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Post by Mack Apiary Bees on Jan 8, 2024 8:30:46 GMT -5
Here are a few pictures on the North America Honey Bee Expo. It seems every time I tried to get some content and pictures I was stopped by someone and we would start talking etc. I didn't get near as much as I wanted. I'm not good taking pictures and videos. Good friend Rickey DirtRooster booth.
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Post by Mack Apiary Bees on Jan 8, 2024 9:18:59 GMT -5
Here is a little more. Good Friend Phil I updated my label after seeing about 1000 other honey labels. Here is a video of what I brought home. www.youtube.com/shorts/crmpxRe0-8E
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Post by Mack Apiary Bees on Jan 11, 2024 8:16:37 GMT -5
The honey room is finished. 2nd coat of white semi gloss paint is rolled on. Just in time before the barn and room gets to cold. The barn was 45 degrees last night and the room using a heater was 55 degrees. Outside was 33 degrees. Just warm enough. After this cold spell the equipment for processing honey will be installed. Next is playing the auction game and hope to get a couple stainless steel tables for the room. The room will be used for queen grafting in the spring-summer and storage of honey boxes in the fall-winter. It will be a multi-purpose bee room www.youtube.com/shorts/Ip9ESQfx-oM
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Post by Mack Apiary Bees on Jan 17, 2024 9:54:09 GMT -5
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Post by Mack Apiary Bees on Jan 18, 2024 12:38:52 GMT -5
I just bought on an auction a 5 fixture light for the grafting table at 45cents and a 9.5 quart mixer for $50.2 Fixture $99 retail and mixer $142 retail. Fixture is an "open box" item with one broken glass light cover and mixer (appears new, box not opened). Fixture is for a very bright lighting to see those very small larvae when I graft and the mixer to make cream honey.
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Post by esshup on Jan 18, 2024 18:36:15 GMT -5
When are you going to have a hive of Vulture Bees?
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Post by Mack Apiary Bees on Jan 19, 2024 8:31:55 GMT -5
When are you going to have a hive of Vulture Bees? I'm not sure. Sound expensive feeding during the dearth.
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Post by esshup on Jan 19, 2024 10:43:44 GMT -5
When are you going to have a hive of Vulture Bees? I'm not sure. Sound expensive feeding during the dearth. Shouldn't be any worse than regular bees.
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Post by Mack Apiary Bees on Jan 22, 2024 7:24:43 GMT -5
I spent the weekend making some beeswax candles. I bought the molds at the NAHBE at the beginning of the new year. I didn't make any from my favorite mold. I didn't have long enough wick. Here is the snow picture of the apiary. On the right side I'm cutting off 5 hives. I have three hives at the 2nd apiary.
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Post by genesis273 on Jan 22, 2024 7:31:08 GMT -5
Looking good!
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Post by esshup on Jan 22, 2024 8:40:09 GMT -5
Cotton string won't work for a wick?
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Post by Mack Apiary Bees on Jan 22, 2024 9:34:58 GMT -5
Cotton string won't work for a wick? I don't know. I would think I could use a cotton string and dip it in beeswax. I bought a 100 10" wicks for $9 on amazon. I'll get then tomorrow. I hope to render another batch of wax in a few weeks. I'm not a candle maker expert yet. Just a rookie.
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Post by Mack Apiary Bees on Jan 23, 2024 7:24:33 GMT -5
Cold weather didn't kill the bees. Back on the 12th that big storm came in with high winds and cold temperature. I didn't realize that the 3 resource hive fell over and broke apart. I found the hives on the 18th. The bees spent 6 sub-freezing days and a half inch of snow. I put the double deep hive back together the best I could. About 30% of the bees did die. It was mid 20's when I found them. Those tough bees were still alive. Here is a little video taking the double deep boxes down to one deep box. Cut the area that the bees need to keep warm in half. About now the queen will start laying for spring and the bees will raise the temperature from low 80's to low 90's. Still working on better content video process. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9ZiDT5TKZc&t=4s
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Post by Mack Apiary Bees on Jan 25, 2024 7:10:01 GMT -5
The added 5 fixture 45cent light fixture installed. The rearranging of the honey room update. I don't care for the blue tinted light bulbs. Those will get replaced. www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qNsNYTC5Jw
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Post by ms660 on Jan 27, 2024 15:32:29 GMT -5
That Bees wax is great for bow strings and cables. Rub it on and take a piece of leather and work it in the string.
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Post by Mack Apiary Bees on Jan 30, 2024 9:58:44 GMT -5
Here is a little video using beeswax on plastic foundation used on hive frames. Beeswax with coconut oil makes the best skin care lotion money can buy. Next time I make some I'll video it. It's very easy to make. Beeswax melts around 158 degrees F. Beeswax and very small sticks-sawdust makes great fire starters. www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4GNVEFI50s&t=78s
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Post by Mack Apiary Bees on Feb 1, 2024 9:43:39 GMT -5
Yesterday evening I filled up the external sugar water feeder for the bees. I only feed external late winter to mid March and then after a freeze in the fall. I went through my pictures and I never took a picture of the black 5 gallon bucket feeder. Feeding 1.5 sugar to 1 water. When it gets 48-50 degrees the bees will start flying and looking for flowers, sap, and water.
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Post by Mack Apiary Bees on Feb 6, 2024 12:00:28 GMT -5
Here is what my apiary looks like. Picture show most of the hives.
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Post by Mack Apiary Bees on Feb 8, 2024 9:12:27 GMT -5
I upgraded my bottling process. During the North America Honey Bee Expo early January I bought a Hillco High Speed-Fill Bottling Machine. Here is a youtube showcasing the filler. www.youtube.com/watch?v=IH3RW7oWVtM&t=6s
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Post by Mack Apiary Bees on Mar 21, 2024 7:57:53 GMT -5
Well it's been over a month and I have been busy. I grafted 18 3.5 old/(0.5) day old larvae on the 14th from one hive frame and put into a another hive that lost it's queen and couldn't make one. It's an egg the 1st 3 days and then hatches to a larvae. I graft the half day old larvae. That hive made 13 queen cells of the 18 possibilities. I left one cell in that hive and put the other 12 in the incubator. This Sunday I will make 12 2-frame nuc splits in the monster horizontal hive and put one cell in each one. It's called a mating nucs. I expect the 12 queens to emerge from the cocoon on the 26th. The virgin queens will be ready to make mating flights 7 days later. So around April 2nd. I hope to graft around 15 more cells on Sunday. Bee season is in full spring. The monster horizontal hive that was completed last week. www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDuWexfzQ_gI made one more swarm trap out of an old plastic tote. I've hung-placed 7 of the 8 traps out. 8th one after work today. www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUPtT1FpGCU&t=12sI need to paint the monster hives.
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