It has been a great week, we worked with some lovely honey bee colonies, survived 39⁰C in our beesuites, helped new clients get their own bees and booked all our clients' winter maintenance for March.
#fishhoekfarms #beekeeperslife #rawhoney #ladybeekeeper #beeforage #urbanbeekeeping #fishhoekcapetown #lovefishhoek
Still getting the hang of our new wax embedder... lots of sparks flying! Despite the fireworks, we got 120 frames ready for tomorrow - quicksticks.
#fishhoekfarms #beekeeperslife #rawhoney #ladybeekeeper #beekeepingcapetown #urbanbeekeeping #mustlovebees #fishhoekcapetown #lovefishhoek
Our Kei apples are in full flower and our bees are stocking up on pollen and nectar. We have not made jam or fruit jelly from the fruit, which we have heard is very tasty. Definitely going to do it this year!
Dovyalis afra,[a] commonly known as the Kei apple,[3] is a small to medium-sized tree, native to southern Africa. Its distribution extends from the Kei River in the south, from which the common name derives, northwards along the eastern side of the continent to Tanzania. The ripe fruits (which are present from December to January) are edible and similar in appearance to apricots, though they are quite acidic and somewhat bitter due to having a high concentration of malic acid (Wikipedia).
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The second bee forage species that we have grown for our bees: Searsia lucida, previously known as Rhus lucida, and commonly known as the varnished kuni-rhus (English) or blinktaaibos (Afrikaans) (Wikipedia).
It is a valuable bee forage species for us, because each bush flowers seperately, so it flowers for a very long time, during a time of the year when high winds and soaring temperatures prevents bees from foraging far from their apiary. It is also indigenous, which is another check for us!
#fishhoekfarms #beeforage #fynbos #urbanbeekeeping #lovefishhoek #fishhoekcapetown #rawhoney
We have planted more than 30 species of plants that provide forage for our bees and other pollinators.
Before bringing in any colonies into your garden, knowing how many other apiaries there are and doing a proper check of the annual forage available - is key to ensure balance.
The video shows the bees foraging on Vachellia karroo, (synonym Acacia karroo) commonly known as the sweet thorn, common acacia, Karoo thorn, Cape gum or cockspur thorn, is a species of Vachellia, in the Mimosa sub-family (Mimosoideae) of the Fabaceae or pea family, which is native to southern Africa from southern Angola east to Mozambique, and south to South Africa (Wikipedia).
#fishhoekfarms #rawhoney #beeforage #fishhoekcapetown
Thank you 2024 - Hallo 2025
#fishhoekfarms #urbanbeekeeping #rawhoney #beeforage
Happy Holidays, Everyone!
Scouts visiting catchboxes that were going to be used for removals....A record year for swarms moving in on the farm - if these ladies move in we will be on 7 new swarms.
How do we prepare empty boxes?
1. We just sweep debris out,
2. Lightly burn the sides and bottom with a blowtorch and
3. Lastly heat a little beeswax and propolis and paint lightly inside. If the box was used for a removal, we just repeat step 1 and 2, once we have rehomed the girls. Because the beeswax and propolis application will still be good.
#fishhoekfarms #mustlovebees #beeswarm #beeremoval #beekeepingcapetown #beekeepersofinstagram #beesofinstagram #lovefishhoek #beeforage #beekeeperslife #registeredbeekeeper #fishhoekcapetown
Late afternoon free ranging...
#fishhoekfarms #mustlovechickens #freerangechickens #fresheggsdaily #lohmannbrown #bufforpington #potchefstroomkoekoek #farmlife #farmgarden
It's all about the yellow - these wild mustard flowers are an important source of pollen for our Cape Honeybee. But why do bees collect pollen?
Bees feed on and require both nectar and pollen. The nectar is for energy and the pollen provides protein and other nutrients. Most pollen is used by bees as larvae food, but bees also transfer it from plant-to-plant, providing the pollination services needed by plants and nature as a whole.
In South Africa, a third of our food crops require pollination services. We need to appreciate the important role pollinators play and the food we get to eat because of the work they do. We are all connected.
#fishhoekfarms #beeforage #apismelliferacapensis #pollen
Our Cape Honeybees (Apis mellifera capensis) enjoying some late afternoon foraging on an indigenous species of Blue mountain sage (Salvia africana-caerulea).
#fishhoekfarms #fynbos #beeforage #beekeeperslife #apismelliferacapensis #mustlovebees #fishhoekcapetown
The winter weather is something else. Regardless of the weather - the show must go on.
#fishhoekfarms #farmlife #mustlovechickens #bufforpington #chickensofinstagram #fishhoekcapetown #winterrain
Fish Hoek Farms is a local business all about brewing, growing, harvesting, extracting and sowing.
