A different hunt

[220]

Decided to get a few bees at the start of last month enjoying it and looking to build numbers.
Had a call from mum Monday to say there were a few bees hanging around a dead tree in the back paddock, was on the road and then away for work all week. Yesterday was the first chance I had to check it out, went prepared to have a crack at picking up a swarm that had just moved in. 2x 5 frame nuc boxes 10 frames, suit smoker and a few tools.
Found a stump about 5m high with bees going in and out of a north facing split


Cut into the front of the tree about 450mm below where the bees were entering and exiting and pulled a strip about 200mm wide out.

Removed a few pieces of comb from the bottom and used rubber bands to hold them in a frame, Decided it might be easier to start from the top so cleaned up what rubbish I could from above the hive and soon realised it wasn't a fresh swarm. Nearly 1.5m of comb height and couldn't tell how wide or deep.
Not much to do but keep cutting and see what we had, soon realised there was no way it was going in a 5x5nuc so sent the offsiders to grab some foam vegetable boxes.
When I finished cutting this is what we had


300mm round 1.5m long piece of comb that had been built around what the white ants had left when they finished eating.
Decided the easiest thing would be to try and remove it in one piece, cut the bottom out of 2 vegie boxes and ran a bit of duct tape around to hold them together giving me close to a 1m box.
Broke the bottom 300mm off accidently trying to remove it in one piece. Bit that broke was manily honey with a little pollen in new comb that was just to heavy. What I did get out weighed around 50kg and was still to tall for the 3 boxes together. Given I had a frame with a bit of brood and larvae I had removed earlier decided to cut a box lid and place a nuc box on top with that frame and another with foundation. Couldn't fit any more due to the cut out taking up room.

Plenty of bees were still hanging on the tree, have left them alone to find their own way into their new home.
Pulled out and took the broken pieces of comb that were still in the tree to crush and strain.

The fun now will be trying to get the comb cut out of the white ant mess into frames and a more permanent lodgings. The bees were remarkable calm, I even resorted to a hammer and chisel to remove some pieces and while it obviously upset them at no time did they become aggressive, never had more than one or two bees around my head. Did cop 2 stings through my sweet drenched gloves but it was as a result of crushing bees when I was pulling pieces of tree out. I think I have found the perfect bees to start building from, calm, easy to work and well adjusted to the local environment.

[MISSED]

Great job
There is nothing better than real honey
But it is gong to take some work cleaning that lot up
I will bring a bucket up on the next visit

[220]

Crushed and strained the bits of comb that broke off trying to lift it out in one piece yesterday afternoon. At a guess around 3kg honey, left it to settle overnight so any wax or anything else should float to the top. Probably bottle it this afternoon unless it needs another strain, I will put some aside for you.
Going to have a go at building a solar wax melter, might as well make use of the crushed comb.
Not to worried if I get any honey off my hives this year, I want to try and increase the number of hives and let them build up before winter. The bees we cut out yesterday makes 4, I have 2 queens ordered that should arrive in a week or so, will probably split the strongest 2 hives but if I kill the queen accidently trying to get yesterdays cut out into boxes will use one queen to requeen it.

If I end up with 6 hives coming out of winter I should have plenty of honey next year, Aus average is about 60kg per hive although up to 200kg isn't unheard of from a strong hive on a good consistent flow. No certainty they will all survive the winter but 1000kg next year is a nice goal. Have sold a bit of honey through the shop when we had commercial keepers with hives on the place No trouble selling it for $14/kg, brother has said he would take up to 100kg a week so shouldn't have any trouble shifting what ever they can produce.
Might be a nice little hobby if I can make $10/kg after packaging etc.

[kickinback]

It's gotta be a a lot better than the crap imported by the likes of Capilano. Good to read how it's done.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

[MISSED]

Just remember to keep a bit aside to feed your bees over winter.
You should get very good honey from up there with all the flowering trees about.
I might have to make a special trip just to pick up that jar.
Yeah and Dad did not look that happy and was keeping a safe distance.
I have picked up a few "B" Double loads of Honey from the Comercial keepers in your area.
There is one in Gundy his brother at your turn off another out the Burra rd and that chap out towards the Pistol range at Tumut.
Wish I could remember thier names
All contracted their Honey to Capilano in Brisbane.
Nearly cry when you see 1200 kgs IBC`s of Honey get unloaded because you knew it was going to be Cut with water and Glucose.
For mine 1st is Iron bark then Yellowbox,White clover,Red box,Mulga and a very very distant last stinking Canola.

[Camel]

Well Pappa bear, that was a good read, thanks for taking the time to show us how you hillbillies get your kicks. Me and bees don't mix, and Im not particularly fond of honey, but if you can get a return like that its not a bad past time.

[223 fanboy]

Be real interested to see the solar wax melter if you make one

[220]

Honey seems to be like most agricultural produce, if you are selling a raw product to processors you will be lucky to see 25% of the eventual retail price.

Knocked up a quick solar melter yesterday, took about 15min and seemed to work ok as I had reasonably clean wax in the trays when I checked about 3 hours later.
Very simple setup, took one foam vegetable box, stole one of the wifes baking trays that was about 10mm wider than the box. Drilled 2 drain holes in the end of the tray and pushed it into the foam box to about 30% depth hard against one end and sloping towards the other end. Made a wooded frame the same size as the tray as a spacer and then a wire tray the same size. Placed the spacer on the tray the wire tray above that with a chux wipe as a strainer in it and dumped all the wax on top. A couple of chinese takeaway containers with a little water in them under the drain holes and put a sheet of glass over the top.
At 2pm sitting in the sun it took about 5min for the wax to start to melt.

Will try and get some pics, will eventually build a more up market version but the basic principle is sound and simple.

Just need to decide what to use it for, wife has been looking at candle making, lip balm and other crafty uses for it but given most cast bullet lubes are bees wax based I might have another use for it.

[MISSED]

I can think of at least one more use

[bimbo]

Awesome, not much better than fresh un adulterated honey. If I wasn't allergic to the little buggers I would more than likely have a hive or 2 myself. I have a friend than has quite a few hives and just got some wax from them to play around making my own leather wax/conditioner - basically just a mix of beeswax and neetsfoot oil but seen plenty or recipes with linseed oil/mineral oil etc as well for keeping boots in good nick

[The Raven]

I can think of at least one more use

I think someone is after some ingredients for their timber work... I wonder what he will pay for your miracle wax...

[220]

Interesting the number of people that think/say the are allergic to bees. The bit of research Ive seen shows only about 2% of adults and half that number of children are actually allergic to bee stings and have a chance of a anaphylactic reaction. Lots of people get serious swelling after being stung which is classed as normal and not a allergic reaction you are after all being injected with venom.
Wife got stung Christmas eve just above the eye, a little bit red and itchy, woke up Christmas morning and her eye was swollen shut and stayed that way for 24hrs.
Unless you are truly anaphylactic chances are you will actually build up immunity to the sting each time you get hit, hurts less each time and the reaction becomes less sever as well. Bit like the reptile handlers you see who have been bitten by snakes enough to get to the stage they start to build immunity.
I haven't heard anyone say they are allergic to snake venom but doesn't mean 99.99% of us wont have a adverse reaction to the venom.

[bimbo]

Interesting the number of people that think/say the are allergic to bees. The bit of research Ive seen shows only about 2% of adults and half that number of children are actually allergic to bee stings and have a chance of a anaphylactic reaction. Lots of people get serious swelling after being stung which is classed as normal and not a allergic reaction you are after all being injected with venom.
Wife got stung Christmas eve just above the eye, a little bit red and itchy, woke up Christmas morning and her eye was swollen shut and stayed that way for 24hrs.
Unless you are truly anaphylactic chances are you will actually build up immunity to the sting each time you get hit, hurts less each time and the reaction becomes less sever as well. Bit like the reptile handlers you see who have been bitten by snakes enough to get to the stage they start to build immunity.
I haven't heard anyone say they are allergic to snake venom but doesn't mean 99.99% of us wont have a adverse reaction to the venom.

As a kid I had at least 1 what I would call anaphylactic reaction - stung on foot and within a few hours face and neck swelled, struggle to breath kind of deal but a shot at the hospital fixed it quick. Then through my teen years I got stung a few times with only localised swelling itching etc. and thought I was all good but a few years back I got stung on the foot at a mates place and didn't really think much of it but in the time it took to drive home (about an 45min) my face swelled up to the point where I could hardly open my eyes and body absolutely covered in hives (could still breath fine so I wasn't too worried but wife was seriously stressing out - this was also about 1 in the morning). Popped a couple of anti histamines and it sorted its self out but I am a bit more wary of them - haven't been stung since then to see the reaction but I do keep anti histamines in the glove box of both cars and my work bag etc.
But yeah a lot of people say they are allergic because they get a bit of localised swelling - I wish I had taken a photo of my face that day to show them what a proper reaction looks like cause I looked freaking hilarious (wife didn't see the funny side at the time)

[220]

Swelling away from the sting and breathing difficulties are sure signs of allergic reaction.
Interesting you got stung in between without any reaction.
Wife suddenly developed a allergy to amoxycillin, got a prescription a few months back and 15min after taking the first one her face was like a ballon. Taken them previously without issue, Mitch ran her to the doctors, as she hadn't developed any breathing difficulties gave her antihistamines instead of injection and kept an eye on her for 30min.

[daisy]

I remember the wife telling me about a bloke that was having treatment to build up an immunity to bee stings. At the end of the treatment he had to bring a bee into A&E and let it sting him. They then kept him there for a few hours and he was fine.