CraBee 1,748 Posted February 18, 2018 Share Posted February 18, 2018 6 minutes ago, cBank said: Your method of extracting is probably good for keeping robbers are bay too (as you are in, then out quite fast presumably?). Though having honey outside yesterday any form was crazy - everything I’d touched was covered in bees and my hands were fairly clean. Robbing has been rabid recently, we've had to visit a 20 hive site three times to get the escape boards on. Link to post Share on other sites
kaihoka 2,975 Posted February 18, 2018 Share Posted February 18, 2018 22 minutes ago, cBank said: Your method of extracting is probably good for keeping robbers are bay too (as you are in, then out quite fast presumably?). Though having honey outside yesterday any form was crazy - everything I’d touched was covered in bees and my hands were fairly clean. At this stage of the season I take honey off in late afternoon on a very windy day , which keeps the robbers from other surrounding apiaries at home . 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites
Stoney 1,584 Posted February 18, 2018 Share Posted February 18, 2018 When I first took honey off my hives back when I started I had the boxes on an old trailer.. about 20 or so, I got home after dark and planned to take trailer load to a mates extraction shed the next morning... ... got up in the morning running late to find a tyre was dead flat so tied a tarp over the matted boxes and went off to work with the trailer tyre.. about 10am my missus rings me saying there's clouds of bees on the trailer and around the house... me thinks oh she's not used to bees it won't be that bad and brushed it off.. 2hrs later another call... I can't go outside or open any windows the trailers black with bees.. mmmmm maybe I'll drive home and have a wee look ? Long story short it was feral.. I dragged the trailer into the back paddock til it was dark and could see the damage. Destroyed frames, honey gone ( due to a 15mm box overlap on both sides of the deck. Lesson learnt... with robbing and my not exaggerating missus 3 3 2 Link to post Share on other sites
kaihoka 2,975 Posted February 18, 2018 Share Posted February 18, 2018 1 hour ago, yesbut said: I prefer to do my harvesting early, while there's still a bit of flow. The sheila's stay a bit sweeter. And it minimizes tutin risk. Have you had any thoughts on this situation for us http://www.metvuw.com/forecast/forecast1.php?type=rain®ion=nzsi&tim=054 Link to post Share on other sites
Stoney 1,584 Posted February 18, 2018 Share Posted February 18, 2018 Just now, kaihoka said: Have you had any thoughts on this situation for us http://www.metvuw.com/forecast/forecast1.php?type=rain®ion=nzsi&tim=054 I'd take a guess and say you and your bees maybe inside for a day or two meanwhile I'll be swinging off a crane cradle delivering rata quads back to wintering and aphid poo sites... oh the joy Link to post Share on other sites
yesbut 6,232 Posted February 18, 2018 Share Posted February 18, 2018 6 minutes ago, kaihoka said: Have you had any thoughts on this situation for us http://www.metvuw.com/forecast/forecast1.php?type=rain®ion=nzsi&tim=054 Certainly have, I've cancelled my Tuesday ferry booking !! 1 Link to post Share on other sites
kaihoka 2,975 Posted February 18, 2018 Share Posted February 18, 2018 (edited) 27 minutes ago, Stoney said: I'd take a guess and say you and your bees maybe inside for a day or two meanwhile I'll be swinging off a crane cradle delivering rata quads back to wintering and aphid poo sites... oh the joy Swinging will be the word. How far south are you . I would avoid anywhere north of greymouth on Tuesday . I am hoping anything to blow down has already been blown down in other storms Edited February 18, 2018 by kaihoka 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Stoney 1,584 Posted February 18, 2018 Share Posted February 18, 2018 2 minutes ago, kaihoka said: Swinging will be the word. How far south are you . I would avoid anywhere north of greymouth on Tuesday . Hey no need to get personal? Got a truck n trailer of bees crossing back east tonight the boys will be loading as we speak. And a couple more loads later in week weather permitting. Im at this end meeting truck unloading and shifting back to sites. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Oma 460 Posted February 18, 2018 Share Posted February 18, 2018 I’d check all hives are above any chance of water rising the 12mt surges they are predicting. I’d have the hive straps really tight and the biggest rock I could lift onto each hive lid. I’d point my prayer mat to Mecca and have it tied down too. Looks like it’s going to be damaging I’ve never seen isobars that close together the wind is going to be huge. Link to post Share on other sites
kaihoka 2,975 Posted February 18, 2018 Share Posted February 18, 2018 1 hour ago, Oma said: I’d check all hives are above any chance of water rising the 12mt surges they are predicting. I’d have the hive straps really tight and the biggest rock I could lift onto each hive lid. I’d point my prayer mat to Mecca and have it tied down too. Looks like it’s going to be damaging I’ve never seen isobars that close together the wind is going to be huge. I really undecided about how worried to get and we are ground zero. We are used to 90klm gusts here Link to post Share on other sites
CHCHPaul 473 Posted February 18, 2018 Share Posted February 18, 2018 11 hours ago, cBank said: Created a robbing hell zone with an extraction on Saturday You might have heaps of other hives nearby that have already been harvested...? Tons of bored foragers looking for a fix. As you said, take the supers off just before dark and you should be okay. Link to post Share on other sites
jamesc 4,915 Posted February 18, 2018 Share Posted February 18, 2018 11 hours ago, Stoney said: Hey no need to get personal? Got a truck n trailer of bees crossing back east tonight the boys will be loading as we speak. And a couple more loads later in week weather permitting. Im at this end meeting truck unloading and shifting back to sites. I thinking of getting a helo to pull bees out out the rata ..... it was always going to be a risky mission. Link to post Share on other sites
jamesc 4,915 Posted February 18, 2018 Share Posted February 18, 2018 10 hours ago, kaihoka said: I really undecided about how worried to get and we are ground zero. We are used to 90klm gusts here just a little bit more rain .... and don't forget to tie the tramp down . Link to post Share on other sites
kaihoka 2,975 Posted February 18, 2018 Share Posted February 18, 2018 14 minutes ago, jamesc said: just a little bit more rain .... and don't forget to tie the tramp down . we had a tramp for years when the kids were here. it never took off. it was a NZ made supertramp , really heavy and solid. like NZ made Tanner wood working machinery was. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
cBank 801 Posted February 18, 2018 Share Posted February 18, 2018 18 minutes ago, jamesc said: and don't forget to tie the tramp down . She keeps kicking, is that normal? 5 Link to post Share on other sites
Gabor 341 Posted February 18, 2018 Share Posted February 18, 2018 22 hours ago, M4tt said: Plastics getting drawn fast now ......on syrup . Its been three years since I had any wax drawn from a flow . So I make use of late summer/ Autumn Bees to draw wax , then all the bees need to do on a flow is fill it what syrup you are using for this? Link to post Share on other sites
M4tt 4,941 Posted February 19, 2018 Share Posted February 19, 2018 1 hour ago, Gabor said: what syrup you are using for this? 1:2 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Gabor 341 Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 Hey Mainlanders, be safe tonight! Seems like it's raining cats and dogs already Link to post Share on other sites
kevin moore 680 Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 On 2/13/2018 at 4:10 PM, yesbut said: Just got third darn AFB within 3 km notice of the season. gee's yesbut you an't got nothing to worry about, out of thirty of my sites i have had 24 AFB notices, it sure makes you wonder what the heck is going on or are we about to have a afb explosion, on the plus side i have not found any yet. 3 Link to post Share on other sites
Popular Post Stoney 1,584 Posted February 20, 2018 Popular Post Share Posted February 20, 2018 With the forecast looking worse than a broken glass sandwich and a truck n trailer unit of quads to meet at 8am I threw on the bee suit and kicked the mighty Isuzu into life, hydraulic oil no doubt still warm from the night before bee deliveries.. Down to base to meet Chuck who will tow the loader up to the forestry dump site.. tick tock 9am - no truck so me decides to head out to the road to check me Wally Dialer... confirmation the load of my girls is stuck in Sheffield after running out of diesel!! ( hope Glynn doesn't read this ) ? Mechanic on his way to bleed the lines so I grab chuck and shoot back to base to toast my sammys and wait for the rig. Mmm hot toasties, cuppa bush tea, aaah relax, Nek minute in rolls the rig, right up to the smoko room window.. Window winds down 2.3 centimetres (in case all the bees "swarm" him) "me back trailer rows all leaning over" jeez that's an understatement mate and the green machines up at the skid site like your meant to be.. so let's all pile in the honey train and get up there to sort it all out pronto.. in we squeeze, the steering wheel technician, Chuck , me and a couple of beards. Its at this point the steering wheel technician informs me he's having electrical issues since the Sheffield incident and the rig just shuts down every now and then "oh cool" I say peering over at chuck who's smirking away to himself.. this could be interesting. This guys a pearler, petrified of bees, a large skinning knife sitting beside him for any that make it inside the sealed cab "are you a ninja mate?" asks Chuck, cracking me up.. "na its for squashing them with bro" enough of this circus let's hit the cogs and get my girls off they've been on the move since 7pm the night before. Well we almost made it and it was actually only 2k from the super skid when all the dash lights and wipers shut off and here we are.. rolled to a stop... 2 hairy beekeepers with a big wet days shifting ahead and the technician banging his dash while inventing words I'm sure weren't English.. blimmin heck this ain't good, my brains working overtime on how I can make this good for my girls, find a tractor and try and tow maybe.. "give it a minute she might go" he says as I start to see my lovely Italian ladies taking wet laps of the truck. After a few anxious goes at it we manage a first gear 2km crawl into the forest site. and like a well oiled machine we demolish the 300 colony load in 45mins stacking them up in all there respective sites (names on lids??) There were many slippy muddy events experienced over the next 6 hrs as we worked like soaked possums delivering these bees to their aphid poo sites in the area including a near event with the bottom of a gully, a truck and crane each made short work of it. The highlight of the day was heading home fully saturated but satisfied to have got the job done... only to find the dreaded truck unit parked fully on the road, missing the gear stick cowboy, not even 5km from where he left us. This was surely the luckiest load of my life, By the skin of our teeth we trucked and trucked some more getting them tucked up nice and tidy before the "big storm" really strikes. Sitting here with the fire crackling away writing this feeling pretty good about yet another happy ending to another mission bringing honey to the tables of those that can afford it. 10 1 Link to post Share on other sites
kaihoka 2,975 Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 i do not think the migrant beeks are going to be taking honey off or moving their hives this week in our area. https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/watch-drone-footage-shows-numerous-slips-takaka-hill-gita-slams-into-upper-south-island 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Stoney 1,584 Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 How is it at your place right now? We have 120mm mostly this arvo and expecting big wind but nothing yet really. Conflicting wind direction forecasts are annoying for planning. Have 2 guys in Franz at the mo. Hopefully it's not as bad as predicted. Link to post Share on other sites
kaihoka 2,975 Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 1 hour ago, Stoney said: How is it at your place right now? We have 120mm mostly this arvo and expecting big wind but nothing yet really. Conflicting wind direction forecasts are annoying for planning. Have 2 guys in Franz at the mo. Hopefully it's not as bad as predicted. 70mls , normal rain for us . Pretty gusty nor west now. No damage that I know of ,garden is probably getting blown over, again . My area is pretty unmodified by man . The water courses all go uninterrupted where they want and plenty of forest for wind protection and to hold the soil together. No one has really tried that hard to fight nature out here, she always wins . 3 Link to post Share on other sites
Stoney 1,584 Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 Sounds like paradise to me.. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
kaihoka 2,975 Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 13 minutes ago, Stoney said: Sounds like paradise to me.. Yeah /nah It can be the most wonderful place but when we have 3 days of mist I am climbing the walls . Doesn't happen much thank God. I know people who have sold up in murchison and the Rai valley cause of fog . I think we will have a one lane road over the hill by the end of the day . Link to post Share on other sites
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