Articles

Beekeeping in a Crazy WorldIt’s weird being the age of what I considered to be “old” people. But I now understand the idea of “life experience”. Just being around for a long time usually means you have absorbed some experiences and experience. You’ve seen what works and what maybe should be left alone. I know, I know, there is a difference between having 40 years’ experience and 40 times one year’s experience, but let’s just accept that us… Read more

Signs Your Colony Is Queen-LessEveryone’s heard of the queen bee and how important she is. A queen is responsible for laying eggs and maintaining her colony’s population levels. Due to her level of importance, losing a queen is one of the most common ways to lose a colony. Fortunately, there are symptoms you can look out for to catch the problem and help your bees correct it in time. Here are some signs your colony is queen-less and h… Read more

Here’s my take on what’s happening, for better or for worse.It is clear that over the past two years, the apiculture industry has been a business of haves and have-nots. If you have good Manuka sites, you are probably doing just fine. If not, well the cost/price squeeze is hurting. However, what also is clear, is that beekeepers are hard workers and don’t easily give up. And I think that the current situation may be offering a faint glimmer o… Read more

These instructions are for the assembly of all types of kitset supers including Full Depth, ¾ Depth, ½ Depth and Ceracell SlimlineTM supers, whether treated or untreated.Step 1: Check All DimensionsBefore you do anything to your kitset, check all the dimensions. Although we do try to ensure that all components of your kitset are consistent in their lengths and widths before you purchase it, you must check that you are happy that the finished su… Read more

Feeding your bees is an interesting topic and you will find many different types and styles of feeder used around the world. I am going to discuss the most commonly found feeders in New Zealand.Now, with the weather getting colder and the days getting shorter, is the time to be thinking about when and how you are going to feed your bees. Some beekeepers will keep back enough frames of honey in their hive to cover the winter period. The ideal amo… Read more

The Ceracell Great Escape®Advantages of Using a Bee Escape/Clearer BoardIt is important to remove the bees from the honey supers before you transport the supers to your extraction room. For commercial operators, it is actually a requirement to have zero bees in the extraction room for food purity reasons. For hobbyists, it is important to minimise the annoyance of having bees flying around your ears while you are trying to uncap comb and spin o… Read more