Off to the Heather

[AndyTh]

Good news JB, and looking at the forecast with fingers tightly crossed for all our hives on heather. There's nothing round here in lowland arable Worcestershire for my bees that remain so I'd like to let them join in the fun and games ( and hard work) up on the heather moors. Can I get organised for a second trip in the next few days? Jury is out on that one..

 

[Hivemaker.]

I often see upwards of 50 hives in single sites on the heather (the bee farmers) so it's probably okay.

I have a couple of sites where we put upwards of 50 hives, but most sites are around 25 to 30 hives.
Excellent heavy flow from the heather going on at present.

 

[Beefriendly]

Counted the commercial guys hives yesterday on the road to one of my sites, 25 was the common denominator for their sites, all single brood and single super. The 50 hives guy is not here this year, yet..he only moves west when "his" patch doesn't yield.
Flow in North Yorks moors west side is also excellent at the moment, I can't remember the last time the scent of heather was so strong. Although that might be due to an operation earlier this year to remove nasal polyps so I can smell things again

 

[Hivemaker.]

Excellent heavy flow from the heather going on at present.

Checked out several apiaries today, the majority have almost filled two supers since last Thursday... and third supers added, even the dinks have managed to fill one , so second supers added.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Checked out several apiaries today, the majority have almost filled two supers since last Thursday... and third supers added, even the dinks have managed to fill one , so second supers added.

Perhaps Stan and I should have a late few days away in the camper and relieve you of a bucket?

 

[SDM]

Checked out several apiaries today, the majority have almost filled two supers since last Thursday... and third supers added, even the dinks have managed to fill one , so second supers added.

There's probably only been one flying day here since last Thursday. With another few days lousy weather forecast I'm mixing syrup to take up to mine. Tomorrow is decent then 3 days of rain and 30mph+ winds.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Tomorrow is decent then 3 days of rain and 30mph+ winds.

That's what the last six weeks have been here

 

[Hivemaker.]

There's probably only been one flying day here since last Thursday. With another few days lousy weather forecast I'm mixing syrup to take up to mine. Tomorrow is decent then 3 days of rain and 30mph+ winds.

The strange thing is it has also been windy and raining here most of the time, but the bees are still flying like the clappers in the rain... to the heather, mind it is also very warm here in the rain.

 

[Beefriendly]

Warm rain....Yah Jessie....soft southern bees....my hard as nails northern bees are out flying in all the really really cold rain we have uuup here. Boy have we had some wind and rain recently....but despite this mine have mainly filled a couple of supers and started capping them, one exceptional colony has done 4 supers and was out of room...so added a 5th.
Can never figure out why one colony does so exceptionally well, when the other, equally as strong hives, sat next to them produce much less. Although an average of 3 supers per hive on the heather is probably not most peoples idea of less.

 

[Michael Palmer]

Checked out several apiaries today, the majority have almost filled two supers since last Thursday... and third supers added, even the dinks have managed to fill one , so second supers added.

Good for ya'll. Always nice to hear of flows like that. Hopefully the price will stay up.

 

[AndyTh]

HM, amazing flow then. I'm just across the Severn at Blaenavon do, hopefully, mine are doing well too. Haven't been able to visit so far, but work in Cardiff on Saturday gives me the opportunity to take more supers. Forecast looking to be continuing ok?

 

[Beefriendly]

Good for ya'll. Always nice to hear of flows like that. Hopefully the price will stay up.

Or the amounts HM describes his yields in tons....mine are still in lbs....admittedly a good three figures of pounds. Perhaps the difference between a hobbyist and a professional.

 

[Swarm]

HM, amazing flow then. I'm just across the Severn at Blaenavon do, hopefully, mine are doing well too. Haven't been able to visit so far, but work in Cardiff on Saturday gives me the opportunity to take more supers. Forecast looking to be continuing ok?

The hills are purple up in Maerdy but been under a thick, grey blanket on Monday. Weather has been brighter since then so ....... good luck.

 

[Millet]

I was bombing along a moor road yesterday in North yorkshire on a Quad bike that is surrounded by heather, the smell of the flowers in the air was something else, i have three secure spots for as many hives as i want and that smell has got me tempted for next year.

 

[protheroe]

Went and checked hives yesterday and very little being stored in supers.weathers been horrid up the mountain.thunder and lightning going off overhead while checking hives

 

[Beefriendly]

Went and checked hives yesterday and very little being stored in supers.

You need extremely strong hives full of bees to take full advantage of the heather crop. Weaker hives bring in berger all.
Guess the problem is define weak/strong hive.
For me a strong hive for the heather starts when I knock double brood hives down to single brood (9 frames brood, 1 stores, 1 pollen and redistribute the remaining frames with brood to other hives as required) and replace space with empty supers. Not 100% foolproof, but added a 5th super to one hive last week as they had filled (not capped yet) 4 in 2 weeks.
Worst have filled one super, average is about 3....with about another 4 weeks to go.

 

[protheroe]

They were my strongest hives.some doubles knocked back to singles and brood and halves.amazing flow last year but not this year

 

[Poly Hive]

I heard it stated with confidence that when the heather pollen rose in clouds whilst walking through it, that was it over, time to move the hives home.

Anyone agree or otherwise?

PH

 

[Into the lions den]

I heard it stated with confidence that when the heather pollen rose in clouds whilst walking through it, that was it over, time to move the hives home.

Anyone agree or otherwise?

PH

LOL... old timer Jimmy Glen...........a long departed local beekeeper of some scale I knew when I was young used to say that UNLESS the pollen was flying it was not worth going. He also used to say if you did not get your feet wet when moving to the heather it was not worth going.

Contradictory lore?

 

[alfazer]

I'm trying ling heather for my first time at the moment. Weather has been poor recently but the flow is on now for sure. Just keeping bees about 4 years, but I've never seen anything quite like this before. Standing behind the five hives this morning, it's like watching a 100 lane motorway in the sky as they approach. So fingers crossed for some ling honey.