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Author Topic: Setting comb into empty frames, we did it!  (Read 6527 times)

Offline Georgia Boy

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Re: Setting comb into empty frames, we did it!
« Reply #20 on: May 11, 2013, 10:23:46 am »
LOL. Point taken and understood.  :)

David
"Give it All You've Got"
"Never give up. Never surrender."

Offline sterling

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Re: Setting comb into empty frames, we did it!
« Reply #21 on: May 11, 2013, 06:56:18 pm »
Good job cutting and saving the comb. As for not wearing gloves don't pet your dog or cat before you go in you hive and don't use strong smelly soap. Sometimes the smell will get you stung. I always smoke my hands some while I'm getting the smoker going and if you do get stung smoke the area where you were stung after you scrape the stinger off. These things seem to help alittle.

Offline L Daxon

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Re: Setting comb into empty frames, we did it!
« Reply #22 on: May 11, 2013, 08:28:37 pm »
I guess we have kind of highjacked this threat and got off on gloves and smoke. Sorry.

I don't think I would have had the nerve to go gloveless but i got the idea to spray my hands with Fischer's Bee Quick first, thinking the girls would not want to go near my hands.  It seemed to work fine but JP got all over me and said I shouldn't spray my hands with that stuff, but by that time I had gone gloveless twice and got over the fear of it so kept doing it without the Bee Quick.  But I do "smoke" my hands quite a bit, and certainly I smoke'em if I get a sting some place.  I usually get stung once or twice, depending on how long I am in my hives, but I don't really mind a couple of stings.  It is probably good for me.

As to smoking, if I am going in real quick, like I did in a nuc today, i use Optima in some sugar water and spray that.  Says it is supposed to calm the girls and keep them from flying.  And now that I have a couple of nearly filled honey suppers, I don't want to smoke the honey, so I use the Optima when I am taking off the top and checking to see if the frames are capped. 
linda d

Offline Steel Tiger

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Re: Setting comb into empty frames, we did it!
« Reply #23 on: May 12, 2013, 02:33:02 am »
If I'm just peaking in the hive and moving 1 or 2 frames, I go gloveless. Anything more, I wear 5 mil nitrile gloves. I got a box of 100 for around 12 bucks from Amazon.

Offline Beefunkrailroad

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Re: Setting comb into empty frames, we did it!
« Reply #24 on: May 13, 2013, 12:35:21 pm »
LOL you guys are great!
We talked about going without gloves and the wife "Mrs.BeeFunkRailRoad" doesn't feel comfortable/confident enough to even think about going without gloves.  We are having such a great time beekeeping I sure dont want to ruin it for her.  But I totally agree, gloves are a pain in the butt.
Speaking of smoking what would you guys recommend for smoker fuel?  We use old straw, it seems to do ok.  We had someone tell us to only use pine needles, not sure about that one.

Offline Steel Tiger

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Re: Setting comb into empty frames, we did it!
« Reply #25 on: May 13, 2013, 01:54:26 pm »
anything nontoxic should be alright. straw, pine needles, burlap, leaves, grass, wood shavings, and so on.

Offline dfizer

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Re: Setting comb into empty frames, we did it!
« Reply #26 on: May 13, 2013, 02:17:40 pm »
Anything you have laying around that is organic and will burn.  I usually look for some bark or dead grass, leaves, but just realize how quickly the stuff will burn.  For instance leaves burn up and quit smoking rather quickly but a dead stick broken up that starts to smolder will stay smoking quite a while.  It all depends on how long you're gonna be in the hive. 

I would never buy smoker fuel... there's just far too much of it laying on the ground. 

David

Offline ziffabeek

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Re: Setting comb into empty frames, we did it!
« Reply #27 on: May 13, 2013, 02:18:30 pm »
Hey Georgia Boy!

To illustrate what Iddee is saying, I too thought my wonderfully sweet gentle bees did not need smoke to work my first summer.  They were always calm and pretty much ignored me when I went it that first summer.  Then one day towards the end of the summer, I thought "I'm just going to peak under the lid real quick - I don't need to light my smoker".  True to form, Iddee was right. I don't know if I surprised them or what but they came out armed! I think I got 4-5 before I could close them up! :D  As the forum quickly reminded me (after they stopped laughing) - first year bees tend to be much less defensive AND you never know what you will find when you open the hive.  the refrain was clamorous - "Always have a smoker even if you have nothing else."  I've listened ever since then!

I don't like a lot of smoke and i don't puff it over the frames if it's not needed, because I have noticed the same reaction you mention.  But I always have a lit smoker and I always puff the entrance and one under the SBB before I pop the top.

As moots says, better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it!  :lol:

love,
ziffa