After an early start, spring has been cool and late. We have had a
number of downright cold nights, though no frost. Temps have been in the
70's, when upper 80's and 90's would be more normal. Some of our heat loving
melons, cukes and squash have been real slow to grow, so our pollination
business is running quite a bit later than usual. We've got bees into
several crops that are still a ways from blooming. They've been in and now
are out of kiwi fruit and we got a good set. In all my observations in the
kiwi, I did not see a single bee of any other species than honeybees this
year. So we provided ALL the pollination.
A few hives are now in feijoa, though it's bloom doesn't seem very
interesting to honeybees. In a twenty minute observation yesterday, I saw
three wasps, three honeybees and one carpenter bee working feijoa bloom. The
carpenter bee was by far the most effective pollinator. We used to have a
tiny solitary bee that worked feijoa intensely, though it seems to be badly
decimated, probably by pesticides on cotton. The last year this bee was
abundant, was the last good feijoa crop.
I suspect the vine crops will all be coming on fast now, as we had 94,
97, and 91 these past three days. So next week will probably be a madhouse
hauling bees into fields.
Most of the migratory beekeepers are winding down here. Some have bees
into northeastern apples and cherries, and made a quick run down for another
load. There are quite a few nucs here yet, that have to go north, and a few
full hives that were supered up to make honey here. Each one has different
systems, and different ideas. I always learn a lot from the group. Most of
them tend to congregate here whenever they want to socialize, need supplies,
extracting or other help. Most seem to have settled onto one of two
trucking methods: hire flatbed tractor trailers, or run one, or one and a
half ton trucks with gooseneck flatbed trailers.
Gary (the new beekeeper, who was vandalized) has gotten all of his bees,
and I wanted to make a full report, with pictures on our web page, but I have
not had the time. I am sorry. I hope I can do this soon.
We are being run ragged, with honey extraction going right along,
continuous (sigh!) vehicle breakdowns and repairs, and preparing bees for
pollination. Our main truck caught fire, and we have still not got
everything fixed right on it. Well, I guess mechanics need to make a living,
too. Another truck has the transmission acting up.
The early honey flow petered out, and the bees have been eating honey for
two to three weeks. Then, in the last couple days, it resumed. The
southeast is a tough place to make honey, because it is so unpredictable.
We have been doing some custom extraction for other beekeepers and we
have a wet batch in right now that has got me worried. I wish the beekeeper
had pulled the honey three or four days ago, when it was dry enough, but he's
had a lot of nectar come in suddenly. He has to pull the honey, as he's
ready to run these bees back to the northeast, and he'll be overloaded if he
leaves the honey on.
We have never had a batch of our own honey ferment, but I think this one
will. If it were our own honey, I'd put it back on the bees, rather than
extract it. We have no sophisticated drying equipment.
I could extract it and send it back to him; it's his problem, but it is
nice honey and we'd like to buy it. OTOH we don't want to blow up our drums
and wind up with worthless honey either.
Could I pull much moisture out of it if I warm it to, say 130, and pump
it across a flat sloping pan, with a fan blowing over it. Or would I be
wasting my efforts. There's about three drums worth. I've spun a couple
extractor loads, but I stopped to do some thinking and ask for advice from
some more sophisticated honey producers.
Maybe there is a better way?
[log in to unmask] Dave Green, PO Box 1200, Hemingway, SC
2955
Practical Pollination Home Page Dave & Janice Green
http://users.aol.com/pollinator/polpage1.html
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