heather watch

[Millet]

If that offer had been made to me I'd be straight over to have a look

I made a offer on here for anyone local to North Yorkshire , as i have secure access to a heather moor 5yrd's away from the hive location, nobody took the offer up, i just wish i had more stronger hives as the area of heather is huge.

 

[snelgrove]

I made a offer on here for anyone local to North Yorkshire , as i have secure access to a heather moor 5yrd's away from the hive location, nobody took the offer up, i just wish i had more stronger hives as the area of heather is huge.

You could still move weaker hives and get some stores for winter.

 

[Millet]

You could still move weaker hives and get some stores for winter.

I have the best of both worlds C , the current hive location i have is 50 yrds from my lady friends back garden in Northumberland which is in the middle of know where with a good amount of forage throughout the year, whatever hives i have there are doing something wrong (or me) if they can not gather winter stores, that is option A , option B is the heather Moor if i ever have more than two hives , i also have option C in the north east with similar spring forage but Himalayan balsam is that winter store forage.

 

[Plenty of honey]

See my notes on Heather Honey Beekeeping here http://tinyurl.com/n4xeq4b

Very informative thanks for sharing. good write up, clear and easy to follow11

 

[peterbees]

Very informative thanks for sharing. good write up, clear and easy to follow11

You're welcome.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Thank you, Peter.
I'd love to have a go....just the one hive
I must get out and see where there is heather.
Meanwhile I will be first in the queue at your stall in Conwy

 

[protheroe]

heathers coming along now.took 30 hives up so hope the rest of august will be nice weather
http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/at...ent.php?attachmentid=13494&stc=1&d=1470989348

 

[hallshoney]

Been out with supers this evening with the unmistakable faint wiff of heather coming in but hardly any colour on this patch it's hard to see where it's coming from

 

[BMH]

Was up in the heather today

All colonies have drawn 2 supers of foundation and filled about 1 on average

Going away for 2 weeks on Monday.

Do you reckon I should add another super on each one as insurance?

Its not going to hinder their performance is it?

 

[Hedgerow Honey]

aa

 

[daroco]

Was up in the heather today

All colonies have drawn 2 supers of foundation and filled about 1 on average

Going away for 2 weeks on Monday.

Do you reckon I should add another super on each one as insurance?

Its not going to hinder their performance is it?

Going to check mine tomorrow (they had a drawn super each and one of foundation) - hoping for a similar result. If they have filled one I'll take that away and give them another drawn super. The issue is getting what they've stored capped, so it'll be a judgement call on your part I think.

 

[daroco]

Having now checked the hives are sitting in a sea of ling heather and nothing else to be seen. All had a super full of nectar, some were rapidly filling a second and they have been given a third. They're just starting to cap over some of the honey in the lowest supers - but looking very promising.

 

[daroco]

On a separate note - what elevation are people's colonies at? Trying to figure out how much of a factor altitude is.

 

[Briarfield]

2 sites.

2 colonies @ 240m
1 colony @ 195m


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[daroco]

I'm wondering what's highest anyone has theirs?

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

I have heather in my foraging range and I think they are on it. I had takeoff queues (in that direction) on my landing boards at 5:35 am, with it barely light, and the loudest buzz I have ever heard from the apiary as they went out.

So it looks like the conditions have favoured it (my weather has been very typical of the country this year) and I wish everyone a good heather year.

 

[Gwr]

My bees are at around 1100 ft amsl, all year.

 

[maddydog]

My bees are at around 1100 ft amsl, all year.

I guess that can be challenging

 

[For want of a better word]

Bell heather and blueberries in abundance on my new Kit Hill Apiary.... so much coming in I had to put another super on,,,, Colonies down by the banks of the greatgreygreengreasysiimeysmellytamarriveraallsetaboutwithunafordableemptysecondhomes
are full with honey... most uncapped!

Yeghes da

 

[Gwr]

I guess that can be challenging

Yes, It has many of those moments unfortunately.

I have friends with bees who are 400 ft below me in the next village and the difference between his and mine is outstanding.

For example, none of my hive produce a single swarm cell at all this year ( I've done no splits or moved brood frames around) , plus very few drones were seen, yet his 2 hives swarmed 3 times and has produced 5 supers worth of honey.

I've yet to get any honey of mine - that said, it's well into heather time and my hives are packed to the brim with bees, so it's not all bad news keeping bees up here.