Beekeeping
On 20/10/2002, in reply to a previous
post from Toby, Podargus wrote:
> What are the implications of the dry crick for your operations?
The dry crick is not a problem
yet, but if our spring fails then I may well have trouble with water for
even the small number of stock I run. Not something one expects on
the Northern River where to much water is the normal problem. Paradoxically
a dry time means better quality feed (grass), and whilst there remains enough,
stock do quite well.
I also have some fodder willows. These are a New Zealand developed
hybrid that we originally planted both to dry out soggy areas and for some
quality feed during the hungry gap in the spring. I will have to sell some
stock in about a fortnight if there is not substantial rain.
The dry does effect the bee operation, sometimes for the better, but there
is a limit, and I suspect that we might be at that limit.
During the spring a beekeeper places hives in areas where there is expected
to be good quantities of pollen and nectar. The nectar is best if it
is comparatively thin, this stimulates breeding. Bee hives need to
have 50000 plus adult bees before they can gather a honey surplus.
During a dry time, in particular, a time of low humidity the nectar is thicker
(or non existent) and the bees are inclined to store it rather than breed.
Once
the bee numbers are up to par, thicker nectar is desirable and we tend to
move to appropriate areas. In that well known real world things are
not quite that simple.
Still honey prices are up, more than twice what they were this time last
year. This is for more reasons than just Australia's seasonal conditions.
More on that on the 7.30 report
next week so I am led to believe.
