Winter has really arrived with snow on the mountain ranges and cold windy days. Work is now mostly restricted to indoor activities preparing for the next season. The hives are in very good condition thanks to the long warm autumn. Our beautiful warm, still days allowed the bees to collect the lasts of the Crimson Rata nectar, (Metrosideros carminea) which the bees have packed around the brood nest.

Our winter sources are now budding up. Spanish Heath (Erica lusitanica) which flowers mid-winter to early spring provides a valuable nectar source. (Some beekeepers in the Marlborough area harvest this as a winter crop). Kohekohe (Dysoxylum spectabilie) has just come into flower. This lowland native tree produces a white lily of the valley-like flowers on stalks that spring from the bare parts of the trunk and branches. Unfortunately the possums love these flowers, so in heavily infested areas you will only observe the flowers on the thin outer branches of the tree. (Oh for an environmentally friendly treatment that will wipe out the possum).

Another bush source budding up in my garden is the five finger (pseudopanax arboreus). Located along the bush fringes and in creek beds, it usually flowers from July to September and is very attractive to bees.

One of the most valuable trees for birds and bees often overlooked is the Australian Banksia. This tree survives in poor, well drained, sandy soils. Some are frost tolerant. There are many varieties but the tall growing Coastal Banksia (Integrifolia) which produces nectar and pollen during the winter and early spring does extremely well in our area. The pollen is not a complete bee food being deficient in one or two essential elements but bees build up on this if there are other sources of pollen around.

Review what's flowering around your apiaries. If there is a lack of early nectar and pollen sources, consider planting some. Ask the farmers if you could put in a few trees around your apiaries for nectar and shelter. Pussy willow and tree lucerne (in frost-free areas) grows fast and provides early spring nectar and pollen, plus will shelter the slower growing trees. In drought conditions they can be used as cattle fodder. If this is not possible, look at putting pollen supplement in your hives. A lot of beekeepers simply feed sugar syrup to stimulate brood production in the spring. However, without good pollen sources, the bees use their own stored body fats to produce brood. If this happens, the next generation will be weaker and will have a shorter foraging life.

Don't skimp on provisions for your hives. One South Island beekeeper's philosophy is "Money In = Honey Out". A constant brood build-up in the spring is most important. Strong hives will always bring in a crop no matter what the duration of the flow.

At this time of the year commercial beekeepers render down old frames to recover the wax. There are many methods in the books that recover approximately 50% of the wax in the old combs. Some are as simple as heating frames in a container of hot water. After the wax has risen to the surface, warm water is added which allows the wax to float off into a separate container.

The idea is not to overheat the wax as it can quickly break down and turn to a soapy substance. Bees wax melts at 62-65 degrees centigrade. Try to keep the water within this temperature range. Others methods of wax extraction are more sophisticated involving steam presses which get every bit of usable wax out of the frames.

For the hobbyist with just a few hives, frames for rendering can be kept for summer to use in the solar wax melter or used during the winter as a source of fuel for the fire. A word of warning. Old brood frames contain a lot of wax and burn fearlessly. Make sure the chimney has been swept and only put small pieces on the fire. It's rather embarrassing and dangerous to have a chimney fire. If you don't have the facilities to do either of the above, the wax frames and cell residue composts quite well.

Things to do this month: Render down old combs and make up gear for the coming season. Keep an eye out for mites.

Frank Lindsay