Hi all,
I’m Nick, and i have the calling to return to Beekeeping after 25 years away!
I’ve been following the progress of the Flow Hive with great interest since the start. and have read and researched enough now, in that i’ve just ordered a Flow Hive 2 ( to be delivered in October ),
I remember the days so well, the equipment required to extract, filter and bottle, and of course vast amounts of hot water used and run to waste then in the clean up procedure afterwards!
Of course, once done, the equipment needs storing away ‘till the next time.
Space and storage for my partner and i is at a premium as we live on a boat, so not requiring the additional equipment of old is so convenient for us.
We live very simply, moored on the edge of farmland, surrounded by countryside, close to a village on the Canal.
We grow our own veg / herbs, share an orchard with various fruit trees, ( incidentally where our hive will be sited ) and are slowly introducing a wild wild flower area with a blend of 19 species of nectar and pollen rich annual and perennial flowers.
Incidentally, i’d be interested to hear if anyone has had any success in growing the ‘Leptospermum Scoparium’ or Tea Tree / Manuka bush here in Buckinghamshire / Northamptonshire. I’ve recently ordered a 3 yr old plant from a nursery so hopefully in time it will grow well and fill a gap, so to speak!
So, here’s looking forward to next Spring ‘19…exiting times ahead and back to beeing with bees!
Welcome to the forum Nick. Seems a lot of bee keepers are back at it for the second time around. You will find a wealth of information here and people willing to give you advise if you ask. Browse through the previous posts first then if you have a question that you can’t find already answered we are here to help you.
Regards
Hi Nick,
I’m not in the UK, far from it actually, but I just thought I’d pass on that it is a good idea to keep the roots nice and moist (not waterlogged of course) if you can with these plants during at least a couple of years after planting to help them along. Tease the roots out after removing from the pot too of course…
Considering that New Zealand is damp and cool, just like the north of England, it should grow just fine. The Australian varieties prefer sandy well draining soil and a temperate climate. The Coastal Tea Trees (Leptospermum Polygalifolium) I planted in my yard 2 years ago are now 6 metres tall.
You will need an orchard of manuka trees to get enough honey to harvest but they do look great when in flower.
Yeah, thanks for that Dan. The soil is pretty good here, well drained and not a heavy clay. Although it holds the water well in Winter.
My guess would be to dig in some Ericaceous compost to give it a good start. It’’l be sited on a sunny south facing slope
Nice one Rodderick thanks! You have the perfect conditions there. Yeah, i think it’ll do well here, temps in the Winter could dip quite a bit but it looks like they can be fairly frost hardy.
Really nice looking flowers…now there’s a idea, an orchard full of Manuka!!
Hello Nick. Nice to read your story and your new or returning adventure with beekeeping. I would like to hear how it went with your tea tree/manuka bush or Leptospermum Scoparium. Is it growing well and how is your “manuka honey” adventure. Is it possible to get a living out of honey business in UK today and how much honey are needed you recon? If you sell manuka honey the prices are very high. A price comparison from DK shows manuka honey 400 MGO around 34 GBP but “normal” honey is sold about 3,5 GBP per jar. In Denmark it requires a lot of honey to live on it. Would like to hear your thoughts from Buckinghamshire. Have a nice summer and beekeeping. Jytte
Hello Jytte ( @JytteS )
Thanks for taking the time to read my post / intro.
I planted up my Leptospermum Scoparium around this time last year. It was always going to be a plant of interest and was intended only to be a hobby plant and not necessarily for any kind of Manuka honey production. I’d really need a plantation or live in another part of the UK or even in NZ for any kind of success and as i’m only a hobbyist beekeeper the plant was grown as intended.
I did have to wrap it in fleece during the Winter and unfortunately it did get bitten by an early frost we had which caught me off guard. This did set it back a bit and i was unsure whether it would survive. However, when Spring came around and I unwrapped it, it hung on and did eventually survive. It has produced some new growth and flower buds (pic) this year so i’m pleased its got this far.
Manuka honey commands a very high price in the UK and at a certain store here, a certain brand, Raw, Cold Pressed Manuka Honey 15+ for 250g jar is 26 pounds. A 20+ 340g jar, the cost Is 55 pounds!
So, as you can imagine it then becomes a luxury!
Anyway, my bees at the moment are loving a large borage patch that comes every year and self seeds. The poppies are in full flower, they don’t last long but i’m seeing them bringing in lots of black pollen. We’re waiting for the blackberries to flower soon so everything is going well. We’re having a wet and warm Summer here so far and it’s been pretty good for the bees !
Thank you so much for your answer. Very nice to hear about your tree and manuka honey. I would very much want such a tree at my place and now I would have to do some more investigation. Kind of you to write me back. Wish you a beautiful and pleasant summer. JytteS
Just a quick tip for you Nick, when you are wanting to include a pic in a reply in the top of your reply window the 7th icon from the left, with the arrow pointing up is a tool to use to include a pic, all you need do is remember where it is stored on your computer, browse, select and upload it. So easy.
Cheers
!