What did you do today non-detailing related?

[chilly]

Bee-careful

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[DFB]

Washed down beehives to get ready to paint

Hyper Wash and fender brush

Warm water wipe down




I set them to dry separately and I’ll let them sit overnight and stack them back and paint them tomorrow, along with a new medium depth box

I wonder if anyone has ever ceramic coated a beehive?

Hmmmm

New side hustle?


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One of my gardening clients has Flow Hives in their suburban back yard.





I actually discovered a swarm in the garden and have been on site for few more.









For the most part, the bees are completely fine with my presence, they usually fly out to see who it is before continuing their work. On one occasion they must have been on edge because I got swarmed while mowing within a couple of meters of the hive. I ended up with them in my hair, swat them away and they come back with a vengeance, I got stung several times. Wasn't one of my best days at work.

Having said that, its kinda cool being able to smell and taste the garden that I planted in the honey, lots of Lavender, Rosemary, Salvia, Roses and Native Frangipani to name a few.

[chilly]

One of my gardening clients has Flow Hives in their suburban back yard.





I actually discovered a swarm in the garden and have been on site for few more.









For the most part, the bees are completely fine with my presence, they usually fly out to see who it is before continuing their work. On one occasion they must have been on edge because I got swarmed while mowing within a couple of meters of the hive. I ended up with them in my hair, swat them away and they come back with a vengeance, I got stung several times. Wasn't one of my best days at work.

Having said that, its kinda cool being able to smell and taste the garden that I planted in the honey, lots of Lavender, Rosemary, Salvia, Roses and Native Frangipani to name a few.

This will be our first year with bees, although our son has gotten interested and the first hive is actually going on his property and he is going to care for it

The 3 of us went to a beginning bee keeper class last month and those flow hives were mentioned but I guess they just aren't the hot ticket for Alaska

Maybe because of our temperatures, although that is just a guess

Up here what everyone hopes for is Fireweed honey, although there is a lot of wild rose, as well as a million other wildflowers

[DFB]

This will be our first year with bees, although our son has gotten interested and the first hive is actually going on his property and he is going to care for it

The 3 of us went to a beginning bee keeper class last month and those flow hives were mentioned but I guess they just aren't the hot ticket for Alaska

Maybe because of our temperatures, although that is just a guess

Up here what everyone hopes for is Fireweed honey, although there is a lot of wild rose, as well as a million other wildflowers

It's actually a very interesting hobby, I can see why my clients love it so much.

They have actually lost a hive this year, just not enough pollen around. Despite there being plenty of flower material for the bees, the repeated wild storms earlier this year washed away a lot of the pollen and they stopped re-producing, so there wasn't any food for them. They ended up having to feed the bees with syrup, which is counterproductive when you think about it.

I fear many have no idea how much of human life revolves around bees doing their job.

[chilly]

It's actually a very interesting hobby, I can see why my clients love it so much.

They have actually lost a hive this year, just not enough pollen around. Despite there being plenty of flower material for the bees, the repeated wild storms earlier this year washed away a lot of the pollen and they stopped re-producing, so there wasn't any food for them. They ended up having to feed the bees with syrup, which is counterproductive when you think about it.

I fear many have no idea how much of human life revolves around bees doing their job.

Just by pure coincidence I have been in various agricultural areas of the western United States when the bee wranglers (?) have had their trucks full of hives for the pollination season

I’ve also been in the area of California where the people who grow bees for shipping to places like Alaska have their operations

Mind blowing how many hives these grow operations have

I also know there has been a huge die off in bee populations in the US and just what that means to our agriculture production

I wish more people understood the importance and ramifications of what this means for everyone of us


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[Setec Astronomy]

I also know there has been a huge die off in bee populations in the US and just what that means to our agriculture production

I was reading recently that the bee population has rebounded, and they don't know why, just as they couldn't pinpoint the reason for the die-off.

[MisterSnoop]

This will be our first year with bees, although our son has gotten interested and the first hive is actually going on his property and he is going to care for it

The 3 of us went to a beginning bee keeper class last month and those flow hives were mentioned but I guess they just aren't the hot ticket for Alaska

Maybe because of our temperatures, although that is just a guess

Up here what everyone hopes for is Fireweed honey, although there is a lot of wild rose, as well as a million other wildflowers

What do you do with the bees in the winter?

[chilly]

I was reading recently that the bee population has rebounded, and they don't know why, just as they couldn't pinpoint the reason for the die-off.

I am glad to hear that, I wasn't aware things had gotten better

[chilly]

What do you do with the bees in the winter?

From what I learned in my class the majority of hobby beekeepers just let them die and get new bees each spring

But a box of bees and 1 queen is $250 so some people up here with dozens and dozens of hives go to great lengths to try and overwinter their bees because they get a small jumpstart on the rest of the people who buy new bees every year, not to mention the cost savings

They will keep their hives in sheds that are heated to above freezing and give the bees enough food to hopefully keep them over the winter

There is a guy not far from me that rents out wintering space

There are other methods people are employing from wrapping the hives in heavy thermal blankets to tarping them with a light bulb, on and on

I am honestly not sure where the break even point would be given the cost of utilities up here

There are a LOT of bee businesses up in the Fairbanks area and you are talking winters with months of 30-40-50 below so I don't know how effective overwintering up there would be

There are 5 varieties of bees available up here and some people opt for the more cold weather strains to help overwinter but at the cost of honey production

It is amazing how simple it can be as a hobby, or how complicated it can be as a business

[Setec Astronomy]

There are a LOT of bee businesses up in the Fairbanks area and you are talking winters with months of 30-40-50 below so I don't know how effective overwintering up there would be

How cold does it get where you are, Chilly?