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Author Topic: Hives: shade, height off the ground, predator proofing  (Read 16363 times)

Offline Cindi

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Re: Hives: shade, height off the ground, predator proofing
« Reply #20 on: April 04, 2008, 12:44:27 am »
John, OK, what are stickers?  I bet you will tell us with a very funnnnnneeeee story to go along with it.  I should just let my imagination run wild, on second thought, nope, I would rather you just tell us what stickers are, hee, hee.  Have the best day.  Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline Ross

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Re: Hives: shade, height off the ground, predator proofing
« Reply #21 on: April 04, 2008, 07:14:42 am »
Stickers -- Texas term for grassburrs. 
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Offline Cindi

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Re: Hives: shade, height off the ground, predator proofing
« Reply #22 on: April 04, 2008, 10:09:11 am »
Ross, awesome, now I know.  We have burrs, but they grow on a low bush type plant, man are they nasty things.  They used to always get caught in the tails and forelocks of our horses, what a pain to get out, couldn't imagine sitting down on one, hee, hee.  Beautiful and awesomely great day, Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline johnnybigfish

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Re: Hives: shade, height off the ground, predator proofing
« Reply #23 on: April 05, 2008, 12:23:20 am »
Stickers....Any form of pokey stuff that sticks to your knees, elbows and arse..and hands too!..It migrates from these listed places into you couch, carpet, truck floor mats, wifes car floormats, then from these places it get picked up by other people to go and move into their yards!
to the best of my knowledge, the stickers I'm referring to this year is perhaps "Pigweed" or a variation of it.(That what the Smiths man told me last year)...Most all my bremuda grass has been taken over by pgweed last summer..My Zoysia has bee holding its own so far.
We also have "Beggars Lice"..At first you might think that beggars lice are ""sticky"...They are more like "Velcro Balls"
 We also have :"Goatheads", grass burrs, and a few more that i cant remember right now,,,....Then theres the trusty "Mesquite Thorn"..You can trust it to tear your scalp open when in the middle of mowing your land!

The "Pigweed" is what keeps me off the groung last season. I used a pre emergence this year and so far I see no new plants.
 In California, there was something we called "Stinging Nettle" It was viny and grew in the small ravines we would run around in..You would be all scratched after entering into a world of this stuff

well,...these are stickers..... :)

your friend,
john

Offline poka-bee

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Re: Hives: shade, height off the ground, predator proofing
« Reply #24 on: April 05, 2008, 01:56:02 am »
We have the wild & wiley blackberrys..OWIEEE do they hurt! They make huge masses, acres & acres & if you lay boxes down you can walk on it & clear out hidey-holes in the middle, great secret camps that no one else can get into!
I'm covered in Beeesssss!  Eddie Izzard

Offline Daddys Girl

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Re: Hives: shade, height off the ground, predator proofing
« Reply #25 on: April 05, 2008, 10:44:29 am »
Hmmm, you're not that far away...

     On height, I feel that the handle of the top brood box should be where your hand is when standing upright.  I feel it's better to kneel and work if necessary, than it is to handle a heavy load at shoulder level or higher.

Thank you.  That makes a LOT of sense.

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As far as shading is concerned-  I see on average 2 Small hive beetle (SHB) per hive, per year.  The pressure for problems is definitely there.  I've read that shading may increase the problems associated with SHB, and that's enough for me to shy away from shading hives.  My boxes are in full sun as it's a problem I don't have and don't want to get started.  With screened bottoms and a top entrance/ vent, bees seem to handle the temps here just fine.

I'm going to have to see some pictures of how a hive changes when going from bottom to top entrance.  I'll start another thread in a moment for that.

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I don't get too concerned about mice as all of my hive bottoms are built to allow a 3/8inch opening.  Full box width in summer, 2 inches wide in winter.

Pictures?  Please?  :) 

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8X10 should be alright for up to 4 colonies, after that you're going to be cramped.  You're not putting the pond liner in that area are you? that could make for an amusing story down the road.

I figured that 8 by 10 was all the bee yard that I would want.  Even considering what Mike Bush is saying about maintenance and such, 4 hives will be a lot of work, and I really don't want to expand beyond that unless I have a place to expand into.

Offline jsmob

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Re: Hives: shade, height off the ground, predator proofing
« Reply #26 on: April 06, 2008, 01:24:27 am »
We have the wild & wiley blackberrys..OWIEEE do they hurt! They make huge masses, acres & acres & if you lay boxes down you can walk on it & clear out hidey-holes in the middle, great secret camps that no one else can get into!
I bet they also make great honey!