Recent Posts

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GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. / Re: What did you do in your Apiary/Bee yard today?

« Last post by Terri Yaki on Today at 02:24:08 pm »

It all sounds interesting to me and if I get enough resources, I'd play with it. My neighbor reports that his uncle has two queens on tap for Saturday and that beats the time it would take to make a queen. I just hope his idea bo make two hives isn't too big a bite for the remaining workers. I feel like he's on borrowed time right now.

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GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. / Re: Lost Four Out of Five

« Last post by Terri Yaki on Today at 02:16:37 pm »

Sounds like a humbling experience and everyone's nightmare. Hope your next round goes much better.

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GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. / Re: Lost Four Out of Five

« Last post by FatherMichael on Today at 01:59:36 pm »

Happens to all of us.  We experiment and sometimes it works.  Sometimes it doesn't.  I am glad you are not discouraged from continuing.  It sounds like you learned a lot from failure and hopefully, that will lead to future success!

Thank you, Kathy.

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GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. / Re: Lost Four Out of Five

« Last post by Kathyp on Today at 01:19:22 pm »

Happens to all of us.  We experiment and sometimes it works.  Sometimes it doesn't.  I am glad you are not discouraged from continuing.  It sounds like you learned a lot from failure and hopefully, that will lead to future success!

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THE 2ND AMENDMENT / Re: ATF EXPERT

« Last post by Kathyp on Today at 01:17:02 pm »

In many discussions, it's hard for a woman to even say she would pull the trigger.

My sons FIL doesn't think he could shoot someone.  I told him not to buy a gun.  IDK.  training makes a difference.  If you feel comfortable with the weapon, you are more apt to feel comfortable using it if you have to. 

When I was doing 4H I would tell the kids to practice what they were going to do in their heads every day.  Then when on the horse, practice what they had been envisioning.  The Music Man method.     Mental prep is as important, if not more important, than physical prep. 

and Kathy.. there isn't much we actually disagree on here

Didn't really think there was!   

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EQUIPMENT USAGE, EXPERIMENTATION, HIVE PLANS, CONSTRUCTION TIPS AND TOOLS / Re: Today I Made

« Last post by BeeMaster2 on Today at 12:02:02 pm »

I just looked it up, $809. Where do you have it setup at? I have been watching reviews of all types of lasers and two things that they point out are getting rid of the fumes and high chance of fire. How is this one?
Jim Altmiller

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GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. / Lost Four Out of Five

« Last post by FatherMichael on Today at 11:55:15 am »

I had never lost a bee hive before.  But coming back to bees since the bugs hit has been an humbling experience.

Two of the four I lost were rescues and, apparently, beyond repair.  I saw eggs but now suspect they were from a laying worker.

One was a swarm I caught, shaking them from a low tree limb into a pillowcase.  They started very well but fell prey to ants.

The last one was sad for me.  It was a "Texas" nuc, purportedly mite resistant "native" bees.  It died of mites.

The one hive left was in the backyard and did very well for two years with a hygienic queen from California.  But my "natural" strategy of letting them swarm for a "natural" brood break each spring backfired.  When a new queen takes her mating flight you don't know what she'll bring home.  In this case, it was two year's worth of more aggressive strains.  The neighbors complained, the bees harassed Mary and me, the neighbor's dog got stung, and their grandchildren did not want to play outside.  So, we moved them to the farm, which is a borrowed place just outside of town.  They have no mites but are not nice bees.

I'm done with "natural".  I've ordered Oxalic and a vaporizer, and will track down some Permethrin for the ants.

Will travel to San Antonio for a nuc this weekend.  Hopefully, but the end of the season I'll have four hives from splitting two.

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THE 2ND AMENDMENT / Re: ATF EXPERT

« Last post by Salvo on Today at 11:42:38 am »

The great equalizer.

In many discussions, it's hard for a woman to even say she would pull the trigger.

I think my wife would. "THREE TIMES AT LEAST. Bullets are cheap. Wouldn't want that guy to grab your ankle if you have to step over him."

She's good with a 45 but needs a two-hand hold and a Chapman stance. She weighs 111 lbs. She carries a little Walther too, better grip. She also carries a stick while walking, for coyotes just in case.

It's a scary world out there, even for walkers/joggers.

Re. Knives: It's always good to have a knife available.

Sal

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GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. / Re: What did you do in your Apiary/Bee yard today?

« Last post by NigelP on Today at 11:41:11 am »

Good idea Nigel. How do you place this small piece into your hive in need??

Phillip

I make plastic triangular template (margarine tub or similar) and use it to cut out a piece with eggs in from donor hive. Take a frame from recipient hive,  take same  template and cut identical piece out of frame  and replace with your frame with eggs. If its too loose  half a cocktail stick will keep it in place. Major problem is wires in frame but I simply cut these.....could also use a cookie cutter at a pinch
This way it is easy to see that any queen cells here have been drawn from eggs, not 4 day larva, as can be the case.
It also means you can donate eggs to three or four hives/nucs from one frame of  your "good" queens and not really weaken the hive.
For requeening  bad girl hives you simply destroy any queen cells that are not on you implanted triangle of eggs.

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GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. / Re: What did you do in your Apiary/Bee yard today?

« Last post by .30WCF on Today at 11:18:58 am »

You could possibly cut out a small section of comb with eggs for him, which won't have a major impact on your new hive. I do this quite frequently when requeening and it seems to work well.

I was wondering about something like that. Thanks, I'll look into that. Could a few eggs possible be picked out with a dental pic and placed into his comb?

No harm in trying if you have the time and patience. Thats how we learn things.


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