BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER > DOWN UNDER BEEKEEPING
Couple of observations from a newbie
Wombat2:
Last Monday when I robbed the hive I placed one frame between rails on one side of the hive out of sight while I worked from the other side and promptly forgot it ( wondered why I was short ) remembered last night when I got home after dark and went down to look for it - you guessed it - clean as a whistle with still about 10-12 bees hanging around it as well as about 100 sitting at the entrance. But the most interesting this was the 10 cane toads under the entrance looking up for a feed. Went back to the house and got the spray bottle full of Dettol and gave them a wash - guess a night patrol now and then will be in order.
How many bees usually hang about outside the hive at night?
bernsad:
On a warm night, if a flow is on or the hive is chockers it could be hundreds if not thousands bearding on the outside.
I'm curious, what does the Dettol do for the toads? Apparently toads are quite persistent at getting to the hives, I've seen photos of the climbing chicken wire fences.
Wombat2:
Officially it banned and not to be used :-X
Unofficially it has been known for years that a squirt with Dettol and the toad drops dead in 2 minutes flat (Well they don't go far!) very very effective - I think it is banned (to discourage use) because they don't know the environmental impact on other frogs and creatures so don't want wholesale spaying of waterways etc. but load a water pistol or a spray bottle set to squirt and get a direct hit and one dead toad. :roll:
Lone:
All methods of eliminating cane toads are apparently banned for cruelty reasons. I'm not sure how much is law. Probably cricket and golf are out. The only method which is supposedly humane is freezing them. Mind you, it doesn't seem humane to humans who have to put them near their food products; and it requires handling with greater potential for spray in the eyes.
I personally think it crueller to freeze the blighters seeing as they have obviously migrated to Queensland for the sunny, warm weather; and to cool them down would be like torture or moving to Tasmania or something. Nothing worse than freezing to death I reckon.
When it's Springtime in the Towers, the chinees are in bloom, the rubbervine's entwining around the lantana too. I look inside the freezer, hungry for a bite, take out a bag of canetoads, and cook them in the fire. (To tune of Springtime in the Rockies)
Here's my experience on the warm night. http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php/topic,36333.msg304831.html#msg304831
Lone
BeeMaster2:
Lone,
Have you tried burying a five gallon bucket in front of a hive. May fill up so fast that the last ones just craw out. :-D
Jim
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