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Author Topic: Beekeeping in Australia  (Read 3780 times)

Offline ncross

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Beekeeping in Australia
« on: November 04, 2008, 09:11:41 am »
Hi everyone,

I am from Wales and I started keeping bees when I was fourteen. I have been in Australia for a few years now and things are a bit different here. The heat caused my wax foundation to melt which I hadn't experienced before and bush fires burnt out of control and I lost my first captured warm afterwards.

I am looking forward to contributing to the forum.

I split the swarm I caught last year about a week ago as it was quite crowded. I gave them more space and put the old queen and three frames of brood in a new box. I think I should have put some grass in the entrance of the old queens hive to keep a few field bees because all the flying bees went back to the old hive which is still strong. Still I am feeding the 'artificial swarm' and will give them some more brood of the other hive when they have more flying bees of their own. The queen is laying and I am feeding them.

A more immediate problem is the other half of the split. There were already queen cells being built and now there is probably about a dozen queen cells in that box. Some are now capped. I guess that any day soon the queens will start hatching. Should I let nature take it's course and leave them all in there? What will happen if I do that? I don't want to lose swarms!

The box with the queen cells is still strong and bringing in lots of honey.

I look forward to discussing things with you all.

Cheers

Offline Cindi

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Re: Beekeeping in Australia
« Reply #1 on: November 04, 2008, 11:06:43 am »
Ncross. Welcome to our forum, so nice that you found us.  Been keeping bees for a long time I see.  You will have your stories, tales and experiences that you can tell us, we are an interested group.  You have questions that you would like answered, they will come.  If you don't get answers in this "greetings" forum, go to another forum here that is related strictly to beekeeping.  I think that more people read that part of our forum than this one.  So, wait for a few hours, no answers here, put the question in that part of our forum here.  Welcome, have a wonderful and most awesome day, love life.  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 1reb

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Re: Beekeeping in Australia
« Reply #2 on: November 04, 2008, 11:01:03 pm »
Hello and Welcome ncross
There is alot of great information on the forum !!

Johnny   

Offline ncross

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Re: Beekeeping in Australia
« Reply #3 on: November 05, 2008, 02:23:51 am »
Thanks for the welcome!

I have introduced the post into the section on raising queens.

Ta

Online Michael Bush

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Re: Beekeeping in Australia
« Reply #4 on: November 05, 2008, 07:29:45 am »
Bees are unpredictable, but odds are, since you've simulated a swarm, and since they don't have a queen right now,they will not swarm.
My website:  bushfarms.com/bees.htm en espanol: bushfarms.com/es_bees.htm  auf deutsche: bushfarms.com/de_bees.htm  em portugues:  bushfarms.com/pt_bees.htm
My book:  ThePracticalBeekeeper.com
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"Everything works if you let it."--James "Big Boy" Medlin

Offline Lone

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Re: Beekeeping in Australia
« Reply #5 on: November 05, 2008, 08:56:49 am »
Hello ncross,

Move to north queensland and you won't need to feed them over winter  ;) 
I don't know much about bees yet, but I keep spare foundation in the fridge to stop it melting and as protection from wax moths.  You also can't have tall candles here as they bend over.  As for bush fires...my smoker is an awful lot smaller!

I have just started reading a book called "The Bee Book - beekeeping in the warmer areas of Australia", by Peter Warhurst and Roger Goebel.   When I get up to the section about splitting a hive I might be able to tell you more  :)

Let us know how you are going.

Lone

Online Michael Bush

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Re: Beekeeping in Australia
« Reply #6 on: November 05, 2008, 08:08:10 pm »
One of these days I'll type in the rest of Isaac Hopkin's Australasian Bee Manual...
My website:  bushfarms.com/bees.htm en espanol: bushfarms.com/es_bees.htm  auf deutsche: bushfarms.com/de_bees.htm  em portugues:  bushfarms.com/pt_bees.htm
My book:  ThePracticalBeekeeper.com
-------------------
"Everything works if you let it."--James "Big Boy" Medlin

Offline ncross

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Re: Beekeeping in Australia
« Reply #7 on: November 10, 2008, 01:59:09 am »
Thanks for the info guys.

As this is in the tell us about yourself section. I though I would just throw this one out there:

One of my ancestors was a beekeeper called Robert Lee who must have been based in England. He had a company which made beehives. I know that most of his kids lived into their nineties and they put it down to the produce they ate from the hive. When I first started beekeeping I actually bought one of his hives which had a metal plate with the name of his company on it. Does anybody have any information on this Robert Lee. As the generations go by it is amazing how quickly one's own history is lost!

Cheers

Nigel


Offline Cindi

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Re: Beekeeping in Australia
« Reply #8 on: November 10, 2008, 10:11:04 am »
Nigel, what an interesting piece of history.  This thread should have a sticky on it so it does not get lost by the wayside in our forum (hint, hint, moderators).  I can bet my bottom dollar if this thread hung around long enough, you may be able to find a piece of your history, this stuff is very, very important.  I surely do hope that you can get an answer to your query about Robert Lee.  Do you know very much of this man, other than you have purchased a hive that bears his company name?  I would be very curious too, this is an interesting thread.  Good luck, I hope you find stuff out about your heritage.  Have a wonderful life and day, great health, 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 mathispollenators

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Re: Beekeeping in Australia
« Reply #9 on: November 11, 2008, 07:36:45 am »
I'm not sure of the e mail address but search out Mr. Jerry Hayes.  He is with the state of Florida here in the US also writes in the ABJ and The Classroom book. Anyway he would probably have the information you want.
Without Thomas Edison & Alexander Graham Bell we wouldn't have the graveyard shift or Telemarketers.  So how do you like them now?

Offline EasternShore

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Re: Beekeeping in Australia
« Reply #10 on: November 16, 2008, 08:54:42 am »
Welcome Ncross !!!

Spent some time in Gympie, Queensland last year and darn near moved there. Oz is a wonderful collection of Stout, Honest, FUN people. I'm hoping you bring some of that to us.

If you are trying to increase the numbers of workers in the new split, try moving the new box to the location of the old one for a few days. The parent hive workers will " Drift" and help the new hive. I tried this and produced my first queen that way. What amazed me was just how gentle the hive became and have been watching their housecleaning. Very good stock I guess.
At this time all my bees are from swarms. I'm very interested in the Feral stock and will be testing natural comb this spring.
There is much resistance here in Maryland to foundationless hives due to our short flow. Converting for the commercial outfits is just not cost effective in their minds. Lost of production vs loss of colony due to V-Mites population. Most prefer to treat, which only increases tolerance in my mind.

Good luck Mate!!
Mark
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We are the keepers, it is our duty to preserve life.

 

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