# Summer production



## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

A fortune slipped through my fingers. I had the bees, the flowers,the man power...I just needed a bit of cooperation from the weather. I fought for this crop. It's still coming in but the heat has slowed or ended the flows. It's looking like a below average year.
How does it look elsewhere across the Prairies?


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## MARBIS (Jun 10, 2010)

Way below average in all three of my yards. Record low.
Minimum of flowers, just a sea of worthless Queen Anne's lace.
Clover flowers are black. Looks like I will have to feed for overwintering.
Something I never had to do. It's so dry, fire ban signs everywhere.


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## zhiv9 (Aug 3, 2012)

Not in the prairies, but as Marbis said, we've been in a drought. Yesterday we had the first real day of rain since May. Flows have been spotty based on which regions got a sprinkle from the odd localized thunderstorm. The one bright point seems to have been alfalfa. Second cut went into bloom while it was still so short that no one was is much of a hurry to cut it. Hopefully the rain salvages some sort of fall flow, though it may be too little too late.


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

We have had adequate moisture, maybe a bit much at times, but the humidity delayed my production by not allowing the honey to dry down. The humidity also has been causing massive storms...


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## dgl1948 (Oct 5, 2005)

We were delayed with high moisture as well Ian. Considering all the rain we had things turned out not to bad. We are going to have an average or a bit better than average year. We still have honey coming in. The wet summer is keeping the flowers going. A lot of second crop hay is flowering right now.


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

Sure not a lot of diversity around here anymore, got a bit if alfalfa flowering but only on 1/4 of my yards


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

We dried out early here but had little rains when we absolutely had to have them and will get a low average crop I would say in Montana. The irrigated pasture is still blooming great and is not cut in as timely a manner as earlier cuttings. MY bees are by blooming alfalfa with the farmer waiting for the grass to grow up so he gets more volume.


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## dgl1948 (Oct 5, 2005)

We had bees beside a couple hundred acres of Sanfoin that is being grown for seed. They did real well. Right now there is a lot of alfalfa flowering in our area as well as a lot of sow thistle.


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## jean-marc (Jan 13, 2005)

We did a little bit better than last year which was our first year in honey production. Nothing special. Early on was dry then during the flow it rained a lot. Secondbcutbalfalfa is blooming here and there but the temperatures are too low currently... high teens to low twenties. The only good thing about this year was we got more experience... something you cannot buy or read about, rather something you must live.

Jean-Marc


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

Guys here are knocking them all down, as am I. Feed is being taken. I checked on a few of my alfalfa yards and nothing exceptional is coming off them. Dropping the axe on my summer student staff on Friday. We should have most all of the boxes through by then.


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## Fusion_power (Jan 14, 2005)

I read the title of this thread as "Bummer production", then read the thread and realized that it fits.


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## jim lyon (Feb 19, 2006)

Ian said:


> Guys here are knocking them all down, as am I. Feed is being taken. I checked on a few of my alfalfa yards and nothing exceptional is coming off them. Dropping the axe on my summer student staff on Friday. We should have most all of the boxes through by then.


Ya gotta know when to hold em and know when to fold em. Our production is going to be below average as well. Very little clover then too dry, we did catch some August rain and are seeing a bit of a late season rally but history tells me the chances of a significant late August flow are pretty slim.


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

Getting any significant surplus after Aug 15 has been a rare occurrence around here. The Cards just don't seem to add up anymore. I am happy if there is enough coming in to keep pressure on the queen.


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## jean-marc (Jan 13, 2005)

Ian: 

What do you mean by "keep pressure on the queen"

Jean-Marc


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

Enough nectar coming in to keep her laying. Last week I sent syrup out to some yards to keep the hives going


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## jean-marc (Jan 13, 2005)

We have syrup coming tomorrow. Our hives in The Elk Point area are generally heavy. The ones that came from southern Alberta on canola pollination are not. Usually we get way more honey from those ones than we did. This year was too wet andcool while the canolawas blooming in the south. Next year...best crop I ever got.

Jean-Marc


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

Ha ha, ya, my best crop I ever got was called end of June


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