Kiwifruiter 605 Posted July 3, 2017 Share Posted July 3, 2017 @P K Tan do you find the steam genny up to the job I been thinking about using steam rather than heat lamps in my old chest freezer to melt wax Get an old 9kg gas bottle, screw a fitting in the top and hook a hose into your steam chest... chuck a gas ring under the bottle (fill the bottle of water too) and you have more steam than you could ever need.... (plus if it runs dry it will not kill it) Link to post Share on other sites
P K Tan 1,630 Posted July 3, 2017 Share Posted July 3, 2017 @P K Tan do you find the steam genny up to the job I been thinking about using steam rather than heat lamps in my old chest freezer to melt wax Better to use the chest freezer with an electric blanket for warming up crystallize honey. I think steam is a better option than dry heat. The steam will rise to the top and force the air (insulator) down. That steam rig was thought of and made up in an hr as a test with what i had available. I was pleasantly suprised at the outcome from 1 free hr of power from cold. Had to top up the steamer with boiling water from a jug as i was not sure of the minimum water level. It was easy to get rid of the softened cocoon and pollen capsules. There were pool of wax on top of frames of the bottom box. Done another two box today but have not look into it yet. I will attempt a higher stack with 2 or 3 steamer(6.9Kw) to see if it can be done in an hr. I have a chest freezer that had stopped working to kill wax moth. Still full of frames. Did think about using it. But the hassle of bending over to clean the mess was not appealing. However will consider putting it on its side for easier access and modify it to include condensate drain, strainer rack etc. Use the space where the compressor was for the boiler. I have somewhere an electrode boiler that came from a commercial coffee machine. Might repurpose that at some stage. Have also thought of using an old oven on fan bake but probably 10 frames at a time. Link to post Share on other sites
P K Tan 1,630 Posted July 3, 2017 Share Posted July 3, 2017 (edited) Get an old 9kg gas bottle, screw a fitting in the top and hook a hose into your steam chest... chuck a gas ring under the bottle (fill the bottle of water too) and you have more steam than you could ever need.... (plus if it runs dry it will not kill it) Not economical for me to pay for gas when i have free power. However some can have fixed gas payment and use as much as they like. That would be an option. Adding electric elements to the 9kg might be an option for me. Edited July 3, 2017 by Guest Link to post Share on other sites
jamesc 4,928 Posted July 3, 2017 Share Posted July 3, 2017 please tell .... how you getting free power ??? Link to post Share on other sites
P K Tan 1,630 Posted July 3, 2017 Share Posted July 3, 2017 please tell .... how you getting free power ??? PM me your email and i will send you a link. Link to post Share on other sites
glynn 1,517 Posted July 3, 2017 Share Posted July 3, 2017 I hope you have read all the small print like fear use policy. Link to post Share on other sites
glynn 1,517 Posted July 3, 2017 Share Posted July 3, 2017 (edited) Bees where flat out yesterday this could be why so much pollen they struggled to walk and fly. Flowering early Edited July 3, 2017 by Guest 2 Link to post Share on other sites
Kiwifruiter 605 Posted July 3, 2017 Share Posted July 3, 2017 Not really bee related but I guess you could call this a new challenge..... 1 Link to post Share on other sites
kaihoka 2,976 Posted July 3, 2017 Share Posted July 3, 2017 Not really bee related but I guess you could call this a new challenge..... is this the big grow room you you were talking about.:lol what going in it? Link to post Share on other sites
Kiwifruiter 605 Posted July 4, 2017 Share Posted July 4, 2017 is this the big grow room you you were talking about.:lolwhat going in it? One of them :-) we are going to plant a whole bunch of things ranging from strawberrys to what ever makes money lol annoyingly the others kinda look like this.... 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Gino de Graaf 1,030 Posted July 4, 2017 Share Posted July 4, 2017 Kiwifruit? One of them we are going to plant a whole bunch of things ranging from strawberrys to what ever makes money lol annoyingly the others kinda look like this....[/ Link to post Share on other sites
Kiwifruiter 605 Posted July 4, 2017 Share Posted July 4, 2017 Kiwifruit? Yup, Just baby ones :-) 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Mummzie 736 Posted July 4, 2017 Share Posted July 4, 2017 so will you now be known as Nurseryman? Good luck on your new venture- looks exciting, and daunting too. Will you have time for the forum...:cautious: 1 Link to post Share on other sites
kaihoka 2,976 Posted July 4, 2017 Share Posted July 4, 2017 One of them we are going to plant a whole bunch of things ranging from strawberrys to what ever makes money lol annoyingly the others kinda look like this.... is that supposed to be white micronet frost cloth. i use it and wash it regularly. even napisan it Link to post Share on other sites
kaihoka 2,976 Posted July 4, 2017 Share Posted July 4, 2017 Yup, Just baby ones must be really hard to know what to grow that has a guaranteed return Link to post Share on other sites
P K Tan 1,630 Posted July 4, 2017 Share Posted July 4, 2017 must be really hard to know what to grow that has a guaranteed return Plants that get sold at places with shoes hanging on telephone lines. Link to post Share on other sites
P K Tan 1,630 Posted July 4, 2017 Share Posted July 4, 2017 @P K Tan do you find the steam genny up to the job I been thinking about using steam rather than heat lamps in my old chest freezer to melt wax 1 steamer suitable for 2 FD. Tried 2 steamer for 2 FD and 2 × 3/4 But trip the circuit breaker while i was doing something else. Reconfigured to another circuit. Will try again tomorrow. Link to post Share on other sites
Kiwifruiter 605 Posted July 4, 2017 Share Posted July 4, 2017 must be really hard to know what to grow that has a guaranteed return Yup, That's why you grow a whole bunch of stuff lol 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Goran 1,523 Posted July 4, 2017 Share Posted July 4, 2017 Yup, That's why you grow a whole bunch of stuff lol Seems it will be a quite of adventure.. It is enjoyable to watch plants grow in them, only to have financial side sorted.. Link to post Share on other sites
TaylorS 44 Posted July 4, 2017 Share Posted July 4, 2017 Bought some raw sugar to carry my 2 hives and nuc through the rest of the winter before feeding syrup and splitting in the spring. Will put the sugar in on Friday. Link to post Share on other sites
kaihoka 2,976 Posted July 8, 2017 Share Posted July 8, 2017 Went to my hakea hives today to check on my superseded queen . going through the frames was not promising , I found the old queen, lots and lots of drone brood , a capped queen cell, New queen cells being made and some eggs . Then I found my new queen with a nice long body and she was laying an egg in a cell. I think she mated earlier in the week , we had a hot still day . She would have been hatched 2 weeks then. I dispatched the queen cells. Are the bees making them because the old queen is a drone layer and the new queen has only just mated. Or is it because there is a flow on and they want to swarm . The bees are bringing in lots of honey and capping it . My doomed nuc queen is now laying out the frames and needs more room so I will have to take out the feeder and find some drawn frames to put in. I may have to rob some from another hive. I need to make some sort of external feeder for the nuc .I do not have other bees or wasps to worry about. This is a photo of the hakea hillsides. It will flower for another month 3 Link to post Share on other sites
Adam O'Sullivan 132 Posted July 8, 2017 Share Posted July 8, 2017 I'm cleaning out the assembly shed to get organised for putting together frames. How and where does so much stuff accumulate from!!! Link to post Share on other sites
kaihoka 2,976 Posted July 8, 2017 Share Posted July 8, 2017 I'm cleaning out the assembly shed to get organised for putting together frames. How and where does so much stuff accumulate from!!! You are only 30 Imagine your place when you are 60:lol Link to post Share on other sites
Aviator 0 Posted July 8, 2017 Share Posted July 8, 2017 @kaihoka its very late for your queen to have been mated. Do you still have lots of drones about over there? Link to post Share on other sites
kaihoka 2,976 Posted July 8, 2017 Share Posted July 8, 2017 @kaihoka its very late for your queen to have been mated. Do you still have lots of drones about over there? Yes lots of drones, esp in the drone laying hive , but less in the others. The drones in the drone laying hive are very Italian looking but I have seen the big black ones around to. I have a hive at home that is 2.7 kilometres from the hakea hives and the new queen was about the same distance away from 5 other hives owned by a farmer. I am surprised she mated too. I will be interested to see how it all works out and if she is any good . 1 Link to post Share on other sites
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