These are my hives at sunrise on the North York Moors. I'm hoping for heather honey from the ling heather (Calluna vulgaris). They'll stay here for a good month and I'll collect them at the beginning of September. Last years harvest was terrible and I only got 23Ibs. It was very wet. But this August has been fairly decent weather so my hopes are up. I use British nationals which have great hand holds for lifting - good for shifting onto the moors. It's not very often that I'm up at sunrise, but as I left at 3am to get my bees in place, I was lucky to witness the sun rising up above the moors. My only companions were a flock of sheep and several grouse.
Andrew
(http://homepage.mac.com/atyzack/.Pictures/hivesNYM.jpg)
That is a glorius view Andrew
Mick
That is a beautiful picture
Nice!
Alfred
This is the photo that I actually wanted to post...this shows all my hives - that's two nucs in the middle.
Andrew
(http://homepage.mac.com/atyzack/.Pictures/DSC_0069.jpg)
Oh my!!! I guess the word to describe this would be ethereal. Just a beautiful mood piece.
Love it. :)
I was up on the moors today. The heather was still in full bloom. Very beautiful.
Andrew
(http://homepage.mac.com/atyzack/.Pictures/moorsheather.jpg)
I just love Heather and the purple field. Keep it up Andrew
I dated a girl named heather once. I'll bet your honey's a lot sweeter than mine was! :-D
Scott
Actually it's rather bitter sweet.
Andrew
Nice views Bees!
I have a question tho...Ive heard of the "Moors" for years and years....What is "Moors" ?
I always thought it was something near water for some reason. :)
your friend,
john
That's an interesting question John. In Britain moorland is an area of high ground (admittedly not very high: maybe 1000 feet +), that is uncultivated. But being a literary lot the British have typically turned the term 'moor' into something rather dark and portentous. You only have to think of 'Wuthering Heights' and 'The Hound of the Baskervilles (Sherlock Holmes)", to see what I mean. And before we carved our moors up with roads and tarmac, they were extremely inaccessible. Which is why the Cornish still feel as though they are a separate country: The granite masses of Dartmoor, Exmoor and Bodmin Moor loom between the South West and the rest of England.
Beekeepers are interested in the moors because they are now managed for grouse shooting. This is because heather is encouraged to grow, as the grouse feed on heather shoots. The heather is encouraged by yearly burning, which promotes new growth and kills off competing vegetation.
(http://www.braemarscotland.co.uk/images/pics/heather_burning.jpg)
Andrew
Thanks Andrew!
That was a great lesson!..Now I know! :)
your friend,
john
Andrew, consider yourself fortunate that you were in that area as the sun was rising, you have such a beautiful photograph of the sun coming over the mountain. I love the time before the sun rises, that dawn, and then the sun rays as they peak over the mountain top. It holds a very special feeling in my heart when I see and feel the sun begin to show its beautiful face. Thank you for sharing and taking us to this part of your world. Have that most awesomely beautiful day, love life, love health. Cindi