Dry Year Cuts Honey Production - KXNet - Bismarck/Minot/Williston/Dickinson

Dry Year Cuts Honey Production

While many producers are out combining their wheat crop, some harvesters are headed to the hive.

Since May bees have been hard at work trying to fill the hive, but those workers haven't been having much luck.

Ag Reporter Sarah Gustin takes you west of Flasher for this year's honey harvest.

A dry year hits farmers hard-not just in the field, but in the hive.

These bees near Carson are struggling to make honey.

(Kevin Jensen / Beekeeper) "I think it's been too dry. It's blooming nice, but you can't even smell it when you drive by an alfalfa field like you can when it's blooming good."

Kevin Jensen says this years honey crop is less than 1/2 of last year's.

Jensen say's an alfalfa crop that never bloomed because alfalfa weevils and a lack of rain is to blame.

(Kevin Jensen / Beekeeper) "The alfalfa weevil this spring really took a toll. The alfalfa didn't bloom and the bees didn't get excited and grow and it has been so hot and dry that there just isn't much nectar in the flowers for the bees to work." 

(Sarah Gustin / sgustin@kxnet.com) "Typically Jensen puts out 20-thousand supers into the field. This year there's still about 7-thousand left in the shed due to low production. His honey crop last year came in at a record 738, this year he's estimating maybe he'll produce 250 barrels."

(Kevin Jensen / Beekeeper) "Good year we probably fill around 20-thousand supers. Maybe about 100 pounds Last year we did about 150 pounds per hive. This year I have about 14-thousand supers out and they are not all going to be full. It's going to be low, maybe 30-40 pounds if we are lucky."

But Jensen has no plans of giving up on his 5-thousand colonies, they have another chance to work on the west coast this fall.

(Kevin Jensen / Beekeeper) "We are going to have to really tighten our belts. Hopefully we can keep the bees alive to make some extra money in California with the almond pollination. It's typical farming. Ups and downs. We try to prepare for this and weather through it the best we can." 

Jensen says it's so dry that they are still feeding some of the weaker hives.>>

Jensen says every nectar source has it's own unique taste.

He says they are paid on a color basis, the lighter the color the better.

He says clover honey is the most desirable in our area.