dansar

What crop was that for? interesting one was white clover- 19,000 or so bees per hectare.

This one here ? https://www.agrifutures.com.au/wp-content/uploads/publications/12-059.pdf

Waikato pasture

Honey

@JohnF would it be fair to say that a large amount of bee research being done overseas is relatable to NZ? Not negating the research done here because there are NZ specific problems. I just wonder if researchers in nz is trying to source money from a very small group, whereas overseas there is a huge pool of people to fund from.

A lot (most?) beekeepers, both long time and new to the industry have experienced an exceptional lift in their incomes compared to before the Manuka boom. Do you see it as a period of a re-evaluating of the expected “lifestyle” some have become accustomed to, and a number exiting as the can earn better incomes elsewhere, even get a better return on investment elsewhere?

So many parts of the country with no excess honey flow. Hives are maintaining weight (barely). Some sites require a hive or two topping up with some syrup. On the positive side, the weather has settled somewhat and finally getting a better percentage of queens mated. Hives that haven’t performed have been used to split for replacements and hopefully a few increases.

True. I talked about heaps of other stuff regarding the bumblebee and honey bee. They had only so much space to put words in.

And here’s the update. South Waikato beekeeper believes pesticide to blame for death of bumblebees in Timaru | Stuff.co.nz WWW.STUFF.CO.NZ A South Waikato beekeeper is imploring people not to spray pesticide on flowers...

Well that was interesting, I was contacted by the Timaru newspaper that published the article about the bumblebees. They are going to make corrections to the article based on the information I gave them about bumblebees and pollinators.

Found a few of those but I always assumed it was because the new queen in the hive had stung and killed the developing pupa.

Those out for a walk along Timaru’s Raymond St on Christmas Day would have been confronted by hundreds of dead and dying bumblebees. Hundreds of bees found dead along Timaru footpath | Stuff.co.nz I.STUFF.CO.NZ Those out for a walk along Timaru’s Raymond St on Christmas Day would have been confronted by hundreds of...

I still look in there Dave, so keep posting please ?

Are you still looking for old scales? This set came up on FB Marketplace.

Perhaps it is a nectar producer?, it isn’t recognised as a pollen source for bees. http://www.gw.govt.nz/assets/Land-Management/Akura-Infosheet-Plants-to-attract-bees.pdf