BilletHead Posted May 15, 2022 Author Posted May 15, 2022 Mead was bottled today. Out of a gallon start we ended up with six 20 oz bottles and 16 oz in a mason jar that is chilling in the fridge for this evening. Decided next run will be same Meade but will do five gallons in individual gallon jugs. We are really happy with the results. Been eating and tangerines and saving the peelings for part of the ingredients. Some of that in the dehydrator drying. Carl1969, nomolites, Johnsfolly and 1 other 4 "We have met the enemy and it is us", Pogo If you compete with your fellow anglers, you become their competitor, If you help them you become their friend" Lefty Kreh " Never display your knowledge, you only share it" Lefty Kreh "Eat more bass and there will be more room for walleye to grow!" BilletHead " One thing in life is for sure. If you are careful you can straddle the barbed wire fence but make one mistake and you will be hurting" BilletHead P.S. "May your fences be short or hope you have long legs" BilletHead
BilletHead Posted May 15, 2022 Author Posted May 15, 2022 Three of my swarm traps are occupied right now. Pulled three others I have no real confidence in at the moment. Those not out will replace the ones occupied when I retrieve them. One trap was hit here at the house and it was not one of my yard swarms. Nice bunch of bees and it took some time for them to go in to stay. Four to five hours. I watched them move slow as molasses until late when the move in was speeded up. When I first seen the swarm on front of trap, Then I set the phone camera to macro movie and went up ladder slow until I got close and personal. No protective gear at all. So calm, VID_20220512_123111080.mp4 As the day progressed the outside mass of bees got thinner, Then the entrance became visible, Close to dark thirty they were all inside but a few buzzing in and out. Been there now three days and I assume the colony thinks they have a new home. Temporary housing I say. Buddy in Herman caught his first colony in a swarm trap today. Last year he had traps out and never a bite but this year he had one hit and is happy. I call them squatter bees. If you look closely on front of trap he has written rent free housing , VID_20220513_072323613.mp4 "We have met the enemy and it is us", Pogo If you compete with your fellow anglers, you become their competitor, If you help them you become their friend" Lefty Kreh " Never display your knowledge, you only share it" Lefty Kreh "Eat more bass and there will be more room for walleye to grow!" BilletHead " One thing in life is for sure. If you are careful you can straddle the barbed wire fence but make one mistake and you will be hurting" BilletHead P.S. "May your fences be short or hope you have long legs" BilletHead
BilletHead Posted May 15, 2022 Author Posted May 15, 2022 7 minutes ago, ness said: How sweet did the mead finish? Not overly sweet. I'm not a wine expert though. We both liked it. Next batch there will be one for you to critique. "We have met the enemy and it is us", Pogo If you compete with your fellow anglers, you become their competitor, If you help them you become their friend" Lefty Kreh " Never display your knowledge, you only share it" Lefty Kreh "Eat more bass and there will be more room for walleye to grow!" BilletHead " One thing in life is for sure. If you are careful you can straddle the barbed wire fence but make one mistake and you will be hurting" BilletHead P.S. "May your fences be short or hope you have long legs" BilletHead
ness Posted May 16, 2022 Posted May 16, 2022 21 minutes ago, BilletHead said: Not overly sweet. I'm not a wine expert though. We both liked it. Next batch there will be one for you to critique. That would be great-thanks! This has me wanting to ferment something. It’s been a while. I finished off the last of the cider a while back and there’s nothing in the cellar. John
fishinwrench Posted May 16, 2022 Posted May 16, 2022 When I was a kid, my mom and one of her drunken friends made a batch of dandelion wine, and they used us kids as guinea pigs. Good Lord, that stuff was aweful ! 🥴 Times have certainly changed. Parents would go straight to jail for some crap like that now ! BilletHead 1
Carl1969 Posted May 16, 2022 Posted May 16, 2022 11 hours ago, fishinwrench said: When I was a kid, my mom and one of her drunken friends made a batch of dandelion wine, and they used us kids as guinea pigs. Good Lord, that stuff was aweful ! 🥴 Times have certainly changed. Parents would go straight to jail for some crap like that now ! My grandma made some dandelion wine once that was horrible. Dad & I used to make a lovely plum wine that just about needed a chaser it was so strong & a lot of pear & apple wine when I was a kid & he still does an amazing blackberry wine. I'd love to get some plum & pawpaw trees established & gather me up some copper sheeting & tubing. BilletHead and Johnsfolly 2
jdmidwest Posted May 17, 2022 Posted May 17, 2022 Going to recover a swarm that has been on a rough bark tree for a few days in the morning. They have been drawing comb. About 12' in the air, we will see how that goes. Nice way to keep the week of the blood red moon going. "Life has become immeasurably better since I have been forced to stop taking it seriously." — Hunter S. Thompson
BilletHead Posted May 17, 2022 Author Posted May 17, 2022 8 hours ago, jdmidwest said: Going to recover a swarm that has been on a rough bark tree for a few days in the morning. They have been drawing comb. About 12' in the air, we will see how that goes. Nice way to keep the week of the blood red moon going. Good luck JD, Be careful with those swarms up higher. I'm not afraid of heights as doing stuff high off the ground was my job. It's the landing and hitting the ground that I don't like. I realize you know what you are doing buddy. "We have met the enemy and it is us", Pogo If you compete with your fellow anglers, you become their competitor, If you help them you become their friend" Lefty Kreh " Never display your knowledge, you only share it" Lefty Kreh "Eat more bass and there will be more room for walleye to grow!" BilletHead " One thing in life is for sure. If you are careful you can straddle the barbed wire fence but make one mistake and you will be hurting" BilletHead P.S. "May your fences be short or hope you have long legs" BilletHead
jdmidwest Posted May 18, 2022 Posted May 18, 2022 It was not a swarm, it was an opportunity. Bee hive in a tree. I climbed the ladder and put a little smoke on them and found the hole. But the tree is full of bees, the ones in the pic stayed outside all nite. They will probably swarm to lower the population crowding. I left a swarm box near the tree and went by this afternoon, bees were looking at it and going in and out. Going back tomorrow afternoon and putting a box to the tree and another nearby. tho1mas 1 "Life has become immeasurably better since I have been forced to stop taking it seriously." — Hunter S. Thompson
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