Wot....no honey?

[Finman]

A lot 'wrong in it ' if you expect honey to be stored in your supers. Not talking about a congested colony with no room for stores except in lower brood box. Maybe that's what you expect in Finland?

Such poking, again.

 

[B+.]

Beefarmer's reported 27 kg per colony UK average... ( ?2016 returns)

Finman "works " his bees for honey... that's what factory farming can do

When a Beefarmers income is derived from honey sales, it makes sense to manage them for the best honey crop they can get. In some cases, this may mean moving colonies from crop to crop, but, the management costs have to be considered too....so, there is a "intensive" vs "extensive" division. The farmer has to look at his own circumstances and decide which is more suitable to him.
In either case, it makes sense to have the best "factors of production" (including, equipment, forage, livestock, etc). Each step in the value chain should be optimised.
My test colonies are surrounded by field beans this year. All they have to do is fly 20 feet, or so, and they're at the start of the crop. However, when that is over, they have to manage with hedgerows, blackberries etc.
I weighed the colonies yesterday (https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/album.php?albumid=751&pictureid=3907 https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/album.php?albumid=751&pictureid=3906)
Max: 83.15 Kg
Min 68.55 Kg
Mean: 74.32 Kg
Most are in 5 deeps but one of them only has 4.

If a bee farmer can raise his average yield from 27 kg to, let's say, 74 Kg, that's a rise 47 Kg (and that's only until June, not the whole year). I believe that would make a substantial difference in the profitability of many bee farming organisations.

It's not really valid to compare 2016 figures with 2018, but, if they were comparable (my 2016 was much better than 2018), we're talking about a 174% increase in the harvest. That's not to be sniffed at!

 

[Swarm]

At the end of the day, it all comes down to the weather.

 

[For want of a better word]

A farmer friend... where I keep some of my colonies, came out of dairy about five years ago as the milk prices plummeted, and has invested heavily in raising calves for the milking market... a tagged intensive automatic feeding system under all weather covered facility... even the waste collection feeds a biomas heater system.

Bull calves go on for meat... I think they get exported?

He manages his fields for haylidge... but he leaves a hefty margin for wildflowers which is good for my bees.

How do I convince him to grow beans as a cattle feed?

I can not argue that the factory farming methods are not profitable!

Time to change into my smock and chew a long straw whilst passing time with the holiday folk.... and sell them some honey from my old WBC hives!!!

Yeghes da

 

[mbc]

Zero grazing herds are creeping in around here, I find it difficult to come to terms with myself, foragers burning diesel at times bringing fresh grass to cattle on concrete!!

 

[For want of a better word]

Zero grazing herds are creeping in around here, I find it difficult to come to terms with myself, foragers burning diesel at times bringing fresh grass to cattle on concrete!!

What next... Factory farming honey from Bees in a hive with a tap on the back to directly bottle raw, fresh homey... no maintenance or beekeeping skills needed at all.. just fill the plastic box with bees and away you go.... perhaps I could crowd fund my invention?

Happy fathers day to all you dads out there!!!


Yeghes da

 

[enrico]

Zero grazing herds are creeping in around here, I find it difficult to come to terms with myself, foragers burning diesel at times bringing fresh grass to cattle on concrete!!

Same here, beautiful fields with cattle kept in barns and hundreds of tractors moving cattle **** and feed! Trouble is they probably run on red deisel!!!
E

 

[Haughton Honey]

We’re next to a 1600 head herd of zero grazed dairy cows, serviced by 1500 acres of grassland.

Silaging starts 2nd week of February during some years.

 

[Beefriendly]

Field adjacent to our property has cows and calves happily grazing away. Plus a resident hare called twinkle...

 

[theeggman]

Same here, beautiful fields with cattle kept in barns and hundreds of tractors moving cattle **** and feed! Trouble is they probably run on red deisel!!!
E

I run a couple of old tractors and a standbye genny on red diesel and since the fuel crisis a few years ago when farmers blockaded terminals it's not cheap any more. Gordon cancelled our £5 road tax for a tractor and added I "think" about 40 p litre duty on red diesel. Because I run the tractors from the same tank as the genny I can't claim the exemption for fixed equipment.

It all looks great from the outside.

 

[SDM]

This is by far my best spring crop this century, here in wet west Wales there's still good ground moisture and everything seems poised for a summer flow commencing in the next week. (Touch wood, cross fingers, kiss blarny stone etc. )

Same here, I didn't think harvests like this were possible in a N.Wales spring and as you say things look quite nicely primed for the main flow.