# What are you doing today?



## beeware10 (Jul 25, 2010)

hi
just got truck loaded for a trip to sc to pick up bees and make nucs. would like to know how you went 4000 miles to pick up your pkgs. whatever the secret is will save me lots of time.


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## Solomon Parker (Dec 21, 2002)

I lived in Southern Oregon at the time. It was less than 250 miles.

Out of curiosity, what is your procedure for making nucs?


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## beeware10 (Jul 25, 2010)

hi
that explains the time. we have never been west of the miss river. want to go west for a tour. maybe this summer. the splits will be walk away splits. they run about 70-85% rate. not the best way,but is cheap time wise and probably mate with survivor stock. has worked for 20+ years. good luck with your pkgs. you bought good stock.


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## Solomon Parker (Dec 21, 2002)

I still have one of direct lineage, split into three this year.


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## Oldtimer (Jul 4, 2010)

Just sharpened my chainsaw, heading out to clean up one of my bee yards.

That's treatment free isn't it? Love this stuff!


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## waynesgarden (Jan 3, 2009)

Went to an outyard today after the property owner called to say 3 hives were lying on their backs. With the frost out of the ground and all the rain, the concrete blocks sunk into the soil, more at the rear and over they went, probably aided by a pretty severe storm last night.

Got them all back upright and together and all was well. The girls were very calm, kind of like they were enjoying putting their feet up on the lazy boy for a while. As I was putting them back together, I pulled some frames for a quick look and they were all incredibly strong. These hives are Carniolans and overwintered in deep and a medium only since they were slow to build up last year. I usually overwinter in three mediums.

As I drove home, it occured to me that these bees, which get minimal attention, are so far ahead of the bees at home that I fuss over. 

Hmmm.

Wayne


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## Solomon Parker (Dec 21, 2002)

That reminds me, all of my hives are on new stands this year (cinder blocks). I should keep an eye on that especially since we had a 100 year storm here over the last three days. And mine are uncharacteristically tall since I store the comb on the hives year round. My friend's house got flooded with 4 ft. of water. Floated his kegerator from the garage to the kitchen hallway. Railroad tracks are washed out as well.


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## Kingfisher Apiaries (Jan 16, 2010)

Finally got a hard storm here THANK GOD!!!!
Lets see, removed bees out of a wall 15 ft in the air, stacked cardboard boxes from mann lake that need attn, worked on supers yesterday.....
Been to tied up with lawn care equipment buying and fixing up to pay much attention to the bees....Was going to build supers and frames this PM but with the rain/lighting/possible tornadoes I stayed inside....
mike


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## frazzledfozzle (May 26, 2010)

Oldtimer said:


> Just sharpened my chainsaw, heading out to clean up one of my bee yards.


Never leave a man unattended with a chainsaw what starts out as a cleanup inevitably ends up as barren waste land with not a bush or branch in sight!


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## Omie (Nov 10, 2009)

Today?- today was my 57th birthday. 
Here I am this morning with my cake.

I took some great closeup PHOTOS of my native/solitary horn faced mason bees emerging and mating around the nest boxes on my kitchen porch. That's pretty treatment free beekeeping! ;D
I am expecting two nucs of FatBeeMan small cell bees in the mail tomorrow. I hope that goes well- will help my friend install his nuc tomorrow too- his very first hive.


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## BeeCurious (Aug 7, 2007)

That looks good!

Chocolate and Raspberry?

Happy Birthday!


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## Oldtimer (Jul 4, 2010)

frazzledfozzle said:


> Never leave a man unattended with a chainsaw what starts out as a cleanup inevitably ends up as barren waste land with not a bush or branch in sight!


Ha, better not let you talk to my wife!

I enjoy my little chainsaw cleanups, but confined myself to one tank of chainsaw fuel today, that bee yard is starting to look how I want.

Just got my eye on a very large nearby Karaka tree, but I've already been told somebody will not be happy if that disappears.

For you non New Zealand folks, Karaka is a tree that grows in NZ, that is poisonous to bees.


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## Solomon Parker (Dec 21, 2002)

Oldtimer said:


> I enjoy my little chainsaw cleanups, but confined myself to one tank of chainsaw fuel today,


 A good and proper restriction. I myself have gotten a little willy nilly with the ol' chainsaw on occasion and cut down something I ought not to.


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## Solomon Parker (Dec 21, 2002)

First sunny warm day in like two weeks. The virgins will be flying!


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## RiodeLobo (Oct 11, 2010)

beeware10 said:


> hi
> that explains the time. we have never been west of the miss river. want to go west for a tour. maybe this summer.


There is a lot of gorgeous country out west. I would recommend the Grand Canyon (and the Oak Creek Canyon near Sedona Az.), Yosemite, the red woods of N. California coast, Crater Lake (Oregon) and many many more that I have never had the opportunity to personally visit.


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## Omie (Nov 10, 2009)

What am i doing (beewise) today....
Hmm... made a few phone calls. 
Found out my 2 nucs which were supposed to come this week weren't shipped out. *Hopefully* they will be shipped next Monday.
Talked to a couple other local people and found out that this past winter was not kind to bees around here. One small longtime commercial BK (_not_ treatment free) said he had high losses, and one hobbyist (treatment free) lost his last remaining hive. Guess I'm lucky to have had one of my two survive this winter and look to be healthy. maybe I'll email a couple others I know to ask about their losses.


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## NasalSponge (Jul 22, 2008)

Playing with my new camera shooting picts and vids of my bees....playing with resolution to get best picture and still upload to youtube. Thinking about moving my swarm nuc into a full size box.


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## Barry (Dec 28, 1999)

Since it's RAINING AGAIN today, my daughter came over and we wired frames and embedded foundation for her first hive. Ah, opening up that box of my own sc foundation smelled great!

Hey NasalSponge, what camera did you get?


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## NasalSponge (Jul 22, 2008)

Well, the wife shot down me getting what I want... Canon T3i so I had to settle for a point and shoot and got a Samsung PL210 but man can it shoot some HD video.

Oh and listening to this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjhCEhWiKXk&feature=autoplay&list=FLSrKZZ9QzETY&index=3&playnext=1


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## deknow (Jul 17, 2006)

*...in a honda station wagon...Re: What are you doing today?*

We have intensive queen rearing to produce the maximum number of nucs to overwinter as a plan for the season.

Saturday picked up 30 packages an hour away (stopped for a yummy breakfast on the way) with 3 people, one dachshund in a honda station wagon.

Sunday: installed 6 packages in our backyard before having 10 for Easter dinner.

Monday: packed 4 hive bodies on the roofrack with 8 bottom boards and 8 telescoping covers, 4 hive bodies in the back, 8 packages of bees, 4 people, one dachshund in a honda station wagon. Installed in two locations over an hour away.

Tuesday: installed 10 more packages in the back yard (to be moved soon...didn't want them to stay in packages any longer...installed by removing 5 frames and placing the whole package inside). packed 6 hive bodies, 6 bottoms, 6 tops, 6 packages, 3 people, 1 dachshund. 

went to install at the farm where we had not been since July...at the last visit (following a bear attack), we setup 5 boxes with 4 queen cells (one was a double)...had been told in October that only 1 box had bees flying in and out, but had not been back since July. 1 weak colony, 1 nice (5 frames with brood), and one strong (2 boxes full of bees). we setup 3 pakcages there, and then 3 down the road at a small pyo blueberry operation (they used to get thousands of quarts, but last year our bees were not there and they only got 250 quarts) setup 3 more.

went for vietnamese food in worcester to celebrate  came home and prepared 6 of the installs from the morning for tranpsort the next day by removing the package, replacing the 5 frames and screening in the top (all in the dark).

Wed: loaded 6 boxes of bees (screens on top and bottom) along with tops and bottoms, 3 people, 1 dachshund in the honda wagon to install 2 hours away.

Thurs: checked all queen cages in the backyard (all had been released). we saw all 10 queens, but no eggs yet. it seemed that most already had queen cups with white wax.

I plan to stop by the farm on Saturday to pick up brood and start our first graft on Saturday night.

deknow


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## deejaycee (Apr 30, 2008)

Oldtimer said:


> Just got my eye on a very large nearby Karaka tree, but I've already been told somebody will not be happy if that disappears.


*whistling innocently... sliding OT a drill and a vial of Roundup*


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## Solomon Parker (Dec 21, 2002)

I SAW THE VIRGIN!!!.....I mean....well.....she's probably not a virgin......anymore.

I was sitting in front of the hive watching the hole on the off chance that I'd see her. What do you know, after about ten minutes, she came in for a landing. That's one of those things you don't see all the time.


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## NasalSponge (Jul 22, 2008)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyiZ16Be5uA


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## Barry (Dec 28, 1999)

Ha! You're obviously not in Chicago today!


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## NasalSponge (Jul 22, 2008)

Came home last night....had fun though!!

Sol, that is the one thing I have never seen!! //Jealous//


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## Solomon Parker (Dec 21, 2002)

My wife was weeding in garden, maybe 20 yards away. I was jumping up and down hooting and hollering. Probably embarrassed myself. I do that from time to time.


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## NasalSponge (Jul 22, 2008)

One more...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTfH0v3W7bM


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

*Re: ...in a honda station wagon...Re: What are you doing today?*



deknow said:


> Sunday: installed 6 packages in our backyard before having 10 for Easter dinner.


Dean, why did you eat your packages for Easter dinner? Wouldn't they have tasted better if they had made some honey first?


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## deknow (Jul 17, 2006)

*Re: ...in a honda station wagon...Re: What are you doing today?*

...you know me Mike, I was jonesing for a buzz:lookout:

deknow


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## Oldtimer (Jul 4, 2010)

deejaycee said:


> *whistling innocently... sliding OT a drill and a vial of Roundup*


It did cross my mind.

But no, I'm not like that.

This is the first season for this yard, I'll leave just a few hives there during karaka flowering & see what happens. If it's bad, I'll have another chat with the landowner. It's 2 or 3 acres of bush, up behind his house, he likes it how it is. Maybe I could plant him a nice Puriri or similar, which I think would look just as good. Eventually.


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

Today, shivering! Heat wave is over.


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## CharlieN (Feb 23, 2011)

Yesterday and today - first two sunny days with no rain so even though a bit windy on the ridge, the days were spent drinking coffee and making splits. Actually managed to work all day yesterday and today without a single sting. 

Now that I've said that, I'll probably get mobbed just going to the car in the morning


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## winevines (Apr 7, 2007)

*Re: ...in a honda station wagon...Re: What are you doing today?*



deknow said:


> We have intensive queen rearing to produce the maximum number of nucs to overwinter as a plan for the season.
> 
> Saturday picked up 30 packages an hour away (ow


 Surprised to hear you are fooling with packaged bees. Is your plan to requeen them all and then break some down into OW nucs?


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