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wayland · Joined: 14 Dec 2006 Posts: 1163 Location: Campile. Wexford

6 euro a jar is a rip off me thinks. How can the seller call it "Organic"?. As if they can control what forage the bees may or may not work. Our local mart sells honey for 4.5 euroes which is still a good price .

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Camile · Posted: Sat Sep 20, 2008 11:45 am Post subject:

So we are right in the middle because we were going to sell the honey for 5 euros a 1lb jar.

and we don't call it organic or anything ... just pure unpasteurised honey, so it kept all the natural goodness from it.

some beekeepers heat up the honey in the microwave so that whatever leftover wax is rising to the top to be removed .. it's a shame really.

and by the way Chook, we are close to Glenamaddy.

Camile

chook · Joined: 14 Mar 2007 Posts: 305 Location: North Clare

wayland · Joined: 14 Dec 2006 Posts: 1163 Location: Campile. Wexford

I was wondering how non GM farm grown crops with all the sprays etc fit in the organic scenario. Rape, clover, beans etc are all worked by bees. I suppose a colony placed on a mountain with only heather around it for a few miles may qualify as being organic, as long as it had not been moved there just for the heather harvest. Perhaps I am taking the organic theory a bit too far in the case of honey production.
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Camile · Posted: Sun Sep 21, 2008 12:07 pm Post subject:

I don't know anything about the organic standards for honey ..

but a hive is easily located where no crops are growing ... ie cereals or the likes within range of the bees ..

like ours, we are surrounded by bog everywhere ... with plenty of hedgerows, and they use fertilizer allright, but no sprays as far as I know or can see ....

so that could prevent loads of contaminant .. and the treatment for varroa is based with thyme oils, and looks organic enough as there are no chemicals listed .. and is used once the honey is extracted ... so no trace left the next year ....

as for feeding, Melanie barely feeds them (twice last winter), and she is making a syrup with a brew of sage (homegrowned so close enough to organic) mixed with their own honey ..

and we did leave plenty for them to avoid having to feed them ..

so overall it is as natural as possible if you wanted to avoid organic.

Camile

sir. porky · Joined: 21 Jun 2007 Posts: 59 Location: west of Ireland

Taste the pure Irish honey! and never buy cheap foreign hony again this much i promise! and if you keep bees in this pathetic wet climate you can understand why you need to to ask a min of e7 per jar. We have just taken apro 30gk from 9 hives on the ox mountains, and are now feeding our bee
s with 90kg of sugar, so guys pay the price and be priviledged Smile

Sir. Porky.

Camile · Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2008 6:58 pm Post subject:

only 30kg from 9 hives ?

how many supers did you have on each hive ?

because we got the 90 lb from the 1 hive ...

sir. porky · Joined: 21 Jun 2007 Posts: 59 Location: west of Ireland

Hi Carmel,
Please to hear your Bees did so well.You must really know what you're doing,because the weather this Summer wasn't on the Bee keepers side.
90 lb of one Hive must be an Irish record this year. Well done !!
I must say I'm a little bit worried about these Killer Wasps.
" Our " Wasps steal honey from the hives,but luckily don't kill our Bees.
I'd really appreciate if you could let me have more Information about These Wasps,please

Sir Porky

Camile · Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2008 6:15 pm Post subject:

Hi,

It was pure pot luck I would say .. because the Oh minds the bees and just does as she's told ...

the colony was really strong ... and as far as I know the bee number is not that high no more .. but they may have survived ..

apparently there is a gap in september when the old bees dies while new "winter bees hatch .. so that might be why numbers were down .. and hopefully the wasps were just stealing honey ..

as for the amount out of one hive, it seems to be the area we are in that makes them work so well .. someone in the old days had a hive not far from where ours is and he always did better than anyone else ...

so I think it's down to a good colony and plenty of luck ..

Camile

quarryman · Joined: 14 Dec 2006 Posts: 417 Location: Sligo

Ca va Camile.

Well done on the 90lbs. Can I just say that your success with the bees is down to your hard work and that of Mel. Having seen your setup I can see why the bees have done so well, that and the fact that Mel is the wasp exterminator.

It is not uncommon for yields of up to 150lbs from one hive.

A Bientot.