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Author Topic: New member in Melbourne, Australia  (Read 3814 times)

Offline prestonpaul

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New member in Melbourne, Australia
« on: August 23, 2011, 11:23:29 pm »
Hi All.
I have come across a link to this forum on the Beekeepers Club website and have been browsing through and have finally decided to join.
I am in the first steps of becoming a beekeeper, really just the research stage although I sent off my DPI registration form yesterday so I guess within the next week or so it will be official  :-D I live In Epping, in the northern suburbs of Melbourne, but we have recently purchased a farm in Kennedys Creek which is on the western edge of the Otways or about 30km inland from the 12 Apostles and The Great Ocean Road. This is where my hives will be located. I get to the farm about once a week with the occasional fortnight thrown in so the hives won't be on their own for any extended length of time. At the moment I am planning to start with one or maybe 2 hives at the most this year. I am not interested in a commercial endeavor, purely amateur so I don't see myself progressing past half a dozen hives, but then stranger things have happened I guess ;)
I am planning to go to the next Beekeepers Club meeting in Doncaster and join up as well as trying to work in one of their beginner courses around my shift.
In the mean time I need to start getting my wood ware together and start assembling hives and frames etc. I'll be paying a visit to Bob's Beekeeping Supplies in Eltham in the next few days to start that process.
All the best.
Paul.

Offline Grieth

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Re: New member in Melbourne, Australia
« Reply #1 on: August 24, 2011, 08:20:04 am »
Welcome to the site.  Im in Melb as well.

You can get some great free hands on experience at the apiary at the Collingwood children's farm on second and fourth Sunday's each month.  They have about 5 hives they open each second Sunday, and you will be welcome to suit up and help out with the inspections.  Great experience when starting, and the people very welcoming.
"The time has come," the walrus said, "to talk of many things:
Of shoes and ships - and sealing wax - of cabbages and kings”
Lewis Carroll

Offline prestonpaul

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Re: New member in Melbourne, Australia
« Reply #2 on: August 24, 2011, 08:57:19 am »
Thanks for the heads up on that, I'll have to make room on my calendar for a visit. Looks like I'll need to put some protective gear on my list for when I go to see Bob :roll:

Offline Grieth

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Re: New member in Melbourne, Australia
« Reply #3 on: August 24, 2011, 09:21:21 am »
They have some loan gear for use at Collingwood, but protective gear is a must.  Check out the posts on different people's preferences on suits, ESP about gloves.

On woodware, Redpath's have boxes cut with finger joints if you prefer that to rabbet joints.  Again, it seems more personal preference than one being proved better than the other.

I think box size is an important decision worth pondering for a while.  For example, I have found even 8 frame deeps for brood boxes very heavy to lift  (I am a hobbyist and work in an office).  I have gone to ideals for supers, but now have two frame sizes.  But, everyone has different preferences, so you need to talk to a few beeks, lift a few boxes, and then decide what will be best for you.
"The time has come," the walrus said, "to talk of many things:
Of shoes and ships - and sealing wax - of cabbages and kings”
Lewis Carroll

Offline specialkayme

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Re: New member in Melbourne, Australia
« Reply #4 on: August 24, 2011, 10:32:36 am »
Welcome to the site!

Offline prestonpaul

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Re: New member in Melbourne, Australia
« Reply #5 on: August 24, 2011, 06:36:28 pm »

Offline prestonpaul

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Re: New member in Melbourne, Australia
« Reply #6 on: August 24, 2011, 07:11:03 pm »
They have some loan gear for use at Collingwood, but protective gear is a must.  Check out the posts on different people's preferences on suits, ESP about gloves.
After reading your post I had a bit of a search on the Children's Farm & found that out  :) protective gear is definitely on my shopping list but I am trying to spread my purchaces out a bit to lessen the impact on the budget.  I guess my main focus at the moment is woodware so I can start assembling and painting it and still have time for the fumes to dissipate before putting it to use. Gloves are definately on my shopping list. I am reading Beekeeping for Dummy's at the Moment which is fairly adamant about not using gloves for general inspections and I can see the logic behind that but I intend to have a set on hand just in case.

Quote
On woodware, Redpath's have boxes cut with finger joints if you prefer that to rabbet joints.  Again, it seems more personal preference than one being proved better than the other.
I do like the look of the finger jointed woodware at Redpath's. The only real thing stopping me from going there is that it's such a long haul from Epping to Parkdale. Maybe I should rethink that.
Quote
I think box size is an important decision worth pondering for a while.  For example, I have found even 8 frame deeps for brood boxes very heavy to lift  (I am a hobbyist and work in an office).  I have gone to ideals for supers, but now have two frame sizes.  But, everyone has different preferences, so you need to talk to a few beeks, lift a few boxes, and then decide what will be best for you.
Right there you have hit on the hardest decision I have to make right now and I am still not sure which way to go. I grew up on a dairy farm and am a tradesman these days so am used to lumping 'round bales of hay & heavy toolboxes and the like. I was hoping to get some more insight from a supplier but like your idea of actually going and physically lifting some boxes myself. Why is it the simplest answers are often not the most obvious?  :roll:
Thanks for taking the time to share your knowledge.
Paul.

Offline Geoff

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Re: New member in Melbourne, Australia
« Reply #7 on: August 24, 2011, 07:25:53 pm »
Welcome Paul from a Gippslander. I try to work with 8 frame full size brood boxes and 8 frame ideals for supers. Get one of the ideals chock a block with honey and your into the body building hobby as well.
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Offline Kathyp

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Re: New member in Melbourne, Australia
« Reply #8 on: August 24, 2011, 07:41:58 pm »
but Geoff doesn't need bodybuilding.  he schlepped feed sacks to my barn  :evil:
Someone really ought to tell them that the world of Ayn Rand?s novel was not meant to be aspirational.

Offline prestonpaul

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Re: New member in Melbourne, Australia
« Reply #9 on: August 24, 2011, 10:47:24 pm »
Welcome Paul from a Gippslander. I try to work with 8 frame full size brood boxes and 8 frame ideals for supers. Get one of the ideals chock a block with honey and your into the body building hobby as well.
That is the way I am leaning at the moment. Although part of me wants to go all full size just to keep things uniform and interchangeable. I'm a bit funny like that :roll:
I had another look at Redpaths website this morning, seems they are all out of finger jointed full depth supers. Don't know how up to date they keep their website though, I would have thought they would be well stocked up this time of year? They do have good discounts for bulk purchaces so I may go for a drive out there early next week. I really want to go out and get started today but I guess I need to contain myself for a bit longer yet. I at least need to clean out the garage so I have somewhere to work  :-D
Paul.

Offline Lone

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Re: New member in Melbourne, Australia
« Reply #10 on: September 06, 2011, 11:19:47 am »
Hello Preston Paul.  I have fond memories of late shifts at the old PANCH.

That is interesting about the Collinwood Children's Farm.  It explains why I was sitting next door on a bench on the convent lawn when I was doing my degree there at the Lincoln Abbotsford campus, when a swarm of bees zoomed around me all those years ago, coming from the direction of the farm.

Lone

Offline prestonpaul

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Re: New member in Melbourne, Australia
« Reply #11 on: September 07, 2011, 09:05:43 am »
Hello Preston Paul.  I have fond memories of late shifts at the old PANCH.

That is interesting about the Collinwood Children's Farm.  It explains why I was sitting next door on a bench on the convent lawn when I was doing my degree there at the Lincoln Abbotsford campus, when a swarm of bees zoomed around me all those years ago, coming from the direction of the farm.

Lone
Hi Lone
The hospital in Preston is before my time, no doubt you now know it's a hotel these days, how times change :)
Hope sunny Queensland is treating you well. The weather down here is fickle as ever, just when I thought spring was upon us and the bees are all over the cherry blossoms it all goes down hill and now they are talking about snowfalls in the Alpine areas.
Paul.

Offline Lone

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Re: New member in Melbourne, Australia
« Reply #12 on: September 08, 2011, 04:38:28 am »
Hello Paul,

The weather here is finally warming up.  No sign of rain yet.  The ground is as hard as rock.
The snow is a bonza thing for these kids from Palm Island near here.  I just loved this photo in the Townsville Bully today.

http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2011/09/08/264631_news.html

Lone

Offline prestonpaul

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Re: New member in Melbourne, Australia
« Reply #13 on: September 08, 2011, 07:56:16 am »
They made the news down here too, how awesome is that? I live here and I've only been to the snow once, and a pathetic excuse for snow it was too! I lived in Darwin  for a while and if Townsville is anything like that I would imagine the Dry season is winding up, the humidity is getting higher and everyone is hanging out for the rain to start  :-D
Take it easy.
Paul.

Offline bernsad

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Re: New member in Melbourne, Australia
« Reply #14 on: September 10, 2011, 11:28:45 am »
Hi Guys,
Another new beekeeper from Melbourne here. Only had my 2 hives for 5-6 weeks but the girls are going strong at the moment, they have both drawn out a new super of frames in the past 2 weeks.

Offline Geoff

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Re: New member in Melbourne, Australia
« Reply #15 on: September 10, 2011, 07:30:23 pm »
Welcome to the new bee people. With all the references to to Collingwood I gather we have a lot of Magpie supporters.

          GO PIES !!

Heavy rain here in Gippsland this morning so looks like a day indoors.
Local Area Network in Australia - the LAN down under.

Offline prestonpaul

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Re: New member in Melbourne, Australia
« Reply #16 on: September 11, 2011, 11:52:42 pm »
Welcome to the new bee people. With all the references to to Collingwood I gather we have a lot of Magpie supporters.

          GO PIES !!

You wish :-D








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Offline prestonpaul

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Re: New member in Melbourne, Australia
« Reply #17 on: September 11, 2011, 11:57:22 pm »
Hi Guys,
Another new beekeeper from Melbourne here. Only had my 2 hives for 5-6 weeks but the girls are going strong at the moment, they have both drawn out a new super of frames in the past 2 weeks.

Welcome bernsad
Where in the north are you?

 

anything