Mek,
The bee club travelled the couple of hours to get to my place for the beekeepers 'meeting of the century' last weekend for a change. But even if I could cook I didn't have time after playing for the bushdance the night before and getting home after 1am. But I did take them to the drive-in and we saw both a terrible and a really good movie for 6 bucks and had a hot meal there. I love the bee club. I've been going most of the year, even though it is usually a hike to get there.
Have a water container so you can wash your hands
It's honey so lick em. Think of all the effort the bees went to making it and you want to wash it away??
you can use whiteout to mark your ueens but it has to be the fine tipped pen
Whiteout turns to water in the heat here. Your queen might start dripping.
You want to plane your frames to 33mm thick so its easier to fit in the tenth frame and you conform to standardised box sizes
If I were you I'd get someone else to do the planing and I'd sit back in the shade sipping on sarsparilla and watch them. Actually I wouldn't be planing.
That older ueens are darker in colour
That's only because you can never find those young dark queens.
Pollen comes in different colours
I've been getting some white pollen. Maybe the ghost gums are out.
put ueen aside when you are managing your frames then release her via the hive entrance once the hive is closed so you dont accidentally suish her.
You actually found a queen?? wow.
If you put brood in the super mark the frame and check in 6-7 days for ueen cells
Or else leave for 6 months and if bees are flying in you either got a queen or they are robbing your deadout.
Paint thinner is great to clean your tools with
It's great to clean your boxes with too for that natural look.
Honey frames to the outside of the brood or in super
Or better still in honey pot on kitchen table.
Bee suits are cool
Sure, the Queensland beesuit of singlets, shorts and thongs is pretty cool. And sunnies for face protection.
if the bees sting people they kinda home in on the same spot.
Nah, I got a southern cross on me belly the other day and an orion on my left leg. None of them hit a bullseye on top of another sting.
Put supers back on at a 45 degree angle and then slide over.
I definitely prefer 43.5 degrees.
In summer if your bees area bearding cos of the heat open up the lid slightly... and the bees should go back in. once they properlise the hole then remove the gap. The guy I spoke with, Allan, mentioned this helps prevents SHB because the bees are over the frames rather than the outside.
I'd be shaving my bees if they grow beards. Anyway, I hope Allan don't get a tropical monsoon inside his hives.
You forgot one thing you learnt, Mek: put two beekeepers together and you get 20 different ways of doing the same thing!
Sorry you didn't get a sting. I hope you do better next time.
Hey another half a sleep till ventrilo time!
Lone