Beekeeping-Discussion, pics, tips and tricks.

[Grainer]

What I am wondering is if Dan can become a local source of hives for those interested?? comments??

 

[Danwood]

I will certainly ask ! I'm not sure if that's ever really been a part of the Monson business, but maybe it could be. Or maybe there's a beekeeper the FIL knows who can help.

I'm heading up to Mildura again on 6th March to do a bit of work as well as attend a Cert 3 practical component of a bee course through Tocal College at Yanco, NSW.
I'll have an answer for any interested parties then. But keep it on the DL for now...no EOIs or anything. Spring is the likely time anything will happen, if at all. Wrong time of year right now.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

TBH, bee keepers are a weird lot anyway. Days/weeks spent 'out bush', often with only their beard for company. It takes it's toll on a man.

Yep

We used to camp in bone dry wheat paddocks next to a stand of trees just to be there when the trees flowered......**** it was boring as **** as a kid

 

[Mattress]

Almost pressed the buy button on a Flow Hive but before I did checked on reviews, some of the traditional bee keepers reckon the bees don't like them, too much plastic, bees have to produce wax and make their own little cells, (the plastic issue sounded like one which crops up on here at times regarding the toxins and safety) Any how found a bee keeper close by who hopefully can teach me the ins and outs.
For me the Flow Hive looks like a great innovation but if the bees aren't happy, (I don't know if their is any scientific study been carried out) I guess I will have to go with an alternative.

I'm doing a beekeeping course next month and plan to have a hive up and running next spring, so I'm certainly no expert.

But, I have done a lot of reading, and the negative comments I have seen on various forums about the flow hive are 100% from people who have had nothing to do with them. The beekeepers who have trialed and used flowhives are very positive about the product.

Below is a link to an American forum on beekeeping that I have been researching, discussing flowhives. It starts off with the usual negative comments until a well known American beekeeper, Michael Bush, gets involved stating that he has been testing them and they work, and are a great product.

I agree with Kevin. It also reminds me of the discussion when BIAB first arrived on the scene - you can't make beer that way, product will be inferior etc. It will be interesting if the beekeeping community will accept them like the naysayers of BIAB have been forced to.

http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?307501-Extractor-less-honey-by-Flow-Hive/page2&highlight=flowhives

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Flowhive is a game changer. Full Stop.


Trust me, if you had the choice of pulling hives apart, sitting in a hot room uncapping frames, then extracting the honey in a centrifuge verses just simply placing a bucket under a hive and cracking a tap...

Flowhive...why the **** would you bother doing it the hard way

 

[wide eyed and legless]

That last sentence is the clincher, one thing I always look for is an easier way to do something for the same result, as had the inventor of the Flow Hive. My main concern was the well being of the bees.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Cant be any worse than pulling a hive box apart and removing the frames.

 

[TimT]

They were trialling a Flowhive near here recently, I think at the Collingwood Children's Farm. The bees mostly didn't bother with it. Probably because they didn't like the plastic, though the Queen excluder may have been annoying to them too.

 

[wide eyed and legless]

Yep

We used to camp in bone dry wheat paddocks next to a stand of trees just to be there when the trees flowered......**** it was boring as **** as a kid

The first thing that went through my mind was,'Homing bees'

 

[Danwood]

So, how's your hives doing coming into winter ? Taking off unnecessary supers, combining two weak hives, maybe increasing insulation on the lid and sides ?
You could think about moving the hive so the back is up against a wall which gets full sun during winter. That extra thermal mass will help them greatly.

Here's a couple of pics of a move we just did up to the hills near Batemans Bay, NSW.

It's a very popular move to the Spotted Gum at this time of year. It should give the bees a feed and increase numbers in preparation for the Almond pollination job or just build honey reserves for over-wintering your hives.

 

[Grainer]

Think im screwed.. about to lose 2 hives.. imported queens from WA and all 3 failed! Now 2 hives really low numbers.. shattered

 

[Grainer]

They were trialling a Flowhive near here recently, I think at the Collingwood Children's Farm. The bees mostly didn't bother with it. Probably because they didn't like the plastic, though the Queen excluder may have been annoying to them too.

My mate who goes there suspect flow hive comb is slightly larger and the bees dont like it

 

[Feldon]

My mate who goes there suspect flow hive comb is slightly larger and the bees dont like it

According to this guy on YouTube the Flow cells are 6.6mm across, whereas the standard cell size (in the US) is 5.4mm.



(skip forward to the 13 minute mark)

 

[manticle]

Think im screwed.. about to lose 2 hives.. imported queens from WA and all 3 failed! Now 2 hives really low numbers.. shattered

Do you know about hampton hives?
Bit closer than WA.

From memory mentioned earlier in this thread.

http://www.hamptonhives.com.au

Really want to build a hive in my backyard in memory of my dad but I believe council regulations here require 50m radius from nearest dwelling.

 

[manticle]

Just found out it's 25 m from street or occupied dwelling according to 2014 regs from my local council, limit of one hive.

Still probably can't make it work.

 

[Mattress]

My Hive is doing well, packed down for winter with good stores of brood and honey.

I've ordered a 5 frame Nucleus hive from a local supplier for next spring.

 

[TimT]

Just found out it's 25 m from street or occupied dwelling according to 2014 regs from my local council, limit of one hive.

That's **** Manticle. Some options might be having a rooftop hive (as is popular here in Melbourne, often a pretty good idea) or getting together with a mate and setting it up in their backyard. Many beekeepers tend to have 'backyard' arrangements with friends.

 

[TimT]

We've been perhaps a wee bit lazy with our hive and shrunk it down to two boxes. (Combination of laziness and not wanting to disturb the bees, as opposed to greed and giving the hive a final check before winter.) They'll be all right as they were super healthy in summer, but maybe we could do something to insulate the hive and reduce the entrance.

 

[manticle]

Just found out it's 25 m from street or occupied dwelling according to 2014 regs from my local council, limit of one hive.

That's **** Manticle. Some options might be having a rooftop hive (as is popular here in Melbourne, often a pretty good idea) or getting together with a mate and setting it up in their backyard. Many beekeepers tend to have 'backyard' arrangements with friends.

There are 'away from home' options but half the joy is watching them - I'm an insect/natural history enthusiast.

Will look at rooftop and work out if that's distance enough.

 

[Mardoo]

Man, when I had bees I would spend hours just watching them.