will 0.5 mile make much differance - OSR

[The Riviera Kid]

I have been in touch with the local council. They're all old Tories who aren't into "green" things. Even when offered 100s of free trees, flowers and bulbs, the response was more or less total apathy. There is no real interest within the community either I put an article in the paper asking who was interested in getting involved with free resources (trees, flowers etc.) for the community and got exactly one reply. A few of us planted loads of bulbs and seeds at the end of our lane... and some anal ******** strimmed the lot. Then the "I've got a big car and I'm going to park it where I like" brigade started using it as a lay by and turned it to a quagmire - they were too lazy to walk 100 yards round the corner to a free council car park

So I do a bit here and a bit there on my own. Have given up trying to make a difference in the village at large and just plant quietly around where the bees live and keep my head down.

 

[BBG]

Don't give up but sounds like you have .....

It takes years and years to educate and that requires persistence and the right stimuli.

As for planting a few flowers - we're told a good sized colony visits 21M flowers in a day - a few Kg of seeds I'd say

 

[Finman]

- we're told a good sized colony visits 21M flowers in a day - a few Kg of seeds I'd say

If flowers are full of nectar, they need to visit only 10% out that amount.

 

[user 6228]

whats the maths on this then Finman?
if 1 km = less 50%
0.5km = less 25% is what i would of thought due to 50% less flying time.

More complex as the bees weigh the benefit the rape at a distance against nearer less good local sources. so the drop off is non linear. There's a bit of research been done this by using different concentrations of a sugar solution at different distances and then looking at how many bees went to each source, and even how fast they react when the concentration changes.

 

[Skyhook]

Most of the people here are hobby beekeepers, they are not looking to extract every last ounce of honey from every bee they have.

You have a one tracked mind, and its bordering on greed. You may have to earn all your money from beekeeping but most of the people here have day time jobs that pay the bills, they keep bees for enjoyment not financial gain.

A bit harsh, considering that the OP was about yield.

.

 

[Finman]

More complex as the bees weigh the benefit the rape at a distance against nearer less good local sources. so the drop off is non linear. There's a bit of research been done this by using different concentrations of a sugar solution at different distances and then looking at how many bees went to each source, and even how fast they react when the concentration changes.

I have an experince from one year. I had 10 hives in my home yard and the distance was 2 km to the rape. Weathers were wet and misty.
Bees carried full loads to the hive but no stores were left after 2 weeks.

last summer I met this case. 7 hives on 30 hectares fields.
A'lock 12:00 I visited on hives. rape had huge droplets in flowers but no bees flying. It was much fog during nights and day temp was 30c and at nights 20C.
It was same in fireweeds. 11 a'lock now bees or bumble bees in flowers.

but 16 a'clock the traffic was tremendous in rape hives. It was nearly chaos. I have fotos where bees are hanging around hive walls.

It took 2 weeks after blooming when bees were able to cap the yield. It had so much moisture and so thick layer in cells that it must be a huge work to handle the yield.

But however, the more they carry water in their nectar, the more they must work.

Linear and linear....
Last summer I had 2 hives aside of 7 hectare rape. They brought boath 150 kg honey, but they did not visited in rape. It was too hot, 30C . They visited somewhere else. I do not know where. Honey dew was one object.

.

 

[RoofTops]

I see my little contribution got the inevitable comments.

The point I was making was that if you want the maximum yield and hundred of pounds of OSR then take your hives to the fields.

But, if you only collect honey for personnal use and to give/sell to friends or people at work then such a glut may actually be an inconvenience. For the maximum yield you will also of course needs lots of supers (4+ per hive possibly) or be prepared to extract more than once during the honey flow. You will also need the buckets for it to set in and a warming cabinet to melt it when required. You can bottle directly but this does not usually give the best texture and have you a clean storage space for a few hundred jars even if you do bottle straight away?

For the last 2 years I have not moved my bees to OSR and they have flown variously between one and two miles. However, I still got about 2 Dadant Shallow supers worth of honey from each hive (50 pounds) during the OSR flow which was enough for me. Although I am selling through 2 outlets at the moment I have more OSR honey than I can sell. It is runny honey I am short of - so I won't be taking my hives to OSR this year either.

 

[Winker]

does it matter if you get 200 pounds or 200 kilos?

When yield drops 50% out of 400 pounds, it is
in money 600 £ ?

To situate hives in right place is one of the profound skills in beekeeping.

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A bit harsh, considering that the OP was about yield.

.

But as you can see the answer was not about yield, it was answered in what's lost in cash. Yield does not = cash. What about those of us who leave the Yield on for the bees to enjoy or to over winter on. I felt the answer at that point was money oriented as can be seen in the quote. He had stated 4 posts early what the drop in yield would be, no one had asked him what the finical loss would be.

 

[FreeFall]

A man out there campaigned for donkey's ears -

What an ass!

Now... where did I put that coat?

 

[Finman]

The point I was making was that if you want the maximum yield and hundred of pounds of OSR then take your hives to the fields.

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Roof top. I do not understands you thinking.

And hundred pouds? If you know something, it is not easy to get. How you get hundreds pounds if you average yield is 15 kg within hobbiers.

If the guy does not want honey, he must carry hives as far as possible from rape. And he has 3 hives for to "own" consumption.

I just told that it is a big difference, where you put those hives when you load them on carry.

Rooftop. When you make business, do you gather some money to your family and the rest stuff you give for free to trespassers.

***********

When I last visited in England, I was told that people must keep two job to get enough money to live in London. They rent rooms to visitors. I asked why to bother? Answer was lack of money.'

I cannot understand what royal family is that beekeeping gang when they do not want honey from hives and they are ready to pay 3-fold cost for hive boxes and frames.

OK, you laugh me, but I do not care what 2 hive owners think about me.
hardly they have basic knowledge to think.

I have bought my first flat with hobby honey money and situation was 5 km away from capital city centre.

******
I know that when you keep you hives on back yard in same place for years, you have no idea what means good pastures. That is the reason why you play rich, Lack of knowledge. Nothin else. 15kg honey per hive. Don't make me laugh. I get it in one week.

.

.

 

[Finman]

But as you can see the answer was not about yield, it was answered in what's lost in cash. Yield does not = cash. What about those of us who leave the Yield on for the bees to enjoy or to over winter on. I felt the answer at that point was money oriented as can be seen in the quote. He had stated 4 posts early what the drop in yield would be, no one had asked him what the finical loss would be.

In our country professional beekeeping is so hard job, that the first advice is that keep your wife in steady work out of family. That quarantees that you can make that job what you like.

"those of us who leave the Yield on for the bees to enjoy or to over winter "

That is "catch and release beekeeping"!!!.

.

 

[Finman]

.
Original question was and I answered to that.

Hi,


so what would you do if you where me and what is the increase/decrease in honey yield compared to being sited on rape and being 0.5 miles away

He did not mentioned that he has money so much that he do not know what to do with it.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Yield does not = cash.

Reading the posts of 99.9% of the beekeepers on here when the talk is about selling their honey for the top price they can get, it would seem that yield does = cash. No noticed many that give all the surplus away, or dumping it.

 

[Winker]

Reading the posts of 99.9% of the beekeepers on here when the talk is about selling their honey for the top price they can get, it would seem that yield does = cash. No noticed many that give all the surplus away, or dumping it.

Well you had better put me down as that 0.01% who gave it all away for free last year. A whole 150 jars.

As you may remeber from our last conversation, i dont go arguing about cash. Cash is easy to come by and even easyer to spend, ask my wife

I get my kicks out of watching that smile on people faces when they get a free jar of Honey. Now thats worth way more than any amount of money.

 

[FreeFall]

"those of us who leave the Yield on for the bees to enjoy or to over winter "
That is "catch and release beekeeping"!!!.
.

Brilliant, still laughing now. Thanks Finman, that made my day!

Nick

 

[Finman]

.
Honey prices in USA

http://www.honey.com/nhb/industry/industry-statistics/


International bulk prices Dec 2011


2011 ... /pound ... Br £
Canada ... $1.58 ... £1.00
Mexico ... $1.41 ... £0.89
Argentina ... $1.44 ... £0.91
China ... $2.08 ... £1.31
Average ... $1.63 ... £1.03


Average Wholesale Case Price Per Pound

Dec 2011 ...$4.12...........£2.60


Average Retail Price per Pound across all reporting regions

Dec 2011.....$5.31 .........£3.34

.

 

[Winker]

.
Honey prices in USA

http://www.honey.com/nhb/industry/industry-statistics/


International bulk prices Dec 2011


2011 ... /pound ... Br £
Canada ... $1.58 ... £1.00
Mexico ... $1.41 ... £0.89
Argentina ... $1.44 ... £0.91
China ... $2.08 ... £1.31
Bedfordshire... $0.00 ... £0.00
Average ... $1.63 ... £1.03


Average Wholesale Case Price Per Pound

Dec 2011 ...$4.12...........£2.60


Average Retail Price per Pound across all reporting regions

Dec 2011.....$5.31 .........£3.34

.

 

[Finman]

.
British honey prices April 2012



http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/grocery-categories/Honey_in_Tesco.html

100g

Australian eucalyptus honey .. 90 p

English organic heather honey ...1.17

Ordinary honey 40....80 p....

.....................................................What is "clear honey"?

Rowse pure natural 70 p

Orange blossom honey 90 p

and so on......kilo price when you add one null. Then devide half and it is pound price
.

 

[Winker]

.
British honey prices April 2012



http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/grocery-categories/Honey_in_Tesco.html

100g

Australian eucalyptus honey .. 90 p

English organic heather honey ...1.17

Ordinary honey 40....80 p....

.....................................................What is "clear honey"?

Rowse pure natural 70 p

Orange blossom honey 90 p

and so on......kilo price when you add one null. Then devide half and it is pound price
.

You have been doing it for 50 years, maybe when i have done it for 50 year i will worry about the price of honey. but for the next 48 years i will let the honey take care of its self and leave the money making for my day time job

 

[mbc]

In our country professional beekeeping is so hard job, that the first advice is that keep your wife in steady work out of family. That quarantees that you can make that job what you like.

"those of us who leave the Yield on for the bees to enjoy or to over winter "

That is "catch and release beekeeping"!!!.

.

Lol, superb analogy !