It seems the summer dearth is approaching, with increasingly frequent sunny and dry days. If this continues, the dryness will intensify, causing  cracks in the ground. Flowers within the apiary are rapidly diminishing, making it difficult for the bees to collect nectar and pollen for food.  Within a specific period of this dry season, frames with fully matured honey-filled cells are removed from the hives to harvest the Manuka honey. However, since  removing these frames leaves the hive without food, we replace them with frames containing polyfloral honey, harvested outside the  Manuka season, labeled and stored by hive. True to their nature, bees will collect and store nectar as long as there are flowers available,  though they only need about four frames’ worth of food to get through the winter.

In this respect, beekeeping in the warm, snow-free climate of northern North Island is truly beneficial. This allows bees to have their own  stored honey in the hive even when nectar is scarce in the environment, enabling them to live peacefully without stress. Many beekeepers  extract and sell all the honey, then supplement the bees’ diet with sugar syrup, but I choose not to do this. Feeding sugar syrup puts  unnecessary strain on the bees, leading to quicker fatigue. From my experience, colonies that rely on their own stored honey in the  winter are much stronger come spring compared to those fed with syrup. Another crucial point, as I’ve mentioned before, is to use only  honey from the same hive for feeding, never from other colonies, as this is essential for preventing the spread of disease.

In Japan, it’s surprising to see that beekeeping supply stores commonly sell empty comb frames called karasuhai—(empty combs without  stored honey, pollen, pupae, larvae, or eggs). This is likely because Japan allows the use of antibiotics and antibacterial agents to treat  and prevent bee infections. In New Zealand, however, the Ministry for Primary Industries (formerly the Ministry of Agriculture) regulates  against this kind of sale, as it could foster the spread of bee diseases. If any infectious disease is detected, both the hive and the bees  must be incinerated, and there’s a legal requirement to report these details to the Ministry. After the honey flow season ends, beekeepers  begin to harvest while also preparing for the next spring, ensuring the bees stay healthy and active through the winter. Supporting bee health  year-round is a central role of the beekeeper.