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Make some room on the boat Rob. Projectalice is keeping bees on our farm this year and she is trying to figure out how to get a hive onboard :)
http://www.solomonstarnews.com/news/business/9851-honey-an-important-industry
Honey; an important industry
Saturday, 15 January 2011 09:44
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Dove Winston SaleDove Winston Sale
When most people think of bees they think of nasty stings, but Dove Winston Sale, originally from Rendova thinks of honey.The 55-year-old has recognised the big market for honey in the Solomon Islands and registered his business called Island Bee Keeping Supply last year.
Mr Sale who had worked in the Solomon Islands Honey Association for 10 years until its demise some years ago is very passionate about producing honey but unfortunately, that association which made very important inroads in raising the profile of the country’s honey both locally and overseas, ran into management and other problems.
Despite that, Mr Sale said there were many keen farmers around the country still producing quality honey without any formal body established to support and encourage them to improve.
“Local demand for honey is very high but the problem is farmers don’t have enough equipment to keep their honey bees,” he said.
“In order for local farmers to produce more honey they need proper equipments to increase production, Mr Sale said.
He added the honey industry was thriving in rural areas and Members of Parliaments would do better by helping farmers in their constituencies to lift this very important industry to new heights.
Unfortunately, these farmers are struggling on their own.
“But I strongly believe that with the right support, more can join or can be done to make this industry stronger and better.”
Mr Sale said honey was a good export commodity in Solomon Islands which will not only help local farmers but the country as a whole.
“Honey is not like any other agricultural projects.
“It’s very easy to farm and bees can survive on their own for two to three years because it feeds on nectar.
“You don’t need to provide for it every day like poultry, piggery, even cocoa, coconut and so forth.
“One good thing too is if you spoil money from your honey project you can always go and harvest and recoup it,” he said.
However, he did not encourage farmers to do that because it won’t make them move forward.
He also said unlike other countries who farm honey, the Solomon Islands only have around 2000 to 3000 honey hives which is quite small compared to other countries.
“The honey industry in Solomon Islands still needs to grow because at the moment there are only a few farmers,” Mr Sale said.
“We need more farmers so that we can compete with our neighbours. We can do it. We proved this some years ago under the Solomon Islands Honey Association when our honey was highly rated in New Zealand.
“Currently, our buying price for honey is $28 dollars per kilogram. And this is higher than the price for cocoa, copra and other commodities,” he assured.
Mr Sale, however, didn’t say how much money the newly registered company has generated since they started.
But he assured farmers, the Island Bee Keeping Supply was there to help and support those who are as passionate as himself in flagging the quality of Solomon Islands honey.
The Island Bee Keeping Supply is located at Ranadi opposite the Oceanic Marine Company.
It supplies bee equipment and buys honey.
BY GINA MAKA’A
She ordered two hives’ worth and the bees come in a box (20,000 per box) in the mail. The two queens come in a small box with a candy plug that the workers will eat away and crown her their leader. The hive has a queen excluder that the workers fit through and she doesn’t. It in essence creates a queen bee prison. As long as she’s in the hive, the rest of the bees do their thing and stick around. Once the hive is up and running on it’s own, you can haul the whole thing in a hive transport (they do that over here en masse with semi-trucks that haul bees to almond and fruit orchards so that the crop can be pollinated).
But the bottom line for me is that I DON’T and WON’T be moving any hive once it has bees in it. I’ll build the racks for the hives and once the bees are there, it’s their house for as long as they want it!!!!
Oooh, bee talk… YAY!
Anyway, the bees bond with their queen via pheromones exchange while they chew her out of her candy prison. But sometimes, especially if colony and queen are not related, there’s a risk of supercedure, i.e. the bees kill their queen and raise another one asap. Sounds cute and straightforward but it’s a stressful time for bees and beekeper alike.
There’s a lot more theory (and beeking out) where that came from. The fun and games begin on my bee-day, 4/16, when my 2 bundles of collective joy arrive.
Being a cop car, I’m thinking “doughnuts”? :)
Good question. I don’t suppose the queen was somehow trapped inside. Not sure if it has anything to do with the car’s color or smell that made them attach to it or if they felt threatened and are attacking the car. Bees fly en masse like that only when they swarm, i.e. look for a new home. But usually they ball up, e.g. on a limb, with the queen safely in the center, while a few go out to gather intelligence and mark the new home.
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