Whatcha doing today?

[j.w]

Free janitorial service for sure!
At least those critters learned from the stings. Dogs don't ever seem to learn that some things will hurt them, like the porcupines. We had a dog once that got them all over his face. My hubby had to pull them all out w/pliers. We've never seen them around our area tho and our dog got the ones he got up in the mountains when we were camping. I've watched that Dr Pol show and several dogs get them over and over again. Do you have porcupines there @addy1 ?

 

[Alice_Bee]

They love them. I love having them, keeps the bee debris cleaned up.

One time one of them tried to eat live bees during the night, never again. It got stung big time. They crawl out in one big black cloud of angry bees. We never go near them at night.

I had to move a hive from a friend's back yard, she was hosting it for the winter because it was small, and it was evening, and I didn't have my good suit with me, and that is an experience I'd rather not have again. The city was due to spray at like 10 pm, so I had no choice, I took at least 30 stings, I was in my pond boots with jeans and a bee jacket, found a handful of bees in each boot at the end. I had just moved the hive up to 2 boxes with a heavy feeder in the top box which meant I had to split them to move, because I was working alone. They made it home, i took a lot of benadryl....
They don't fly at night, they creep, into folds in your clothing, sleeves, gloves, etc. That possum must have been in bad shape

 

[addy1]

Do you have porcupines there @addy1 ?

not that I am aware of.

They don't fly at night, they creep, into folds in your clothing, sleeves, gloves, etc. That possum must have been in bad shape

I would call it a very quick creep of a wave of a few thousand bees,, a black wave. Yeah it was stung a lot. Around 2am swatting at its nose. if you are holding a flash light they fly to the light.

 

[addy1]

The city was due to spray at like 10 pm,

Next time toss a wet sheet over them.

 

[GBBUDD]

With the warm weather i have had a chance to vacuum the pond and remove any remaining leaves and debris that has made it into the pond since November. Also finished the detailing around the log falls. Also placed moss cultures all over the place. The fish came out today 24 hours after i got the bog running again.. A weeee bit slow but obviously hungry as they were grazing on the rocks for hours. i broke down and gave them a few pellets.

 

[Alice_Bee]

Next time toss a wet sheet over them.

It wasn't my house, my friend the homeowner wanted them moved. and I work ponds in the spring so wasn't available in daylight. It was what it was, I've had 2 "outyards" since, and both of them ended up with bees starving due to erratic drought and flow patterns. I don't have time to be chasing all over to tend bees, they are now all home.

 

[addy1]

We had out yards, one about 1/2 hour from here after two years pulled them home. The other out yard is only 1/2 mile from here, they are still there.

Ours don't starve we put sugar blocks on for the winter and open feed in july/august. We do lose them from mites. Those things are nasty, even with doing 4 different treatments we lose some.

 

[Alice_Bee]

I put fondant candy (with pollen sub, I make it) on the one I lost last winter, but they still had honey. brood hatched on a frame without honey just before or during a hard freeze, the stores were one frame over. One of my favorite queens. I don't know if I could have saved them here, by getting a fondant pie over top of them directly, but I do know I just quit trying to make time to tend bees off site. I don't have the time. And you said We. I run a business, a household and an apiary by myself. I don't hire much out.

on mites I have beeweaver and survivor queens. Treat with OAV when no brood a couple of times a year. i haven't had a mite loss in years. Robbing losses during drought, yeah some of those

 

[mrsclem]

Got the leaf netting off the bogs and got them cleaned out and running. 1st pic is the 500 gal holding tank below the bog. The leaf net never covers it so it gets leaves that rot over the winter. Not cleaning that out cause my last fish kill! Pumped all the water out and scooped out leaves. Flushed out the bog and the water that came out was clear but for right now just running water from holding tank to bog and back. Tomorrow I will see what the water looks like and may connect the pond. The 150 stock tank bog must have a leak. It was dry but most of the plants seem to have survived.

 

[addy1]

And you said We.

just hubby and I no hiring

 

[JBtheExplorer]

Starting my native seeds. Planted a few seedlings yesterday, including Hairy Beardtongue, which is a new specie for me, and also took the rest of the seeds out of the fridge so they can be planted in the next couple of weeks.

 

[mrsclem]

I didn't put all my seeds in fridge. Figured I would put them down before a snowfall. We never really got one. Now off to fridge for milkweeds

 

[Alice_Bee]

just hubby and I no hiring

My hubby needed fired about 19 years ago, so I gave him the house, told him where to put it and I'm on my own. I closed on this place the next business day after my divorce. He's allergic to bees, promised no visits once I got them

I do hire people as needed, for wiring, welding, sometimes on pond stuff if I have heavy stuff to move. But with beekeeping, for the honey harvest one of my daughter's friends has a son with allergies, so she suits up and helps me harvest and extract and I pay her in honey.

 

[addy1]

Ponds up and running. Big pond up and running in about 15 minutes. Hot tub pond about a hour, I was changing the piping, the pump etc. Both running now!

Pond water 48f

Bees everywhere, landing on me, in my hair, no stings this time.

 

[GBBUDD]

vacuumed the pond. CLEANING OUT ALL I COULD FIND.... Anyone building a pond cut down any oak trees that will be close to the pond, The oak leaves don't like to be vacuumed up ..