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A beekeeping topic.


BilletHead

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20 minutes ago, jdmidwest said:

You are tinkering with stuff I never had the time for.

I have toyed with the idea of making long langs.  That Layens hive looks like a beast to work.  I have had hives that really like the burr combs and glue things together.

The idea of crush and strain is a good way to keep stuff from building up in your hive that has been brought in from the fields like pesticides.  But building wax takes alot of energy for the bees and cuts into the honey production.

              Here is the deal JD,

 None have been hard to work at all. I had one problem with a backer board. I try too much to have close fits. Backer board was tight, and bees glued it in tight and had some wood swell.  Now I give a tad more room.  No burr comb yet in Layens. You level the hive well and the frames hang plumb with no cross combing. Last season did the crush and strain, but I think I will have a Layens crank extractor before fall. Best thing is it will also take Lang frames. Problem solved there.  I do have several frames drawn out. One hive weakened last Summer too late to save. I let the other bees in the yard clean part of it out and during the dearth took rest of frames out and hung a long way off to be cleaned. I will give these back to be filled this, Summer.  Last thing. These hives go together quick and easy. If you get with the program the hive itself can be built in a couple hours. I tend to run pretty slow and meticulous on my builds. Really no need for that.  

"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

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Take your time with your wood working.  The 3/8" bee space is a given.  As long as they have that, they will crawl between it.  Otherwise, they will fill it up with something.

"Life has become immeasurably better since I have been forced to stop taking it seriously."

Hunter S. Thompson

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On 3/6/2022 at 11:36 AM, BilletHead said:

Meade in the making. Next step a swirl in approximately 15 days.

IMG_20220306_104903549_HDR.jpgIMG_20220306_111401080_HDR.jpg

 

 

"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

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3 hours ago, Johnsfolly said:

Maybe this was posted previously. Just saw it today.

https://people.com/pets/bee-czar-discovery-channel-bee-rescue-show/

                No it has not but I have set up the DVR to record. I think it will be a hoot!

"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

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On 3/8/2022 at 1:12 PM, Johnsfolly said:

Maybe this was posted previously. Just saw it today.

https://people.com/pets/bee-czar-discovery-channel-bee-rescue-show/

                   did you watch it, John?  I thought it was pretty good. 

"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

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                      So it may be awhile with the weather swings before the bees have ample nectar to go after so I decided to give some honey and nectar back.

 

 

        A couple shots of the busyness  around two of the hives,

 

       

    Water they need too. I threw in some corks so ones that take a dip accidentally could grab and get out as to not drown,

 

 

 

 

 

"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

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          Swarm traps,

  With the weather progressing to the better it is time to think about putting out swarm traps. I read where when the daffodils begin to bloom it is time to get them out.  With Pat's help we got out four. The plan is to provide a place for a swarm to call a home. Then I move their new home to our yard and slip them into a hive we built. Three of these traps are near wild hives where I scored swarms last year. The other is overlooking a bunch of clover in road between a hedge row and timber. When placing swarm traps, you look for the trifecta. What bees need. Water, fields and forest to forage in. The traps are just a small box containing frames corresponding to the type of hive I will slip them into. The frames in the traps contain at least one with drawn out brood comb ready for the queen in the swarm to start laying and developing a new colony. A couple drops of lemongrass oil which is supposed to smell like a queen.  I also have set up our existing empty hives as swarm traps too. I have never had a swarm move into a hive but @jdmidwesthas and experienced it. I think he has posted the picture on here. It was a very big swarm.  Tomorrow if Pat will help, we can put out more traps. 

         thumbnail_IMG_20220319_132845916_HDR.jpgthumbnail_IMG_20220319_142547973_HDR.jpgthumbnail_IMG_20220319_152524198.jpgthumbnail_IMG_20220319_160441193.jpg

"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

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17 minutes ago, jdmidwest said:

Expensive swarm stands there. 

            Only use the ladder stand to hunt with. The other two were freebees and the wood was just wired up there for the trap! If Pat helps tomorrow we will take advantage of the neighbors tree stand ;). 

"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

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