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When Cyclone Gabrielle hit Hawke’s Bay no one could have anticipated the way it affected the local bees.
More than 178 hobbyist hives were flooded or swept away, and without their hives the bees had nowhere to go.
Since the cyclone affected so many people too, beekeepers were unable to attend to the bees, and without sugar water and adequate care to help them recover they died.
Thomas Reisinger, from Manakau, is the secretary of the Ōtaki Buzz Club, which is comprised of beekeeper hobbyists from Raumati South to Levin and was formed in 2013, and he’s been organising hives to be sent over to Hawke’s Bay to help replace what was lost.
He got in touch with Beekeepers Hawke’s Bay Inc, a similar group to the Ōtaki Buzz Club, and asked if they were interested in receiving some small hives, and of course they were keen.
They requested 25 hives, if possible, to which Reisinger said, “We can do that.”
Members of the Ōtaki Buzz Club got behind the cause, with 12 volunteering to create nucs (nucleus), which are small beehives that come with a frame of honey, a frame of pollen, three frames of brood at different stages, and a queen.
Thomas Reisinger checks on some bees. Photo / David Haxton
Reisinger said those nucs need to be transferred to a bigger hive and they will multiply quickly.
He said they were only sending hives to other hobbyists, as commercial beekeepers should be able to cater for themselves.
About 20 hives have been taken to Hawke’s Bay so far, with the last few to be taken later this month, and that will conclude the project.
Since the climate is so different between Raumati South and Levin, Reisinger said different beekeepers are taking different times to put together their nucs, so he’s just driving them over to Hawke’s Bay as they come in.
Reisinger has been a beekeeper for 10 years now and said its biggest benefit is its meditative effects.
“For me, it’s about meditation.”
Ōtaki Buzz Club secretary Thomas Reisinger. Photo / David Haxton
He’s had his Manakau-based lifestyle block for a long time, but it started as a lavender farm where he was creating essential oils.
But he kept getting stung by bees, so when his lavender plants started getting old and withering, he decided to try something different and do beekeeping instead.
Over his decade of beekeeping, he has become quite experienced and now helps mentor new beekeepers, doing a year of one-on-one work with them so they can get some hands-on experience with the bees.
He now has 53 hives and has come to really love taking part in looking after the insects, especially the bees.
