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Author Topic: swaming time again  (Read 8531 times)

Offline bigsting

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swaming time again
« on: August 30, 2013, 10:57:02 am »
hi my first swam arrived to day good 6 frame nuc size swam those bad girls didn't go in one of the 30 swam boxes that I together 2 weeks ago instead they decided to move into 3 clearing boards that were stacked on top of the 6 boxes in a stack there was a lot on top and the spaces between the 3 so I am trying to encourage them to move into my nuc box so I am hoping they will stay  :)

Offline Anybrew

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Re: swaming time again
« Reply #1 on: August 30, 2013, 07:02:02 pm »
Hey Bigsting, they never do what you want. I have Hived three so far this week and all were huge.

Good luck.

Cheers
Steve

Offline bigsting

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Re: swaming time again
« Reply #2 on: September 09, 2013, 07:15:13 am »
 hi  there are 3 now all settled in

Offline Anybrew

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Re: swaming time again
« Reply #3 on: September 10, 2013, 02:14:04 am »
Hey Bud. four now and three of the four have eggs and larvae, the fourth is full of bee's but no eggs.
So I gave them a frame with eggs and capped brood.

I will leave them for a week and have a look to see what they are doing.
I had the queens trapped in with excluders, but I have since removed them. Maybe number 4 has an unmated Queen. The excluder was only on for 6 days so she still should be able mate.

How many hives do you have now after the swarm capture

Cheers
Steve

Offline bigsting

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Re: swaming time again
« Reply #4 on: September 10, 2013, 06:03:31 am »
about 50 + 10 nucs AND 3 swarm this year

Offline Anybrew

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Re: swaming time again
« Reply #5 on: September 10, 2013, 05:40:12 pm »
Wow thats alot, I am aiming for twenty this year.
The more I get the harder it seems to process all the Honey by hand. I need a better way to filter my Honey as using sieves and a Honey bucket is just way too slow.
I can handle the hand decap just the straining sucks, I am not sure where to go from here with the sieve thing.

Cheers
Steve

Offline bigsting

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Re: swaming time again
« Reply #6 on: September 13, 2013, 09:56:56 am »
hi 4 now missed out on two one went into a roof 15 min to late because they were just hanging in ball on a tree that would have been quick and easy

Offline Anybrew

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Re: swaming time again
« Reply #7 on: September 13, 2013, 08:20:45 pm »
I hate it when I lose a Swarm too, I hived another Football size one on Thursday but then lost a bigger one the same afternoon. As it was way up in a tree. I threw a weighted rope over the branch and shook them down three time but never managed to find the Queen. 

A few hours later I watched them fly it to the Bush. The football size swarm came out of the bush find one lose one I suppose.


Cheers

Offline bigsting

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Re: swaming time again
« Reply #8 on: September 16, 2013, 11:00:09 am »
cold as so no swarms  with your honey straining this is what I use Double Bucket Honey Filtering System from here http://johnlguilfoyle.com.au/buckets_and_gates.htm but I just bought 3 of the filter bags and made the rest I use this for the final strain  and small spay tank strainer used be Silvan in there small sprayers as it comes out of my extractor or you can  a capping bag from eBay or same place as filter bags  also have a Fowler's electric ern for warming honey which I set the temp fill with water drop 20l bucket in and leave for about 2 hours and then put through the fine filter I store all my honey to supply my customers all year round and use the ern to decandy honey  this is lots quicker than drainers because these do not block up as quick

Offline rawfind

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Re: swaming time again
« Reply #9 on: September 22, 2013, 07:03:17 am »
hi 4 now missed out on two one went into a roof 15 min to late because they were just hanging in ball on a tree that would have been quick and easy
It all happens a little later down here, they have started but i think the next bout of warm weather may bring them on, having said that apparently its been a bad winter down here, been some heavy losses i have heard

Offline bigsting

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Re: swaming time again
« Reply #10 on: September 23, 2013, 07:15:03 am »
4 more over the week end and one that wanted to live in the feed mixer at work but have not been back to check on them yet

Offline Anybrew

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Re: swaming time again
« Reply #11 on: September 23, 2013, 06:29:29 pm »
Well I have Hived 11 so far this season, I think 2 are Queenless but I will give them a week a pop the top to see.
I added a frame of Brood to 1 Hive and they didn't appear to make any queen cells. I will check at the end of the week and probably requeen the queenless.

Offline bigsting

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Re: swaming time again
« Reply #12 on: September 24, 2013, 12:09:09 pm »
fast running out of frames that are left over from last year put prepped 10 more 7 boxes that I have not checked  in 3 weeks when they were put there picked up two after a call today for one both were just hanging around in trees which is good easy t have 7 farms to put swam boxes which most  just keep giving but 1 this year haven't got any at all and still have boxes out from last year tomorrow night job is to wire and wax frames  what do you think of the straining ideas

Offline Anybrew

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Re: swaming time again
« Reply #13 on: September 24, 2013, 05:36:38 pm »
Its good and bad at the same time when you start running out of gear.
I like the straining idea alot, but I might go the way Ecohouse suggested by used two large plastic box's from Bunnings and use stainless fine mesh as a filter medium. then add a Honey gate to the lower one. To be honest I haven't made any improvements on my filtering yet. I work best under pressure,so I will have to do something before I extract in a couple of weeks.

Offline dermot

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Re: swaming time again
« Reply #14 on: September 24, 2013, 11:03:41 pm »
I've got 17 swarms so far, and I know another bloke who's been busier than me. This time last year we were still waiting on swarm number 1. Warmest winter on record and heading for the warmest September. Looks like the bees are making up for last season. Making honey while the sun shines.

Offline Anybrew

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Re: swaming time again
« Reply #15 on: September 25, 2013, 12:29:21 am »
Hey Dermot very mild for sure I Hived another at 10am this morning.
I have gone from 8 hives to 20 in three weeks. I thought I had enough gear,but you never do.

Cheers

Offline bigsting

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Re: swaming time again
« Reply #16 on: October 06, 2013, 08:56:17 pm »
hived 3 yester day and 7 last week  and still have more boxes to fill

Offline Anybrew

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Re: swaming time again
« Reply #17 on: October 07, 2013, 03:25:25 am »
darn thats alot bigsting, they have finished around here I think!!! I was driving back from Orange yesterday and just near Wellington I drove right through the middle of a large swarm. I felt like a killer, poor bastards.

But it was good to see a feral swarm.

Offline bigsting

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Re: swaming time again
« Reply #18 on: October 07, 2013, 08:36:47 am »
the worst fealing and you have to clean the honey from your winscreen one that gets away is there for next year or you loose some and you get some now just need a heap of summer rains to make a lot of honey

Offline ozebee

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Re: swaming time again
« Reply #19 on: November 28, 2013, 11:13:24 pm »
Hope you guys join www.swarmpatrol.com - the more the merrier and the better service the site can provide to the general public. Let's catch the swarms before they get into cavities and roof spaces from where they have to be exterminated.

Hope to see you on the  SwarmPatrol web site and Facebook group.