Beekeeping

Hi Folks

Have a look at the method I use for adding starter strips of beeswax to the mini frames that I have been making lately.

Cheers

Les
[video=480,360]https://youtu.be/jbcJFBqHrME[/video]

Hi Folks,

Pulled a frame of comb section off yesterday for the festive season. On that note, merry Christmas everyone. May it be a day of joy, reflection and celebration for all of you.

Cheers

Les

Merry Xmas Lesgold.

Hi folks,

Just finished extracting 20 boxes of honey. Its good to see how the bees have taken advantage of the new regrowth that has occurred after the fires. The bush continues to make steady progress with all of the rain that we have been getting lately.

Cheers

Les

Great work, Les.

I haven't been on here for a couple of years but the site came up while I was looking for an Australian beekeeping forum.

I became a beekeeper recently myself. I have ten colonies going now (between three sites) and have been busy building and painting another set of boxes and assembling all the frames. I started the first ten (now all in Langstroth 10 framers) from Nucs. Hopefully I'll be able to populated the next set of boxes with my own bees

We had a very prolongued wet period here (Northern Rivers) and are still copping some heavy showers so I have also been busy feeding the girls and sorting some robbing that was going on.

Did you have the prolongued wet down your way?

Those custom combs look great!

I'm off now to read some of the early parts of this thread whilst enjoying a home brew :beer:

Up to page 10 now and really enjoying it and learning a lot. Thanks!
But now I have to go to bed 'cos it looks like I'll have about a two hour window to drive all over the place and feed my bees in the morning before a predicted storm. lolol It will probably not turn out as forecast at all, but have to try.
Bloody turbo boost in the BT50 is playing up at the moment too - bugger.
I'm looking forward to some more reading very soon.

Mike

Hello to Tathradj and Aussie Farmer too

G'Day Mike.

What's happening.

Doug., isn't it?
Brrn out checking and feeding bees. Home for a pit-stop and then out again. All appears well but a more experienced beekeeper, like Les, would probably spot things that need addressing. Neertheless, the girls are flying and bringing back HEAPS of multi-coloured pollen. Not sure how much nectar they are getting but they are going through the syrup really quickly.
Got adventurous and checkerboarded a couple of undrawn frames between brood frames. Might do more of that on other boxes this arvo.
They're all pretty active and very happy (hardly seemed to even notice I was there - even when I stuck a camera right up to an entrance for a while).
Very few beetles and they have been throwing out what's left of a bit of chalkbrood they had from all the wet weather and stress from being moved.
No robbing now either-YAY!
Catch you later, - off to do the rest of the bees - hopefully before it clouds over much more or rains! Rain and bad weather make 'em cranky

Yes, It is me.

Well done bloke.
Sounds like you are right within your element. LOL

Gold on a different scale.

Cheers,

Doug
P.S. Good to have you back on board. :Y: :Y:

Hi Mike,

Good to hear from another beekeeper. Im still very much a learner in this journey of beekeeping. I reckon in another 20 years that will still be the case. Glad you enjoy the posts. Its been bloody wet down here all year. It was a bad swarming season but there has been plenty of nectar coming in. Thank goodness it has slowed up for a while. The heat and humidity has been a killer. Have really enjoyed playing with comb honey. Its good to be able to experiment and find things that work reasonably well. It was a popular item over the Christmas period. Gday Doug. Havent seen you for a while. Well have to catch up for a swing when the weather cools off a bit. You bring the detector and Ill bring the chainsaw. Lol.

Cheers

Les

Who brings the ice. ??? O

And the amber fluid.

Heres another comb section that Ive been playing with. Each frame is able to be moved around in a specially made box. I get 30 frames to the small super. They have also been very popular with the general public. Ill see if I can get into the hive and take a couple of shots of the frames in position.

Are you allowed a hive in Brisbane Metro Area?

Not sure Jaros. You would have to check with your local council.

@Jaros; You might find this link useful https://brisbanebeekeepers.club/

@Doug; lolol This forum site never ceases to amaze me. The last place I would have expected to find very useful beekeeping info was a prospecting site! But then, I suppose some of us are just naturally curious and willing to have a go at things other people dont, for whatever their reasons. There certainly are many character traits portable between the two exploits - fabrication, problem solving, thirst for info, adventurism, determination and a predisposition toward the enjoyment of liquid 'nourishment' - not to mention a healthy appreciation of booty and its benefits! Harrr

@Les; Likewise, it's great (as I mention to Doug) to find a neat little beekeeping thread tucked away in such an unusual place on the internettings.
That stuff you are doing with custom frames takes beekeeping to a true form of art!
I have only been involved with bees for a few months now. I started with the idea of sticking a toe in the water and then though "Heck, why not give it a DECENT go?" So I changed my plan of starting with three colonies to starting with ten. Then I started buying more boxes and frames etc., 'cos I don't like not being busy. I think you mentioned something about that in an early post on this thread, something about A.D.D. or whatever is that they pidgeon-hole people who can't sit still. lolol Heck, they used to lock me in a cupboard at kindergarted when it was time to have the afternoon snooze. I just wanted to boogie. Then after a couple of weeks I figured what they were doing was just wrong - so I told Mum. She tore strips off 'em while all the other mums were delivering their kids the next morning, and that was the last I saw of that joint. From then on it was sunny days (every day) on the grass in the park next to the river eating lamingtons with Mum. Well, that's the way I remember it anyway

Shot some 60FPS video of the girls coming and going from the entrances of a couple of hives today. If there's any decent stuff there I'll try to get some footage up here soon. The really funny thing was that while I was doing it the girls were not upset AT ALL! I even sat, bang-smack, right in front of their hives (only 30~40CM away with the camera only about 10cm away)) while doing it and none of them cared in the slightest. lolol just a lucky day I suppose. Other days they have angrily chased me all the way back to my vehicle (10~30 metres away) when I was finished checking them. Maybe I'm getting better at reducing the unintentional carnage I have inflicted in the past.

Good onya Mike. It is one of those hobbies (just like prospecting) that drags you in. There is an unquenchable thirst for knowledge that comes with the territory. What Im really enjoying is the fact that you never stop learning. When you start to think that finally there is some real clarity of understanding, the girls will throw even more curve balls at you. I taught a lot of kids who like you were really active in a classroom setting. Finding a passion and a real focus for those kids was the answer. Looks like you have found yours. If your bees are nice and quiet at the moment, it probably means that they have good quantities of pollen and nectar to keep them busy. When the nectar dries up, they may not like you as much. Look forward to reading about some of your adventures.

Cheers

Les

Lesgold said:

When the nectar dries up, they may not like you as much.

Click to expand...

lolol reminds me of a couple of the girls I've known in the past :brokenh:

Yes, the learning is great. I also really like the HUGE array of activities required to make it all work (when you get tired of doing one thing you just switch to another on the list);

Making stands
Looking for sites (one of my favourites)
Making boxes
Making frames
Wiring frames
Embedding foundation
Painting, painting, painting
Studying, studying, studying
Rigorously keeping THOUSANDS and THOUSANDS of girlfriends happy
Self incineration avoidance (not setting fire to yourself whilst lighting your smoker)
Future planning
Managing pests (shotguns don't work on these ones)
Honey fragrance analysis (enjoying the smell of honey as you approach your hives ( )

A bloke could run dry of beer trying to complete a list like this! Folks are welcome to add to it

Hi Folks,

Decided to try a lazy trick and get the bees to build their own comb in a jar. Willing to try anything for a bit of fun.



Cheers

Les