord rhys, prince and saviour of wales.)... The battle was a complete rout of the English forces that were confident of an easy victory that morning.... Their forces led by Robert fitz Martin, Robert fitz Stephen and maurice fitz gerald buoyed with over confidence led a charge uphill not realising the layout and makeup of welsh force's... Massed archers showered the chargung knights possibly from the hillocks over looking the battle field causing the english forces many casualties (3000 dead) and mass panic broke out amongst them before turning and running... To be engaged and chased back into cardigan by over 2000 welsh cavalry... The cry of cofiwch Gwenllian (remember Gwenllian) was raised and a Massed charge of wales fuelled with hatred and revenge they tore through the streets of cardigan burning and slaughtering...several reports say of the bridge over the teifi collapsing under the weight of English men... The push back had began!!!
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So interesting

 

[Curly green finger's]

heather flow still going here in Shropshire comb is still being drawn from the flow and at best I have some colony’s with a brood box and two /three supers capped ready for extracting, all of my demareed colony’s have been finished on the heather
Also all colony’s have hit the heather this year like last year, single brood have three supers and this has been the best heather season so far for me


Heather stance up on the hill in the distance.
Starting to extract next week .

 

[Erichalfbee]

all of my demareed colony’s have been finished on the heather

How do you mean? You’re getting them to put heather into the top brood?

 

[Curly green finger's]

How do you mean? You’re getting them to put heather into the top brood?

Yes also finishing of drawing comb in the bottom bc

 

[pargyle]

Yes also finishing of drawing comb in the bottom bc

So what are you going to do with a top box half full of heather honey and brood ? I don't understand what you are doing - you can't extract it can you ?

 

[Curly green finger's]

So what are you going to do with a top box half full of heather honey and brood ? I don't understand what you are doing - you can't extract it can you ?

No brood in the top box

 

[Erichalfbee]

So what are you going to do with a top box half full of heather honey and brood ? I don't understand what you are doing - you can't extract it can you ?

It won’t have brood but it will have been brooded so will be really hard to uncap.

 

[user 20297]

No brood in the top boxView attachment 33540

....but great frames of lovely honey Mark. By the bleed-through on the cappings, you must have had a very healthy brood-nest before the Demaree. Great stuff and nice, clear photo.
I'm just waiting for the first critique of your frame-building technique.