Report from Alaska

[BerkeyDavid]

I just returned from 10 great days in Alaska, mostly in the Kenai Peninsula, but also up to Talkeetna and the State Fair in Palmer.

It was great to meet Dick Allen at the State Fair and chat with him, see the displays and the nice honey for sale there.

THe fireweed is all over the place. SOme other blooms I couldn't ID, and the giant white dutch clover going strong.

Temperatures never got over 62, and many days of rain on the peninsula, although it was sunnier up near Palmer.

I was really impressed with the giant vegetables they grow up there, due to the very long days. Even now the sun is setting after 9 pm although they are losing daylight at the rate of 6 minutes a day.

The best news is that these beekeepers are getting a good price for their products. Honey was selling at the Farmer's market in Homer for $12 a pound and they were too busy selling it to really talk. Lots of customers.

The souvenir place in Talkeetna had sold out their honey, it was in 4 ounce jars and asking $4 a little jar.

There is lots of forage out there so if anyone feels the pioneer spirit, load up your bees and head to Alaska! WHile it would be lots of work, the people are wonderful up there and the scenery is spectacular.

Fishing ain't bad either! We caught and ate halibut and silver salmon til we almost burst!

Can't wait to go back. I do think there is a bright future for beekeeping in Alaska. I certainly have a lot of respect and admiration for the beeks up there. Not only do they have a tough climate, but lots of bears too.

[ September 09, 2006, 07:28 AM: Message edited by: BerkeyDavid ]

[Barry]

Can you share any pictures with us?

- Barry

[Dick Allen]

Thanks for the kind words David. It's always good to put faces behind faceless names. David even answered a few beekeeping questions and helped locate the observation hive's queen bee. That in itself is a full time responsibilty at a beekeeping display!

>Temperatures never got over 62, and many days of rain on the peninsula

Now maybe you guys down there below the Mason-Dixon line will realize I'm telling the truth about conditions when honey is removed in Alaska. tongue.gif

[ September 09, 2006, 11:39 AM: Message edited by: Dick Allen ]

[Sundance]

Love to see some pics for sure....

[BerkeyDavid]

OK I will get some pics on next week.

[D. Murrell]

Hi David,

Waiting for your pictures also. I'm sure it will bring back lots of memories as I ran a small commercial outfit in Delta Junction in the late '70s.

The temps in the interior are alot higher than where you were at. We would have about two weeks with temps approaching the 80's. But a hard frost would occur during the first week of August, and temps steadily decrease from that point on, with -30F common by the end of Sept. And -50 to -60 common and consistant after that. Low temps approached -70 below with no diurral change as it's essentially dark most of the time.

I sidelined as a testing engineer at the Cold Regions Test Facility while wintering my bees indoors.

I would like to get back up there. But my wife, from the tropics, whom I met there, has different ideas :>)))

Regards
Dennis

[tecumseh]

berkeydavid sezs:
Honey was selling at the Farmer's market in Homer for $12 a pound and they were too busy selling it to really talk. Lots of customers.

tecumseh says:
woa...now that is impressive.

[BerkeyDavid]

Finally got my pictures edited and downloaded: AK Pics (http://photos.yahoo.com/ph//my_photos)

Here are some great links to Alaska Beekeeping from a member of this forum, Keith Malone:

Keeping and Wintering Bees in Alaska http://balder.prohosting.com/~starrier/akhb2004.html
http://akbkeepr.blake.prohosting.com/styronuc.htm
http://balder.prohosting.com/~starrier/index.htm
http://balder.prohosting.com/~starrier/hiving.html
http://balder.prohosting.com/~starrier/moving.html
http://balder.prohosting.com/~starrier/swarms.html
http://balder.prohosting.com/~starrier/fair.html
http://balder.prohosting.com/~starrier/feedingbees.html
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/akbeekeepers/
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/Norlandbeekeepers/
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/ApiarianBreedersGuild/

[SilverFox]

B Wrangler; Delta Junction HUH?? My father helped build and maintain the "pumpkin" on Donnelly Flats till Philco turned it over to the Government in the mid 60's. Lived in a trailer park for 2 years on the highway just outside Delta jct on the way to Tok Jct.
Yep'er Delta Junction "The Last Bump On The Alaskan Highway"
Give you the time frame I was there, the Fairbanks flood happened during Delta Junction Days at the fair.
I have my name in the records book up there for the first class "C" flag football game in the state, second string center. :D

[ September 19, 2006, 11:13 PM: Message edited by: SilverFox ]

[Donna Marie, Honeybee by the Sea]

Great photos and travelogue, thanks for sharig! I envy them the long summer days, but not the long winter darkness...makes me think of Walt on Nothern Exposure with his light therapy headdress.

Y'all make hay while the sun shines and shines, Cheers D

[BULLSEYE BILL]

My GF and I would like to come up and go back packing some summer. I will bring the candles too!

[Dick Allen]

Bill, you won't need candles in the summer. :rolleyes:

[Dick Allen]

Tell you what though. bring up a bottle of Fischer's Bee Quick. I'll try it and see if it works at low temperatures. Seems I can't get any real information from the manufacturer.

[beegee]

I heard the mosquitos are fierce in Alaska....

[sierrabees]

What I hear from a friend who like to hunt and fish in Alaska is that the mosquitos are no big deal. All you have to do it whack them a few times with a baseball bat and they leave you alone, but you need an aluminum bat because the wooden ones will break if you hit them in the head.

[BULLSEYE BILL]

>Tell you what though. bring up a bottle of Fischer's Bee Quick. I'll try it and see if it works at low temperatures. Seems I can't get any real information from the manufacturer.

It looks like I won't be able to pull my fall honey until October the way it looks now. So I can tell you how it works at low temps. I already know it works at lower temps, you just have to use a butt load of the stuff. If you had a breeze board, that would help.

BTW, I was hoping to snow shoe the candles in before it got too deep... for the experiment...
That's it! You can warm up the hive with candles so the BQ will work! Really, all you would have to do is shove a really big wick down the center of the hive... ;) That should warm things up!

[SilverFox]

When I lived up there I heard two mosquito's talking about a victim, One said "should we eat 'em here or take 'em home??? The other replied we'd better eat 'em here if we take 'em home the big ones will get 'em.
They had to get clearence from Almondorf Air Force before they could land.

[D. Murrell]

Hi Guys,

http://akweathercams.faa.gov/

Here are a few Alaskan weather cams. You can see the dark and light for yourself. And you can watch it snow and freeze by August 10th in DJ. That's a whole month before it snows in Casper :>)))

Regards
Dennis

[ September 20, 2006, 07:40 PM: Message edited by: B Wrangler ]

[Dick Allen]

>That's a whole month before it snows in Casper

yeah, and even a couple of months for Anchorage, although it is getting :cool: around here.

[izduz]

I'm jealous of all you lucky devils living in the bannana belt. We've had several days of snow already, with more expected this weekend. It's not sticking around very long, but some of the high meadows got 8-10 inches. Winter is bearing down on us like a fast freight. At least I won't have to mow the lawn again this year.

[upnorth]

Is there anybody on this board keeping bees on Sitka? A girlfriend visited me this summer (I'm in northern MN) and she really liked the bees and wanted to try keeping some where she lives on Sitka. I had to say, I've got no idea how bees would do up there. What do you think?