Gavin introducing Jim Clark – club member but a beekeeper for the last 25 yrs.
Jim was a wealth of knowledge when it comes to bees.
You find them everywhere from deserts to pastureland and everywhere in between. 30 species in NZ with the Spotted Southern Italian the favoured one. It's a great worker bee
Honey has all the substances to sustain life – you might get thin but probably will not die.
Bees smell nectar three km’s away and will always find it’s way back to its hive. 1kg of honey approx. 90km of flight distance
In a hive - one queen – 200 drones and around 50,000 workers.
Queen flies after 3 weeks and mates with a drone up in the clouds – up to 15-20 times then, enough fertilisation for 3-4 yrs of egg-laying.
Each egg is fed royal jelly for 1st 4-5 days hatching 20 days later – then with a life span of 8-9 weeks.
In ideal flowering conditions, a good hive can fill a box of frames in a week.
Manuka Honey is from the tea tree flower family which is anti-fungal hence its value.
Bees are the only insect that produces food eaten by man.
The average worker produces ½ a teaspoon of honey in its life.
A hive produces Honey, Proplis, Royal Jelly, Bees Wax, Bee Stings (Venom).
90% of all flowering plants need bees to do the pollination.
What an informative address Jim! Many thanks.