What do bees do in Spring?

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2 min read

As the days get longer and temperatures begin to rise, here at MVH we are performing our spring checks in preparation for a busy summer. Likewise, our bee friends are also preparing for a busy harvest season.“This time of year the bees are focused on growing their numbers, with the queens increasing egg production,” says MVH co-owner Murray Elwood. The number of bees per hive can double during spring in preparation for summer’s ideal harvesting conditions.Spring in 2019“Spring this year has been a little challenging for our bees, with cooler temperatures and a lot of wet weather making life hard for them,” says Murray ElwoodBees stay in their hives while it’s raining. When it’s windy bees will stay closer to the ground and stay closer to the hiv

The Nationwide Effort to Eliminate American Foulbrood Disease

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2 min read

A beekeeper does far more than just produce honey. They also have a responsibility to protect their hives and ensure they’re healthy and safe from diseases such as American Foulbrood disease (AFB) – which affects the honeybee larvae and pupae and is prevalent worldwide.In New Zealand AFB it is the most serious honeybee disease beekeepers need to manage. What is American Foulbrood Disease?American Foulbrood (or AFB) is a highly infectious bee disease caused by the bacterium Paenibacillus larvae. AFB exists in two forms (the spore form and the vegetative form), both of which are microscopic in size. These spores can survive outside a honeybee colony for over 35 years and can withstand very high temperatures, including boiling water.When a hive beco

The Past, Present & Future of Beekeeping in NZ

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2 min read

Looking to the future of New Zealand’s beekeeping industry, the priority is looking after our honeybees, and making sure they are in an environment where they can thrive. “The honeybees are the most important thing,” according to Murray Elwood, co-owner of Mountain Valley Honey.“If you’re a good beekeeper, your priority is looking after your bees and making sure they’ve got enough honey year-round, as well as keeping them healthy.”When Murray first started beekeeping, beekeepers were in the business simply for the love of it. “It was very hard to make a living out of beekeeping, and to do so you had to be very switched on.” Beekeepers also respected the sites of other beekeepers and gave everyone a decent amount of space between api

Five Easy Ways to make your Garden Bee Friendly this Spring

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3 min read

Bees are major pollinators that contribute greatly to the world’s environment and food production. However, our humble honey bees are becoming increasingly endangered due to disease, pests, urbanization and climate change, among other factors. So, we all need to do our bit to protect honey bees and their habitats. Here’s five easy things you can do to help…1. PLANT A RANGE OF FLOWERSPlant a diverse range of flowers and ensure they bloom successively to ensure there is something for the bees to forage all year-round. The more flowers the better – and your garden will look lovely too!Honey bees are especially drawn to purple, blue, yellow and white flowers with a single row of petals to make the nectar easier to access. Honey

Why is some honey runny, and some honey solid?

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3 min read

At Mountain Valley Honey, a common question we get asked is “why is some honey in liquid form, and others more solid?” In this month’s blog post, owner and master beekeeper, Murray Elwood will give you the answer.Crystallization (or settling) is a natural process for almost all raw honeys. It shows the honey hasn’t been over-filtered or processed, as crystallization occurs when honey contains minute particles of pollen and wax.Our raw Kāmahi Honey showing different stages of crystallization, a natural process that shows the honey has not been over-processed.Why does honey crystalize?Crystallization occurs in raw honey due to it naturally containing high levels of glucose (anywhere from 25 to 40%). Glucose is less soluble in water than Fructose, and so it more easi

A day in the life of a Mountain Valley Honey Beekeeper

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3 min read

“Our role as beekeepers is to ensure our bees are in the best environment, that they are well looked after, so they can produce good quality honey.”When it comes to producing a jar of Mountain Valley Honey, there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes, and our team of beekeepers play a crucial part. So, in this month’s blog, we thought we would give you a little insight into what that part is.Mountain Valley Honey co-owner, Murray Elwood has been a beekeeper for 26 years and says that a beekeeper’s work changes from season to season.“Each day we start with an 8am meeting to go over health and safety, and confirm who is going where for the day.“At this time of year, we do our final check of the beehives before the honey flow.“We check for any disease

A continuing journey towards sustainability for Mountain Valley Honey

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2 min read

As a primary producer, Mountain Valley Honey feels a connection to the land and the bees during the honey making process.That’s why MVH know how easy it is to get caught up in the “convenience” options of today’s busy world.But co-owner, Nicky Elwood, says it’s important to her and the business to continually look for ways to reduce their waste and use products that can be reused or repurposed.“It’s important to us to be sustainable whilst ensuring our honey remains at the highest quality, and the product arrives to the customer safely.”Mountain Valley Honey have been looking particularly at their use of plastics within their processes and how they can reduce it – and they’ve come up with a clever solution.“Our 1kg jars are our most popular si

MVH is NZ made, and we’ve got the certificate to prove it!

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1 min read

In honey markets worldwide, there will always be honey that is marketed as something it’s not. So, obtaining a ‘Certificate of Licence’ is crucial to ensuring the authenticity of honey for consumers.Mountain Valley Honey have just received ours through a membership programme allowing the use of the known and trusted ‘New Zealand Made’ trademark.The ‘New Zealand Made’ trademark is a brand to showcase New Zealand’s fabulous products, produced right here in Aotearoa.For Mountain Valley Honey co-owner, Nicky Elwood, it’s a fantastic way to promote and have pride in New Zealand and the amazing products it grows and produces.“We join every year, as we love having the trademark on our products to give our customers that extra confidence they’re buying a