It’s been a bumper honey season for John Berry’s son Chris in his now-home of Norway as the long daylight hours, combined with some hot, dry weather have seen a range of nectars flowing. The Hawke’s Bay beekeeper reports on his recent travels to 61 degrees north where some late-summer work awaited.

This year marks John Berry’s 60th as a beekeeper and, knowing there is still plenty for him to learn, for the first time the Hawke’s Bay lad headed off to the World Beekeeping Congress that is ‘Apimondia’.

When you have been involved in beekeeping for as long as I have, you’re bound to have seen a few disasters and learned from a few mistakes. You wouldn’t think there was much left for me to learn, but the other day I had my nose rubbed firmly in all of the above…

With beekeepers up and down the country feeling the pinch of rising costs and honey prices well below recent highs, veteran beekeeper John Berry has some practical advice beekeeping when the chips are down.