RWGillespie

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Last Notes

2024-08-14 20:53:33

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I’m learning to raise enough to sustain my yard for now.

2024-05-06 20:21:29

Trying OTS queen rearing for the first time. Two hives, one with 5 but the second one only chose to raise 1, and not a promising one really. #beestr #grownostr
https://m.primal.net/IDxV.jpg
https://m.primal.net/IDxY.jpg

2024-04-23 18:01:35

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I live rural and Starlink is better than any cell based system out here, and maybe better than the basic level fibre optic we have in town. I’d suggest getting a spare chord from the router to the dish to have handy. Apparently they have a rep for breaking (mine certainly did).

2023-07-01 18:12:01

Been meaning to try grafting for queen bees. Today, found the right aged larva in one, and a large hive that seems to have yeeted their queen. Let’s see if this works. #honeybees #grownostr https://nostr.build/i/cc7bcb9a053bf8870bc0f5a993b33886c1cbc3e65eed70462162f3f7e82e36d8.jpg

2023-06-23 16:55:34

Almost success with splitting! Queens hatched, and they look mated. Now for them to get to work. #honeybees #grownostr https://nostr.build/i/4c5acf2990309997268c54d078509ec1f1c4bc332f157c2cd7f30ffbd892f7e7.jpg

2023-06-19 20:53:23

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Any luck? I’d love to look into this too.

2023-06-12 19:32:03

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Yes. The entrances on the nuc are facing the other side. If I’d planned better, I should have picked one of my painted boxes.

2023-06-12 13:02:23

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The bottom 2 are brood boxes for a hive that’s doing well. The third one is the inner cover and then a screened bottom board. The third is a new split and a) I don’t have another bottom board and b) I’m hoping the screen will help keep their new brood at temperature. I should be moving them in a couple of weeks.

2023-06-12 11:01:38

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“I Want to Go Home” by Gordon Korman. About a pair of kids trying to escape summer camp. I found that hilarious as a teenager. I didn’t realize how much more he had written since then.

2023-06-12 10:55:57

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https://nostr.build/i/29edd53203e84b628976185896804499021b0cf9c28c037b64aac5765ed219fb.jpg

2023-06-12 10:55:24

Good morning! Slow start but bees are thriving along the North shore of Lake Erie.

2023-05-20 22:11:59

Rural living #recycle #grownostr https://nostr.build/i/59abb2ea41e52f7aa7675ebe18c241f5c996bab2dee479f23931444ca6f3b161.jpg https://nostr.build/i/116966d7f89f704fe2ee1748d3ec35a63f4f6a1d9108963cfd428c2c0c965071.jpg

2023-05-20 19:43:59

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This is the queen that tried to split on me. I found her in the cluster yesterday thanks to the mark. https://nostr.build/i/9d6f160ee72c2a47769ebd25e7e519765a481ef94ecadff47a7c24026b884cc3.jpg

2023-05-20 18:57:21

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They started in an 8 frame single deep box. I checked it 3 days ago and saw lots of bees and the beginning of queen cups. I thought I had until tomorrow to act.

2023-05-20 13:16:33

Excited to catch a swarm but shamed because it’s from my hive that I didn’t manage well. Was lucky to revive it. https://nostr.build/i/677c06a8782c967c74a2ee53a40871802356ac462b39ff777b0dc62eb30730dd.jpg https://nostr.build/i/88f467a6de57fc340f90935ceb9d1dd3ad267c1157c97c6a4918b892c340c40e.jpg

2023-04-24 01:28:56

https://nostr.build/i/nostr.build_5751807ff7ae0ba9a7d9862dec456e1cc94e1182bd4381ea5dd6202a80773766.jpeg This weekend was productive in yard work, but we stopped to have fun moments too. #cats #grownostr

2023-04-17 11:11:26

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I wonder if we all don't go through that experience. One day in my first year, I went to pull the entrance reducers off one hive. I was using the hook end of a hive tool for one. Except the reducer just pivoted. So..., not thinking I reached into the entrance with my hand. I swear time slowed down enough that I saw dozens of bees move as straight as arrows at my hand. I remember backing away about 30 ft. and ending up on my back. I must have looked like a goof.
You're right - follow the process.

2023-04-15 17:32:36

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When I used to have to do the big drives, I liked a large bag of beef jerky, or alternatively pepperoni sticks. Salty and took a little work to chew.

2023-04-15 17:22:42

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I can’t claim special skill. I used a heated pad under the seed tray and humidity dome until they germinated. My next stage is hardening so we’ll see how we do. My first lot only had 3 of 12 but the seeds were older.

2023-04-15 17:17:44

https://nostr.build/i/nostr.build_2d3cbb29b346d54a9b8a493abd513511d0241a87777f3716e0c776991db95715.jpeg Great day for flying in Southern Ontario. I know it looks cute, but like all tail wheel planes, it wants you to be afraid.

2023-04-14 17:20:32

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https://nostr.build/i/nostr.build_559914aa8ecf23cad3c0a6bdf12e0f4fe0d22a5b93c139928e179a45d1b850d7.jpeg Fermenting! #mead

2023-04-14 10:57:50

https://nostr.build/i/nostr.build_82d0263ce97208ca303987b0206af4ba656c21eb3409b658c818109e4182ee27.jpeg Good morning! Starting Lavender plants for the garden. Lots of good reasons for this but the big one is to keep deer from the garden. Anyone seen this work? #grownostr #gardening

2023-04-14 10:52:19

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They look awesome in addition to functional.

2023-04-13 22:42:13

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I agree that horizontal hives with the longer frames would be a good idea - but right now each hive is interchangable with the others. If I build a layens hive, and it has issues, it will be more difficult to move bees from another hive over. Once you start down the langstroth path, it's hard to change.

2023-04-13 22:21:42

I love peanut butter O’Henry candy bars. They are an ultimate guilty pleasure. But… has anyone ever bought one that wasn’t broken in 2 or 3 pieces? As far as I can tell, it’s supposed to be one bar - but it’s be yet to buy one like that. #mystery

2023-04-13 18:54:13

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Yes - our hives have weird names. This one got its name because it started strong in its first year, but underperformed. Our productive but aggressive hive got called Liza.

2023-04-13 18:52:32

https://nostr.build/i/nostr.build_d2d1679f9dcb1fac63a158a6a6d91d2513d360e0bd86f67435d3425168339fdc.png I know beekeeping isn’t cheap, but Broodminder temperature and humidity sensors gave me insight into the hives and we didn’t have to guess if a hive was dead, we could see. #bees #broodminder

2023-04-13 18:50:23

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I didn’t see any moisture problems but this year we have humidity as well as temp sensors. Over the winter, it showed humidity was under control.

2023-04-13 18:48:22

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Hopefully you have the right area. I’m in mostly farms with the odd small area of forest left. The one swarm we caught (and only by luck, the tree branch they picked was 50 ft high but their weight broke it in the night and it landed in our yard) was from our hives.

2023-04-13 18:41:11

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Several have said it’s fine in the summer too. I didn’t see any temperature issues myself. This is the temp chart for an insulated nuc for last summer and the bees kept it pretty reasonable.
https://nostr.build/i/nostr.build_8720a770291fa24ffeae215e30e7a4277974fb402983ad347126994ed539a52c.png

2023-04-13 18:24:17

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Fudge. I had rabbits destroy several small bushes and most of my sunflowers last year too.

2023-04-13 18:22:36

https://nostr.build/i/nostr.build_ee15f020cb45981e457f125adbe0a103f1e1cb3ad962f7d562d8478656022d18.jpeg This is how I’ve been working to solve the winter problem. Roughly 2 inch insulation on sides and top but still using Langstroth frames. Didn’t do the bottom last year and that’s why I think 2/3 of the nucs didn’t make it. #bees #grownostr

2023-04-13 16:09:19

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqWkb4JZgos Speak of the devil - new bee barn 2.0 updates with Vino farms #grownostr #bees

2023-04-13 15:01:44

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https://void.cat/d/TBFrU6cfj599YNeqoNmW4c.webp
Cheat mostly. I've bought most of my queens and the source usually paints a colour coded dot, depending on the year of birth.
The swarm hive made it's own queen. They're larger than the workers with a much longer abdomen and it was harder to spot her. I got lucky with my first inspection as there aren't many workers. Come July, this will be almost impossible.

2023-04-13 14:56:57

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There's lots of good material on the youtubes, but find sources in your climate. I've asked dozens of questions on my local beekeeping club.
If you can find a mentor, or even someone a couple of years ahead that you can help with and get a little experience, that'll help take away fear of action.
Failing that, just do it. Start with two hives. There's no such thing as a cheap hobby and bees aren't, but you can do things like build your own hive bodies, or try things like to catch a swarm in your area.

2023-04-13 13:39:31

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Or Vino Farms on Youtube. He's built some pretty interesting insulated hives. He's in Mass I think but the design would work in colder climates. You have to commit to a non standard frame though and I don't have the ability to make as many frames as I'd need.

2023-04-13 13:31:05

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We're going into our 3rd year. Our winters are pretty good - but beekeeping can be done with the winters. Check out Etienne Tardif and North of 60 Beekeeping on youtube. He talks his techniques and there's lots to learn there.

2023-04-13 13:04:57

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I sometimes wish it was a little easier to point to why one lives and one doesn't, but so many confounding factors - but like was mentioned, it's never dull.

2023-04-13 12:35:16

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Going into winter, we had 6 hives and 3 nucs. One of the hives didn't make it, but I think the queen died last November and the survivors withered. Two of the nuc boxes didn't survive a cold snap in Feb - going to fix that flaw hopefully for next winter.

2023-04-13 11:38:36

https://nostr.build/i/nostr.build_380c39e89a82c8c9f49007bf3b390c296992916cf9be7816597466c27f4dc2e1.jpeg Happy Spring all! It’s warming up enough in Southern Ontario so we can get in hives. Our August swarm survived and we found the queen. #grownostr #bees