I received a new honey super from Hoover-Hives today. It needs assembly which will have to wait a couple of days due to a duckling issue here but the quality of the wood looks fine to me. Everything on that box is coated in wax, the box itself, the frame-parts and the plastic foundation. And to...
So, i just received my anti-rheumatic treatment from the bees:
About a week ago i installed a nuc with russian bees and decided today would be a good day to peek inside that hive and it is looking fine. Plenty of brood in the hive box and they have started to build comb in the honey super...
Almost! - The ban on families of the ribes plant-family was introduced to protect the timber industry, because these plants may spread pine rust spores. The US government fought an outright war against currants and gooseberries in the early 1900's, including the native species:
You grow gooseberries? - Have they become legal in your county and/or state?
I have two small bushes here and my county is the only one that allows members of the ribes family to be cultivated. With the exception of the black-currant.
Two years ago i lost a weaker hive to an ant attack. We have some vicious small ants here, called »carpenter ants«. in 2022 i had my hives on pallets on top of cinder blocks and the ants were actually nesting in the pallet's wood, raiding the bee hives during the night.
Since that experience i...
Does a queen not need any assistance bees?
When i receive packaged bees, the queen is locked away in the queen-cage, together with a couple of bees from (i assume) her original hive to care for her.
Picture? :pop
First time i hear of this plant! - Sounds very interesting.
By tomorrow evening i shall receive my Haskap shrub, it promises lots of flowers (in a couple of years) and plenty of yummy blue berries (in a couple of years).
It is definitely warmer here! - I have planted some of them into a container for my patio and they are already tall:
And i have finally decided where in the "wild" to plant the remaining tubers.
I change the syrup-glasses without wearing an gear, lifting up the cover, take the empty feeder out, putting the full feeder in, close the top.
But for everything else i put on my sting-proof suit: Rubber-Boots, Blue Jeans, Hoodie, Hat with veil and welding-gloves.