Hopstones Honey

[Hopstones Honey @JohnPriscott]

@ElmTreeBees 71 lb average so far. A few sites have found some late flowering OSR, so will need to do a second extraction on about 50 hives, so the figure will creep up a bit. Not like the 90 lb last spring though.

[Hopstones Honey @JohnPriscott]

@ElmTreeBees 15% losses
Some look pretty poor. But on the positive side, some look fantastic and the odd one needed a second super adding today.

[Hopstones Honey @JohnPriscott]

@ElmTreeBees First two sites done, 87 lb and 73 lb averages. 18% moisture.

[Hopstones Honey @JohnPriscott]

@ElmTreeBees My spring crop would typically be 40 to 50 lb. This year, just over 90.
Each years total is somewhere 110 to 120, regardless of the spring/summer split. Hoping this year doesn’t follow that pattern!

[Hopstones Honey @JohnPriscott]

@ElmTreeBees How does that compare to a normal/average spring for you?

[Hopstones Honey @JohnPriscott]

@calluna4u @ElmTreeBees Does the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme not help with bringing in essential staff that you have proved you can’t locally source? Managing bees for horticultural pollination?

[ResistantBees.com @bioapi]

According to the studies of a biologist from a spanish university, the behavior of Varroa mites in recent years has changed.
This also explains why many types of treatments no longer work.
The relationship between the mites that reside in the bee

https://t.co/JBQCoBILog

[Hopstones Honey @JohnPriscott]

@ElmTreeBees How long did the last cage last? Wonder if it’s just got to be accepted as a wearing part, like cultivator feet or plough parts in traditional ag?

[Hopstones Honey @JohnPriscott]

@ElmTreeBees Not in Pershore, still knocking cells down and adding boxes this morning.

[Hopstones Honey @JohnPriscott]

@ElmTreeBees I seem to get better results with capped brood, with some emerging. About 2% have failed and ended up under the floor.

[Hopstones Honey @JohnPriscott]

@GwenynGruffydd @ElmTreeBees @debates1989 I get the PTO argument, but my Kubota buggy has no PTO, is an AG machine and legally runs on red. Provided I use it only for ag purposes that is, so no going to the KFC drive through or nipping into Tesco etc

[Hopstones Honey @JohnPriscott]

@ElmTreeBees @debates1989 I don’t think distance would be an issue for you Dan. I’ve farming friends who rent ground 30+ miles away from their base and regularly travel to and from.

[Hopstones Honey @JohnPriscott]

@ElmTreeBees Do you get many that help themselves but forget the next bit of the instructions?

[Hopstones Honey @JohnPriscott]

@ianande38035310 Hi Ian, could you tell me where you got the heat band from please?

[Hopstones Honey @JohnPriscott]

@kevinhorner4 @ElmTreeBees Got it one. It’s self supported, covers a 270 degree arc and will go over two pallets of hives. No more inspections in the rain or in full sun.

[Hopstones Honey @JohnPriscott]

@wildyorkshoney @ApidaeHoney Magnetic hive tool has solved the issue for me, attaches to either me or smoker. Doesn’t help if you misplace the smoker obviously!