Recent Posts

71

CRAFTING CORNER / Re: Wax contamination question

« Last post by Lesgold on April 15, 2024, 05:49:43 pm »

They are two treatments that I will use. Formicpro can be used with supers on over here but from memory Apiguard can not. ( I?ll have to check that as at the moment the old brain is bombarded with information) Formicpro will have a withhold period of two weeks.

Phillip, the Department Of Primary Industries is our controlling body. They are very capable people. Although what I mentioned earlier may sound a little unusual, the order is in place to control the spread of varroa. This will give a bit more time for beekeepers to undergo training courses, for dissemination of information and for beekeeping suppliers to stock equipment etc to battle the pest. The bio security order will most likely be lifted at some stage. New treatments for Varroa are being looked at but until they are approved as being safe, it is illegal to use them.

Cao, I won?t be allowed to use the wax from brood comb at all. It will need to be destroyed. Frames will be able to be reused if all wax is removed. I may still go down that path but it may not be worth the effort.

Michael, people who live on the coast won?t have brood breaks. In my area, the brood area becomes much smaller than usual but the queen continues to lay. People like Max ho have warmer winters have the queen laying all year. Forced brood breaks will be another option we will need to consider. I will be asking for advice on methods to do this efficiently in the future. Looks like this pest will impact on hive growth and therefore honey production. More work for a reduced output sounds appealing. 🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲

72

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

« Last post by Lesgold on April 15, 2024, 05:31:26 pm »

Hi Jim,

I ended up getting the Creality Falcon 2. It?s a 22w machine. Cuts through 12mm pine quite well. There is also a 40w machine available but it is quite a bit more to buy. I?m happy with this laser for what I do.

73

THE 2ND AMENDMENT / Re: ATF EXPERT

« Last post by Terri Yaki on April 15, 2024, 04:51:31 pm »

230 grn for the .45 and 115 for the 9 for me. I have JHP bullets for both and all else I need to reload. The Mark 23 is a monster but the USP 9C carries nice and easy. I think I need a thigh holster.

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THE 2ND AMENDMENT / Re: ATF EXPERT

« Last post by Kathyp on April 15, 2024, 04:31:54 pm »

The legendary stopping power of the .45 is largely a myth.

.45 wins the argument here in PA because it will blow your whole arm off.

There are things that will stop someone better than a .45, but the .45 is multiples better than the 9mm for stopping power. 

And the type of ammo used makes a difference, so there's that calculation. 

75

THE 2ND AMENDMENT / Re: ATF EXPERT

« Last post by Terri Yaki on April 15, 2024, 03:38:33 pm »

.45 wins the argument here in PA because it will blow your whole arm off. 

76

THE 2ND AMENDMENT / Re: ATF EXPERT

« Last post by animal on April 15, 2024, 03:01:10 pm »

NATO round better than civilian for knockdown is hilarious
Military is limited to FMJ or TMJ for all bullets. Any commercially produced hollow point will out perform the NATO round. That said, it is a heavy loading and hotter than most commercial FMJ loads, but you can also buy commercial ammo in the same loading.
Switching from .45ACP to 9x19 had many advantages. The legendary stopping power of the .45 is largely a myth.

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GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. / Re: Reading list

« Last post by The15thMember on April 15, 2024, 02:07:48 pm »

I just finished my bumble bee guide.  It was exceedingly dry as a cover to cover read, but that's really my fault I guess (although I've read guidebooks before and didn't find them so boring). I learned one interesting fact: Bombus griseocollis (brown-belted bumble bee) males will perch on high structures to get a good view of the surrounding area to search for mates, but they take this to the extreme in urban environments where they will sometimes perch on top of skyscrapers.  Males of this species have been found 102 stories up on the Empire State Building!  I just wish that the Xerces Society would take a page from Audubon and try a little harder to make publications like this accessible to the layman.  I basically consider myself to be an amateur naturalist, so I was able to understand the book and how to use it, but if you were new to bees or entomology, you wouldn't even be able to make heads or tails of the information or use it in any efficient manner.  The lack of knowledge we have about bumble bee life history is partially to blame, but the flip side to that is I know it's possible to make this accessible and engaging because The Bees in Your Backyard did it.  As a guidebook, it's certainly thorough, but the materials I got as a member of my regional bumble bee atlas are far more user friendly, so I will probably continue to use those and only use this as a backup if I'm confused about something.  I gave the book a 3/5.  I'll probably move on to Huber next.   

78

THE 2ND AMENDMENT / Re: ATF EXPERT

« Last post by Kathyp on April 15, 2024, 02:00:31 pm »

I've been told that the 9 has improved to where it's almost as potent as the .40

Nope.  There's a reason the mag holds 17 rounds.  The military changed because NATO used the 9mm and we try to keep compatible weapons for logistical reasons.  NATO used the 9mm because it was less lethal although they will not tell you that.  They also claim that the NATO round is better than the civilian round for knockdown.  Maybe marginally, but nothing compared to the .45.  After all, you don't want to actually kill the people you shoot.

I like the weapon, but it's a field nightmare primarily because of that little spring.  Lose that thing in the dirt and the weapon is done. 

79

GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. / Re: Follow the Bloom - 2024

« Last post by Caashenb on April 15, 2024, 01:55:22 pm »

vetch is all starting to bloom today.

80

CRAFTING CORNER / Re: Wax contamination question

« Last post by The15thMember on April 15, 2024, 01:19:20 pm »

I understand what you are saying Phillip but while we are under the bio security order we have no option. If we detect mites in a hive and once they get to the required threshold, we have to treat all hives in the apiary. We don?t have any choice in the matter. From memory, we have about 5 options here in Australia as far as treatments are concerned. We have a lot of beekeepers who are not registered and have very little idea about what is happening. Quite a few won?t do anything and will try to ride it out. They are the people who will eventually have nothing but in the meantime they will be a problem to anyone else in the neighbourhood. OAV is not registered and is illegal to use in Australia at this point. It may be an option down the track but not in the immediate future. Treating with honey supers on or off is another issue that I?m sure you guys all face as well.

I just looked it up and it seems like FormicPro and ApiGuard are both registered for use in Australia.  Both of these are organic, and I know FormicPro is safe with supers, I think ApiGuard is too.  I have used both, and personally prefer not to use either with supers on, just because both are very fragrant and I'm worried about the honey taking on the flavor of the treatment, particularly of the ApiGuard, as thymol has a very strong minty flavor.  FormicPro is a heavier treatment in my experience, whereas ApiGuard is pretty tame, although I have only used it once or twice.  You might want to do some research on those two if you are concerned about residual chemicals from the other treatments.