20
COROMANDEL LIFE
SUMMER 2014
F
or
Wilderland
beekeeper Simeon McLean, a
typical day is never the same. “Yes, the structure
is the same”, he explains, “but is dynamic in
terms of the seasons, how many hives you have going
and how well or badly they are going.”
A typical day for Simeon starts with assembling the
equipment and venturing out to a selection of their
90 hives to check on their progress. The inspection
process involves making sure the hives are clear of
insects, parasites and diseases as well as checking to
see if more hives need to be added on top. (The name
of the producing hive is called a brood and the extra
hives, for excess honey, are called the supers).
Bees have a foraging range of about 3km, but they
are not the only critters racking up miles. “Lots of
commuting with this bee business,” he explains. “We
aim to get to every hive each week. We don’t bring
one in for harvest until it is ready.”
Pulling the frames from the box is a delicate process,
and surprisingly, Simeon often chooses to work
without gloves in order to not harm or squash the
bees. “My record for being stung was 10 in one day”,
he explains, “and I average 5-to-10 stings a week.”
How do you know you’ve annoyed the bees? “You
can tell the hives are getting agitated by the pitch
of their humming; it starts off as a gentle hum then
migrates to a higher pitch – that’s when you know it’s
time to move on.”
This care shown for their bees infuses the entire
Wilderland sustainable community which has been
sitting on top of the hills overlooking Whitianga
Harbour the past four decades. The ethos of the
community is ‘keep it local’.
The honey produced is dispersed through the
Wilderland community and sold to shops on the
Coromandel and at local farmers markets. They also
create balms and ointments from the by-products
including propolis and bee’s wax. (See their catalog at
).
Beekeeper
Simeon McLean
Wilderland Honey
“Keep it local”
is the ethos of this
four decade old
intentional sustainable
community...and that
goes for honey, too!
Wilderland’s bee-powered
itch ointment.
Outer Cover
Inner Cover
Honey Supers: where
honey is collected.
Queen Excluder:
keeps her out of
honey supers.
Deep Super: for
Broods (Queen and
her eggs), can be
more than one.
Bottom Board
Stand
“PEACE and PANCAKES!”
Members of the Wilderland
community man a booth at the
farmer’s market selling honey,
ointments, juices, organic
produce and handmade
products. Visit their shop on
Hwy 25 north of Coroglen
.
LANGSTROTH HIVE
