Recent Posts

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FARMING & COUNTRY LIFE / Re: Laser projects

« Last post by animal on Today at 10:56:40 am »

Just another piece of machinery that every farmer should have.

Considering the advance in technology that has made cnc laser engraving possible on a small scale, your casual statement is a cool as the projects you guys are making.
I still have trouble seeing the tool as "worth it" from the standpoint of a strict cost/benefit analysis with maximizing profit the goal. However, that is irrelevant compared to the idea of getting a super-cool toy, being able to call it a business expense and write it off on taxes (not to mention justifying the purchase to the wife). I did the same thing many years ago with a cad printer in my business years ago. Now you guys have convinced me I "need" a laser engraver for my business.
The man that dies with the most toys wins, after all

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GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. / Re: Bee wreck

« Last post by Ben Framed on Today at 10:45:23 am »

> Usually the boxes are scattered all over the road.
You have a great fire department.

And it seems bee wrecks are not unusual.

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GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. / Re: Bee wreck

« Last post by Terri Yaki on Today at 10:43:58 am »

I'm trying to figure out the engineering behind uprighting the truck with the bees attached. First off, the truck is a little more than just on it's side, it's on the way over and at least some of those hives had to have gotten damaged and pushed into the others in a domino effect. That's a flatbed so I would expect that they'd grab it by the frame or the rub rail and pull it up, which I would expect to end up dropping all the hives off the other side. Either way though, if they saved most of the bees, they did good.

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GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. / Re: Bee wreck

« Last post by BeeMaster2 on Today at 10:33:22 am »

I?m surprised that the fire department didn?t over the whole truck with foam. My st of the time that is what they do.
Looks like the hives are still strapped to the truck. Maybe that is why they will bee able to save them.
Usually the boxes are scattered all over the road.
You have a great fire department.
Jim Altmiller

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GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. / Bee wreck

« Last post by iddee on Today at 08:25:50 am »

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/most-of-15-million-bees-contained-after-bee-laden-truck-crashes/ar-BB1mavwy?ocid=BHEA000&cvid=f982d196e0d14d4c830d14fccaeb9481&ei=111

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

« Last post by Ben Framed on Today at 06:25:06 am »

I have heard a similar report Les concerning sugar rolls, but I do not have that report handy. Nor do I know if that report is accurate. Your opinion of the alcohol wash is an opinion I share as well.
quoting you: I only perform alcohol wash tests as it is quicker and gives more accurate results which is important in the early stages of varroa spread.

TheHoneyPump also VERY knowledgeable about varroa preferred the Alcohol wash for obvious reasons. He was from a 7th generation bee keeping family whose family business depends upon up to date knowledge in all aspects of bee health. A family which produces not only an astronomical amount of honey each year, but thousands of pounds of wax in his Country, Canada!

For the sake of those who do not like the idea of killing their bees, he humored us with patience and kindness, giving us a formula for the sugar roll. I do not know if he was aware of the implications that sugar rolls also kill bees?

I highly recommend the following, written by him, to all my Australian Beekeeping Friends concerning Varro Destructor.

Phillip


https://beemaster.com/forum/index.php?topic=54623.msg497375#msg497375

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FARMING & COUNTRY LIFE / Re: Laser projects

« Last post by Ben Framed on Today at 05:47:31 am »

Just another piece of machinery that every farmer should have.

Hi Les,
From your shared post and projects in the Today I Made topic, you have certainly proven their worth in your bee farming operations! I really like the engraved honey jar lids you did! Keep up the good work!

Phillip

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

« Last post by Lesgold on Today at 05:23:56 am »

An interesting comment about sugar roll tests. We were told at a recent varroa course that sugar roll tests were fatal to bees but their death is slow and is not obvious. From memory they said that the bees spiracles were blocked by the powdered sugar and it took a few days for the bees to slowly die from suffocation. I have never heard of this before but have no reason to doubt what they are saying as they are experts in this field. I?m wondering if anyone has any information in relation to this area. Most of you on this forum deal with the pest on a daily and would be well informed on such things. I only perform alcohol wash tests as it is quicker and gives more accurate results which is important in the early stages of varroa spread.

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FARMING & COUNTRY LIFE / Re: Laser projects

« Last post by Lesgold on Today at 05:05:31 am »

Just another piece of machinery that every farmer should have.

20

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

« Last post by beesnweeds on Today at 12:24:16 am »

Obviously, you have confidence in the sugar roll method but I have heard others express differing positions on it. I'd like to know more about the pros and cons on it.

I use Dawn dish detergent for a mite wash. 2 tbls. per gallon of water.  Sugar rolls are not accurate.  Just swirl the bees, dont shake or it gets too soapy.  Sampling 300 bees for 6 months is only 1800 bees per colony, thats nothing.  More bees die daily from attrition and the sampling saves hundreds of thousands of bees or more in my apiary.

What causes a brood break and how long do they last?

Splits, swarms, or forced brood breaks by caging the queen 14 days.  They last as long as there is no capped brood for mites to hide in for an OA treatment.

And lastly, we are still having spring here so our weather is above and below bee flying weather. What do they all do in there when they have no-fly days?

I use slatted racks, so on no fly days, or overnight, foragers will typically cluster under the rack unless its hot out, then they will cluster on the outside of the hive even in the rain.