Bees 'n' Hives - since we're in the land of M A N U K A !!!

Had the chance to pay visits to a couple of bee related places in the area - 1st was Mossops:

Four hives in 'display' mode

I visited 'Comvita's' HQ  http://www.comvita.co.nz/visitor-centre.html  it's very near here [Papamoa/Tauranga] and had a very interesting conversation with the nice lady in the visitor centre. The founder is still alive and 101 years old! He has several unfruitful attempts at different projects over the years and Comvita wasn't started until he was 65! One of their honey suppliers has 7,000 [yes - seven THOUSAND] hives, and wants to expand to 11,000. So there's hope for us yet Lol!

I was talking to a guy in Auckland who has some fairly radical ideas/attitudes towards queens and how they 'work' re hatching and settling with new colonies - can't remember detail/s but will attempt to keep in touch with him. They have an island offshore where they grow Kanuka - apparently one step up from the Manuka (Tea Tree) shown here.