Whatcha doing today?

[JamieB]

I’m boredom cleaning. Cranked up tunes and went out and moved more branches, came in, added more paint to the window, that gold and rose gold were just looking muddy, so went over it with blue except along the bottom. Provides a thicker barrier against light, and will be easier to peel off. The regular blue has a nice sheer color, but the lighter blue must have titanium oxide which makes a very opaque color.

 

[addy1]

We are heading into a decent weekend. high 40's time to start the garage. We have a roof leak they are coming to fix mid March after the solar panels are removed. We need to make the leak area accessible, so what is better than doing another PURGE! We have had the dumpster for a week, when we got rid of the one, the company brought out another. Letting us have it for about a month as this is slow time and we knew the weather was going to suck.

 

[JamieB]

I saw a post on FB by Delilah, showing a picnic table with stained design where the lack of stain is the image. Now I want to try this! It would be a great gift for my sister.

 

[addy1]

Checked our hives today, two more are dead outs, darn mites............

Each dead hive is a loss of around 300-400 just in the value of a live bee hive. Replacement package (will not produce honey until next year) cost around 145 each. Hurts to lose them, financially and mentally we are in charge of their little lives.

 

[JamieB]

Ouch. And you have to decontaminate the entire hive set up, and couldn’t split a colony if it produced a new queen until probably late spring either.
Well, my sister was nagging about me needing to hurry and get my pond done. The adhesive I got isn’t working on this liner. The other liner has dry rotted, multiple punctures from fallen limbs from the ice storm. I told her find them another home, I can’t set it up at this time. I’m just going to have to buy an epdm liner once I have a job. I’ll set this adhesive aside, to use where needed, it’s designed specifically for epdm, and I’m guessing that it’s not compatible with vinyl, or the backing they use on the outside of the pool. I sanded this stuff on both sides to give more grip, but when I tested the patches, it’s not stuck, even after a few days, and inside for temperature acceleration.

 

[addy1]

Ouch. And you have to decontaminate the entire hive set up, and couldn’t split a colony if it produced a new queen until probably late spring either.

We don't need to decontaminate the hive, the mites die off without any bees around. I bring the frames in and freeze them all, (we have a bee chest freezer) any frames with capped honey are put aside to use for a split or a package to give them a helping hand. The brood frames are saved for spits which can't be done now, too cold still. The hive needs to be in full brood up mode to split it. We freeze to kill off the wax moth and hive beetle eggs. Which will destroy the drawn wax.

I bought a piece of equipment to treat the hives with (700 bucks) we are going to up our treatments. The average chemical treatment is around 400 bucks for the number of hives we have. I prefer not to use chemicals that stay in the wax.

 

[JamieB]

I figured you’d have to steam them or freeze them, either way that’s time/ effort, and a lost hive of bees, loosing you money. At this point, I’m afraid for bees. Where do the mites come from? How do they spread?

 

[addy1]

Where do the mites come from? How do they spread?

They came from asia as far as anybody can determine. Showed up in the states mid 80's. They spread rapidly are everywhere in the world except Australia. The Asian bees are a different sub species and can survive with the mites , the western bees are killed off by them. The diseases they carry and the suck out the fat cells in the bees bodies. Hive beetles came from Africa they are also a real pain to deal with.

Wild hives are almost gone due to them, some do manage to survive, those genetics are beyond gold.

We don't worry too much about the loss of the honey money, it hurts that you let those neat little stingers down.

They spread bee to bee, bees drift among hives and carry the mites with them.

 

[addy1]

The mites lay their eggs in the brood, before it is capped, which damages the brood , hard to control due to need to get the treatment under the wax cappings that cover the brood.

 

[JamieB]

It looks like a tiny squat tick! So next time we have a hive come down, do I need to send you wild bee brood?

 

[addy1]

It looks like a tiny squat tick! So next time we have a hive come down, do I need to send you wild bee brood?

No we need the queen, she is the life of the hive. Shipped with a few nurse bees and some candy

 

[JamieB]

Ok, I’ll keep an eye out for a swarm this year. Dads brother is a bee keeper too, but he travels with his to various locations, to pollinate crops, so don’t tell him if I manage to catch you one! Umm, how to catch and ship bees?

 

[GBBUDD]

sanded this stuff on both sides to give more grip, but when I tested the patches, it’s not stuck, even after a few days, and inside for temperature acceleration.

When you applied the glue / bonder did you apply it to both sides and then let it dry ? then try to stick them together ? that is the typical procedure

 

[JamieB]

I followed the directions of apply to just one side, then stick together immediately. Hubby was saying to try like patching a tire, set it on fire, blow it out, stick it, but this is a completely different product, a neoprene roof flashing not a tire patch kit, so I followed the directions on the tube.

 

[GBBUDD]

what brand is it can you find it online ?