Hi All
 
Today I made my twice weekly pilgimage to my favourite apiary site
where I have about twenty hives (depending on how many have been
turned on their sides by baboons/wild pigs/cows/humans etc).
 
The are is in an interesting region in that the total yearly rainfal
is about 240ml (10 inches), so it is dry. Through this region runs a
river which has been boosted with a large interbasin water transfer
schem from a river about 600km (400mi) inland, so it flows year
round but should not. The farmers grow alfalfa/lucerne, sunflowers
and a bit of canola/rape. These flower here from about september till
late march/april depending on the year. After that the aloes
(succulents like the agave) kick in and give a formidable honey flow.
These are composed of three species groups with one flowering in
april, one from then till end of june, and then next from august.
There is also the karree (Rhus lancea), named by the Khoisan as the
honey tree (karee) which flowers from the rivers over this period.
 
So I should be producing lots of honey.
 
But, today when I visited the apiary I found that I had a pod of 26
fork tailed drongas (irritating agile birds that feed almost solely
on bees at this time of year) nailing every single bee that left a
hive. I shot 3 of them, and now then ramain carefully at a distance
of 200m from any human - it is impossible to kill any more.
 
The birds originate from a government programme to cut down
eucalyptus trees to conserve water. As a result, their traditional
realms in eucalyptus plantations hawking bees during the winter flows
has been destroyed and they have migrated inland to the aloes and are
decimating an otherwise excelent bee keeping region.
 
What I would be interested to know is if anybody on the group has
devised a way of getting rid of surpluss, or had any experience with
intelligent apiniverous birds? I used to view them as a blessing as
they shut hives down normally at about 4.00pm when it gets cold and
one would lose more bees to chill if they risked going out, but now
with this overpopulation of them they are keeping the hives quiet the
whole day.
 
Any advice or ideas would be appreciated
 
Thanks
 
Garth
 
Who is thinking that that last chance at getting a honey flow in this
year is slowly vanishing.
Garth Cambray           Camdini Apiaries
Grahamstown             Apis mellifera capensis
Eastern Cape Prov.
South Africa
 
Time = Honey
 
After careful consideration, I have decided that if I am ever a V.I.P
the I. may not stand for important.
(rather influential, ignorant, idiotic, intelectual, illadvised etc)