THO Game Calls Forums
The Art of Handcrafting Custom Game Calls => Handcrafting Other Items, Pens, Bowls, Forms => Topic started by: Jon @ JRwoods on March 14, 2014, 09:12:10 PM
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My wife decided to pick up a new hobby, she's not one for hobbies usually, so I said sure thing lets do it! My job is to build everything she needs. A couple of books, a bunch of online reading and viola!
Can anybody guess what it is? :)
(http://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo313/Highlooker/2014/2014-03-08_20-10-41_927.jpg)
(http://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo313/Highlooker/2014/2014-03-09_15-24-45_655.jpg)
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Kinda looks like some kinda roost house for a bird... Lol
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Looks like something sweet in your future I think I hear the BUZZ! Could it Bezz, Bezz hive??
Larry
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We have a winner!
Its a top bar beehive. They are supposed to be really simple, easy to construct hives. Of course this one is the most complicated plan out there and includes a window in the side, but I needed a reason to dust of the router anyway.
We plan on starting three hives. Two langstroth hives, one will be top entrance, one bottom. And a top bar. We will see which one we like working best. We have a friend that keeps 5 hives and he's going to help us get started.
The odd thing is this was my wife's idea. Shes more city mouse than country mouse, I'm on board because I want a few. Gallons of honey!!
The more reading I do, the more i think its right up my alley. Lots of opinionated people, ask ten beekeepers the same question and you'll get 11 answers. Lots of specialized equipment, lots of stuff I can build myself, its outside, its as difficult or simple as you make it, its a hobby that can but will never make money for me.
Sounds like everything else I do, but this time my wife is all for it.
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I have a friend who does bee keeping. He produces something like 45 gallons of the stuff during the right time of year (that number could be grossly wrong but it sounds right in my head) :smartass:. You look like you've got one heck of a set up! Time to get a bee suit ~Andre
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That's different. I've only ever seen the conventional style. What are the advantages of this style?? just a taller box so you don't bend over as much?
Honey straight from the hive is THE BEST!!
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Around here the money isn't in the honey. Since we have thousands and thousands of acres of trees producing nuts of all kinds and apricots, cherries, peaches, prunes, etc. the money to be made is placing the hives for the pollination. That is big bucks. My BIL pays thousands every years for his acreage to get pollinated. Of course, ther is the side benefit of having lots fo honey for sale around here too.
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An update to the stinging bug adventure. We ordered bees that were going to be delivered mid April. Mother nature dealt a rough winter to the bee yards and the delivery date was pushed back to mid march. My brother has a feral hive in the cottonwood in his backyard. Perfect opportunity for a swarm trap! Downsized the top bar hive plan and made a mini hive, baited it with some old comb.
My brother called yesterday and said "Man you've got bees all over the place!"
Th swarm was having all over the box but not going in, I was told the would all cozy up after dark and pile inside the box.
Went over there around 10 pm and they were still outside the box! If they aren't using it as a home its just a pit stop until they find someplace better. It was today or never so my wife and I did our best. Weknocked them down into a bigger box, took them home, and put them in a hive. Only the bees know if they will stay put.
Keeping our fingers crossed.
My wife WILL kill me when she finds out I put "that horrible" picture of her up.
(http://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo313/Highlooker/2014/IMG952257.jpg)
(http://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo313/Highlooker/2014/2014-04-18_23-21-54_208.jpg)
(http://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo313/Highlooker/2014/2014-04-19_08-51-17_510.jpg)
(http://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo313/Highlooker/2014/2014-04-19_14-24-53_532.jpg)
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Tell your wife fear not, that is a great picture!! Hope they make it their home Good Luck
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Thought I would updat. The bees are busy storing pollen, honey, and making more bees. Time for an inspection. They will build crazy comb anywhere you allow them to. We had to clean the extra bits off of this one to make it fit right. The good news is we are seeing lots of larvae. The queen seems to be laying eggs as fast as they can build comb for her.
(http://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo313/Highlooker/2014/2014-05-03_09-51-55_641.jpg)
They really are pretty docile. I didnt wear gloves and didn't get stung, far nicer than I would be if someone ripped my house apart and rearranged it.
We caught another smaller swarm from the same feral colony, brought them home and put them in the top bar hive in the first post. Unfortunately I think I messed up by leaving the screened bottom open and just like that POOF! They were gone the next day.
Silly bugs didn't like their new house!
There will be more, we plan on 5-7 hives. Its impossible to have to much fresh local honey!
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Hey Jon, If you ever wanted to drive down here to Oklahoma and help me and my dad get rid of a beehive (He's in the pest control business) you could have 'em if you wanted and we could try not to use any P.I. on them. :yes: When we actually get a hive down here there always in a house, And sometimes they're HUGE!! My dad got one that was about 16 inches wide 12 inches tall and 8 foot long!!
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My dad also said you should call local pest control guys, they will be more than happy to let you get them out yourself.
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David, thanks for the heads up. Talked to my friend that got me into this, he is on the list for pest control guys and the city/county. when someone calls 911 because of bees he gets the call... then calls me!
Another update.
We are up to six hives now. Im am an expert at making 5/8 box joints on boxes that are 6 5/8 tall:)
Four traditional langstroth hives, one horizontal langstroth, and one top bar.
We set out swarm traps and caught feral bees, went and collected three swarms from branches, and purchased a 3 lb package of bees from an apiary.
They are the coolest bugs you can have in your yard. The first hive is booming and we may see some honey for us this year.
Most colonies take a year to establish and you don't see honey the first year.
(http://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo313/Highlooker/2014/2014-06-04_19-43-04_878.jpg)
The queen herself
(http://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo313/Highlooker/2014/2014-06-04_19-29-24_92.jpg)
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Since we are your second family we do get a sampling of the honey right?? :hysterical: :rofl: Me and my dad absolutely LOVE honey!!!
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It takes roughly 5 gallons of honey to make 1/2 gallon of honey whiskey.
The bees just need to hurry up and make honey!
One of these days I would like to get a call maker weekend together at my place. Hopefully by then I have some honey to sample. ;)
When i get some I will let you know. I want to do some capped cut comb honey. Just slice out a square chunk of honeycomb and drop it in a container.
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OOOOoooooo...... Its even better with the honey comb piece in there!!! :pot: I WILL be going to your house when you set one up. How about this weekend? :beer: :beer:
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I envy you the hives. One of my neighbors yrs ago had 7 or 8 hives and we had fresh hunny all the time. Nothing like fresh home made cathead bisquits, fresh butter(another neighbor had a small dairy) and good wildwood honey. When I was in college I worked for a pest control friend. We got a call from a homeowner and went to a place with a full wall full. Drill a hole, spray some pyrethian(wrong spelling I know) and spray as they came out. I just about quit over that. I love bees too. A 36'' wide about 6 ft wall full of honey. They tore open the wall and replaced it. I looked out my window a week ago and thought the leaves were falling. We had a hive in the catalpa tree in the front yard and they swarmed in my front yard. They settled on a tree fork next to my front door. Wish I had gotten pics. I called some bee keepers in my area and one was coming out to get them. They are usually pretty tame when swarming unless you make the queen squeal.haha. They tornadoed that afternoon and just left. Boy was I hoping they werent africanized. Nasty little buggers. My neighbor used to just scrap them off a limb into a hive shell and set them up. Glad to see you and your wife getting involved. Honey bees have had a hard time of it lately. That is why honey is so expensive now.
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One cute story, I hope. We have several humming bird feeders around the porch and yard and the bees started to cover them up to get the sugar water. One morning a humming bird came up and tried to get to the feeder. A bee came up and tried to run the bird off. They acutally fought like earl flynn and one of his enemies. I watched for a few seconds and wished I had a video camera handy. Never seen anything like it. A honey bee and a humming bird going at it like two sword fighters or something. loved it.
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If you think killing a wall full of bees is bad, you would crap yourself if you saw what we do!! lol. I've been going with my dad to work since I was three and I have helped him remove at least 20 beehives, some so big we've had to use multiple cans of P.I. The bee keepers around here are to lazy to come get them unless they're swarming...... On the most recent job we scooped out 4 five gallon buckets full of honey and honey comb out. It was in the attic of an abandoned building someone was restoring. I've got a bunch of bee story's, but I'm sure you don't want to here about 'em!!! Lol :beer: