Perth (WA, AU) Flowhives and honey flow

I can see clearly now…
Thank you

This PDF is a must for all Perth and WA flowhivers:
http://researchlibrary.agric.wa.gov.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1003&context=bulletins3

Most detailed look at WA bee loving trees. Written in 1969 but as relevant today as then.

Edit: typo

4 Likes

Loved the type written fonts!

Thanks Wilfred!

I bought an Olympia Traveller typewriter in 1968 and had a choice of 2 fonts Pica or Elite which were both Courier offshoots I think. You could not change the font unless you changed the typewriter. Bought it specially to do my final thesis. They changed the rules in that it had to be typed and not written freehand as in previous years. Mind you all the graphs and diagrams had to done by hand which were done first to avoid retyping the whole page if there was a mistake.
How easy it is now with thousands of fonts to choose from.

Edit: correction

1 Like

Interesting busso - thanks for the link! The book states that the Cape Weed flower has a beneficial pollen for bees! I have been trying to eradicate this pest for years - may have to change my strategy now and let them bee! I think they are poisonous to stock, but I do not have any cows/sheep/horses so no problems there…it will be good to see this weed having a positive contribution to my bees

edit - read the next page and mentions Paterson’s Curse as important to honey production! I have also been battling this weed for years - I wonder if anyone can clarify for me though that I thought I had read somewhere that Paterson’s Curse could result in toxic honey??

Yes mate, It comes into flower early and the bees love it. Like you I tried to eradicate cape weed but now I keep it out of the lawn and garden and let it run rampant where it can. Cape weed is not poisonous to any animals. The dairy farmers don’t like it much as it can put an off taste in the milk if the cows have too much. The beef farmers don’t like it as it gives the stock scours which is a nice name for diarrhoea and the stock takes a bit of a weight loss.

Being in the South West I know little about Patersons curse. However like you I have read where honey from bees feeding exclusively on Patersons curse is toxic or has carcinogenic compounds. Does not seem to be a problem where there is plenty of other nectar and pollen about.

1 Like

thanks for the info Busso - good news! I have just aquired 1st virgin Nuc in March for my FH and just letting them build in the BB over winter - but they are foraging strongly and the BB seems to be full of honey but I am holding off on adding the honey super until spring…does this sound about right to you?

@jaime Sounds right to me.

Sounds right to me also

Hi Busso, thanks for the link, great research tool, weve about 50 Wandoo 9yr old & they’re keeping the girls VERY happy .

Lucky you. We have about 8 surviving out of about 50 seedlings. They don’t seem to like the Busso district much…

Oops mistake Busso, son says he planted Sydney Blue Gums in that area, still they’re keeping the girls happy but getting colder here at Bridgtown.
Have to study the book to know one tree from another.:innocent::innocent:

1 Like

Two weeks ago I removed all the supers due to the cool temperatures and lack of bees in them. I was surprised to find the centre of the centre frames capped with honey and today watched nearly every bee returning with full pollen bags.
I know there are plenty of gums flowering and am now wondering if I have erred… I’m in a half mind to replace them… So many bees.
What are others doing?

1 Like

This is probably heresy in a Flow community, but I keep traditional mediums (you guys call them WSPs or ideals or some other funny name :smile:) for exactly this reason. They may not fill them, the flow may not be reliable, but it gives the bees space to play in for a minor flow, without stressing them thermally. :blush:

1 Like

Hi all, I am just doing as much research as I can at the moment.
I haven’t purchased any of my “Flow” equipment yet, let alone a nuc!
Does anyone have any advice before I commit to any purchases? I’ve got my Dept of Ag application ready to go but I just can’t work out a location to place the hive??? I have a fantastic N/E facing location which will provide excellent screening from the summer sun. However, it doesn’t really get any winter warmth as it’s in amongst the shrubs. I’m only on a small suburban block on the flat lands, so space and locations are limited unfortunately.
Does anyone envisage potential problems and as this is my only location choice, should I forget my desire to keep bees?
Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

Phil


This is the spot I’m considering. Picture taken looking south.

1 Like

@skeggley, I’ve kept a hybrid deep on top of my brood box all winter and observed no issues (last inspection was e-May) (let’s be honest…Perth winter is almost balmy compared to what others experience around the world).

If you don’t put a box on top now (and I think leaving it off for the next month would be fine) I think you’d be wanting to get one on mid-Aug in preparation for spring and a surge in your colony numbers. If we have a cold snap in Aug, wait until early-Sep. I’m thinking more for issues related to swarm control than anything else.

1 Like

@Philat39 I’ve got my hive up against the house on the south side. It gets indirect light in winter, usually later in the day, and in summer only gets sun from mid-morning onwards. It typically gets more sun late in the day than in the morning regardless of season. This goes against nearly all advice you will receive but I picked the spot based on monitoring temperatures for almost a year before I got the hive (I got a a few cheap temp and humidity loggers off ebay and put them in a few diff spots).

I wouldn’t worry too much about screening the hive from summer sun, just make sure you’ve got plenty of water available. Of course, some shade during constant extreme hot spells is fine (I’d hazard anything 37degC plus for any stretch of time).

Also, unless you’ve already placed an order for Nuc you might struggle to get one until late in the coming season. I had to place my order for a Nuc almost 1yr in advance when I got mine and from what I’ve heard wait times have increased. You might be best served by joining WAAS and finding someone that will do a split for you.

1 Like

@Philat39 Your picture appeared just as I replied to you. If that is your spot I’d plonk your hive there no issues. The foliage should also actually assist in creating a micro-climate that helps limit temperature drops experienced in the local area in winter. And I like I said to @skeggley a moment ago, we don’t exactly have cold winters here in Perth. I’m not sure 3-7degC minimum temps are really considered excessively cold :wink:

Finally, given you appear to be in the suburbs that will usually help provide some form of pollen/nectar all year round.

Thanks @SnowflakeHoney, appreciate your help. I just rang Beewise in O’Connor and placed an order for a nuc. Tentatively looking at Nov/Dec '17.

@Philat39. I got mine just over 1 month later than they originally indicated. Keep your fingers crossed for a good start to spring.

For what it is worth, the Nuc I originally got from them was great; healthy, active, and calm. I had no issues.

@Philat39, would also be a good idea to ensure you hive is externally sealed a few weeks prior to your bees arriving. This isn’t critical but it just helps odours disappear to reduces it impacting the colony settling into the hive.