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Beekeeping => General Beekeeping => Topic started by: JanO on January 04, 2014, 12:16:54 pm

Title: Getting ready for spring
Post by: JanO on January 04, 2014, 12:16:54 pm: This weekend appears to be our last couple of sunny days for a while, if the fog ever burns off, so I'll be painting boxes. What is everyone else doing this weekend to prepare for spring?
Title: Re: Getting ready for spring
Post by: iddee on January 04, 2014, 12:18:58 pm: Hibernating :P :D
Title: Re: Getting ready for spring
Post by: Gary on January 04, 2014, 12:23:32 pm: Assembling frames. I have about 1000 to do so I try to get through 30 pr 40 each day. Gets a little repetitious after awhile.
Title: Re: Getting ready for spring
Post by: efmesch on January 04, 2014, 12:23:45 pm: Two weeks ago we had a rainstorm with torrential rains and strong winds. The combination uprooted and knocked over an almond tree that was just behind my hives. :o
To my good fortune the branches didn't knock over or disturb my hives, but they pretty much made them inaccessible. I've been using my spare time to cut down the branches so that I'll once again be able to work my hives.
There's a lot of sawing work ahead for me.
Title: Re: Getting ready for spring
Post by: Finally Home on January 04, 2014, 12:27:21 pm: Finished up my bee vac and made a few bottom boards and inner covers.
Preparing for wind chills close to -40 between sunday night and tuesday morning. Going to be brutal here for a few days.
Title: Re: Getting ready for spring
Post by: Slowmodem on January 04, 2014, 01:17:48 pm: Quote from: JanO on January 04, 2014, 12:16:54 pm
This weekend appears to be our last couple of sunny days for a while, if the fog ever burns off, so I'll be painting boxes. What is everyone else doing this weekend to prepare for spring?

Ha! I'm gathering firewood and winterizing the house to make it to the Spring. It normally doesn't get below zero here. And > 60 hours below 32F is going to burst a lot of people's pipes around here. And if it snows and the power goes out, gonna have to have cook in the fireplace. And if.......... etc. :o
Title: Re: Getting ready for spring
Post by: riverbee on January 04, 2014, 01:18:20 pm: us to FH, crazy wind chill factors until tuesday.......so like iddee said HIBERNATING, and hanging out here!
Title: Re: Getting ready for spring
Post by: Slowmodem on January 04, 2014, 01:24:41 pm: Quote from: efmesch on January 04, 2014, 12:23:45 pm
Two weeks ago we had a rainstorm with torrential rains and strong winds. The combination uprooted and knocked over an almond tree that was just behind my hives. :o
To my good fortune the branches didn't knock over or disturb my hives, but they pretty much made them inaccessible. I've been using my spare time to cut down the branches so that I'll once again be able to work my hives.
There's a lot of sawing work ahead for me.

Glad your hives are in one piece. Do you have a fireplace? You'd be set for a good long while with all that wood! ;)
Title: Re: Getting ready for spring
Post by: efmesch on January 04, 2014, 01:28:05 pm: Quote from: Slowmodem on January 04, 2014, 01:17:48 pm

Ha! I'm gathering firewood .................. gonna have to have cook in the fireplace.

If I could send you over the internet some of the chunks of wood I've been cutting from my fallen almond tree, it would keep you warm for a few days of that expected freeze. Sorry you've got a slow modem. :laugh:
Title: Re: Getting ready for spring
Post by: efmesch on January 04, 2014, 01:31:51 pm: I've got a stove heater, but it only works on kerosene. If only it worked on wood-it would be a lot cheaper. Most of the time we heat using our air conditioner, on the heat setting.
Title: Re: Getting ready for spring
Post by: Jen on January 04, 2014, 01:58:35 pm: Ordering winter patties from B and B Honey Farms. Impressed with their low shipping costs.
Title: Re: Getting ready for spring
Post by: LazyBkpr on January 04, 2014, 02:07:19 pm: Few more frames to assemble, and a couple bottom boards and top covers to make.. Probably begin disassembling the old extractor I drug home and see what its going to take to resurrect it.. All of course in the heated shop.. probably wont be heading outside to do more than chores and fill the wood stove for the next three days.
Title: Re: Getting ready for spring
Post by: Bakersdozen on January 04, 2014, 02:34:58 pm: I am preparing for more winter weather. Even though the sun is shining now, they say in a few hours the snow it supposed to start. Sunday night thorugh Monday we are supposed to get an artic blast of cold temperatures like we haven't seen in 30-40 years. I'm watching to see if our bee club cancels our Monday monthly meeting due to the cold. We have a lot of members that travel quite a long distance to come to meetings. So, my checklist consists of full gas tank, blanket in car, cell phone charged...
Title: Re: Getting ready for spring
Post by: mamapoppybee on January 04, 2014, 03:01:55 pm: not a bad day here button up long sleeve shirt weather. just mapping out my to do list for this season. looking at getting a compost tumbler, waiting on stuff to get here so i can start building and painting it, gonna clear old garden for sun flowers and corn. planting two fruit trees on the extra part. Had a friend help me till and she seemed to think bigger was better. Gotta burn off some brush piles, and more. never a dull moment.
Title: Re: Getting ready for spring
Post by: Woody Roberts on January 04, 2014, 03:28:56 pm: Today I've gathered wood, fed the horses and getting ready for our next deep freeze. Last week I did put sugar bricks on a couple hives I have a Sparta. Their both new starts this year and are in single deeps. I felt they were heavy enough but I don't check them as often as I should and I didn't want them to starve when the start spring buildup.

With my Russian/ ferrel, mostly ferrel bees it doesn't take much to get them thru winter but once spring breaks the can go thru the groceries. Woody
Title: Re: Getting ready for spring
Post by: efmesch on January 04, 2014, 03:36:35 pm: Welcome to the forum Woody. :)
Your reminding us of the dangers of "spring starvation" comes at just the right time---when we can still do something to prevent it Thanks
Title: Re: Getting ready for spring
Post by: tecumseh on January 04, 2014, 04:29:20 pm: it is a bit windy and cold here today.

from now until about the first of March I will be on a constant schedule of 1) feed, feed, feed on about a 15 day cycle 2) painting and repairing about 150 used box and frames 3) assembling, painting and getting ready about 80 new boxes and frames. as a casual rule I do #1 whenever the weather permits and #2 and 3 whenever it is too cold or wet. with #2 and 3 some sort of foundation is typically also required and I generally do not do this last step until I am ready to take these into the field and placed onto a hive.
Title: Re: Getting ready for spring
Post by: Slowmodem on January 04, 2014, 04:34:52 pm: Quote from: mamapoppybee on January 04, 2014, 03:01:55 pm
not a bad day here button up long sleeve shirt weather. just mapping out my to do list for this season. looking at getting a compost tumbler, waiting on stuff to get here so i can start building and painting it, gonna clear old garden for sun flowers and corn. planting two fruit trees on the extra part. Had a friend help me till and she seemed to think bigger was better. Gotta burn off some brush piles, and more. never a dull moment.

I have a compost tumbler. It does ok. It works best if you shred or chop your compost into smaller pieces. Potatoes and such take a long long time unless you cut them up. Also, mine has air holes in the side. If yours does, you should keep a stick handy to poke the compost out of the air holes (it tends to stop them up when they're on the bottom).

I have a worm farm try gizmo I'm going to try to harvest come stuff out of this next week. The bottom try looks wonderful, but I've got to figure how to get the worms out. I've seen some videos on youtube, so I guess I'll be checking them out. A good snow day project.
Title: Re: Getting ready for spring
Post by: Perry on January 04, 2014, 04:38:10 pm: Hey Woody, I see this was your first post. If you get a chance, post a bit about yourself in the intro thread.
Good to see you here.
Title: Re: Getting ready for spring
Post by: Woody Roberts on January 04, 2014, 05:46:04 pm: Hey Perry
I posted under Wolfer over at beekeeping int.

The first forum I joined the name woody was taken. Since I'm an avid coyote hunter and if I had worked on a western ranch in the 1800s I probaly would have been their Wolfer, hence the name.

Since this forum was pretty new I thought I might get by with my real name.
Title: Re: Getting ready for spring
Post by: mamapoppybee on January 05, 2014, 11:52:24 am: my granpa had a device that would put electrical current into the ground. He would crank it up and next thing you know night crawlers come wriggling up. us kids would grabb them and put them in the bait bucket. this might be some thing for harvesting your worm farm.
Title: Re: Getting ready for spring
Post by: JanO on January 05, 2014, 01:26:26 pm: My one hive is painted and ready to go out, and I'm picking up a couple used hives today ($50. for two complete hives with supers) that I'll work on cleaning up and getting ready for spring as soon as the weather allows. The more I do to get ready for spring, the more excited I get. Can't wait to get started! ;D
Title: Re: Getting ready for spring
Post by: Jen on January 05, 2014, 02:52:02 pm: Mee Too JanO, now that the holidays are over, I'm thinking Spring everyday. We are doing our first oxalic treatment today :)
Title: Re: Getting ready for spring
Post by: Slowmodem on January 05, 2014, 05:04:25 pm: Quote from: mamapoppybee on January 05, 2014, 11:52:24 am
my granpa had a device that would put electrical current into the ground. He would crank it up and next thing you know night crawlers come wriggling up. us kids would grabb them and put them in the bait bucket. this might be some thing for harvesting your worm farm.

My worm farm is in the house. It looks like this:

(https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRmjjQaeLHh9g_VMvzocv79SFoca4LboQdly5z-mchtF-w403d9U-9utpXx)
Title: Re: Getting ready for spring
Post by: minz on January 06, 2014, 04:46:03 pm: JanO that was some nice weather we had this last weekend. With our December being one of the coldest and driest in the books I am curious to see what January is going to bring. It was a about 47 on Sunday but the sun got them girls out for a quick potty flight for the full sun hives. How far are you from PDX?
Efmesch, I cut the roots around the outside of a weeping cherry and pulled it out with the truck. It was right in the hives and it was cold enough that the girls let me be for the job. This weekend fired up the chainsaw and made it into turning blanks.
Title: Re: Getting ready for spring
Post by: JanO on January 06, 2014, 06:56:34 pm: Yes, minz last weekend was nice. I got my boxes painted, then picked up a few more that need some TLC to keep me busy for another couple of weeks. It looks like the rain is coming though, and won't stop for a while. I'm not too far from PDX; about 2 hours north up the I-5.
Title: Re: Getting ready for spring
Post by: efmesch on January 07, 2014, 02:05:53 am: Quote from: minz on January 06, 2014, 04:46:03 pm
....... This weekend fired up the chainsaw and made it into turning blanks.
You caught me on a sore point. I dream of buying a chain saw and making easy work of my tree cutting work----only I'm afraid of them things. I don't think my strength today is adquate to handle one safely.
Such frustration. I'll take virtual consolation in knowing that you did a good job. ;)
Title: Re: Getting ready for spring
Post by: LazyBkpr on January 07, 2014, 09:26:05 am: So find a small chainsaw Ef.. Pop has one so little he uses one hand to hold it and trim branches with. I have no doubt you could find one that fits your capability.
Title: Re: Getting ready for spring
Post by: iddee on January 07, 2014, 09:29:54 am: They also make small electric ones for city lots.
Title: Re: Getting ready for spring
Post by: Finally Home on January 07, 2014, 09:48:51 am: We have a little 14" echo for trimming. Handles pretty easy.
Title: Re: Getting ready for spring
Post by: Slowmodem on January 07, 2014, 09:52:04 am: Quote from: iddee on January 07, 2014, 09:29:54 am
They also make small electric ones for city lots.

ROFL You read my mind.

I got my Dad a small Stihl chainsaw (14" I think) that has a spring loaded pull starter. You can start that saw with two fingers. It doesn't turn the motor, it charges a spring that turns the motor.
Title: Re: Getting ready for spring
Post by: kebee on January 07, 2014, 10:02:20 am: My gas chainsaw gas line mess up on it, so I bought an electric one and it cut real good only bad thing is the long cord for it to run. EF if I can handle one I know you can for I think you are in better shape than I am.

Ken
Title: Re: Getting ready for spring
Post by: riverbee on January 07, 2014, 12:27:05 pm: we have a variety of chainsaws, and FH we have that little echo 14". it does a nice job. ef, it's getting difficult for me to lug around heavy chainsaws and 'fight' with them sometimes to get them to start. purchased one of these last year:

Stihl MS 180 C-BE Lightweight Easy2 Start Chainsaw (http://www.stihlusa.com/products/chain-saws/homeowner-saws/ms180cbe/)

i like it, it's not heavy, and the easy 2 start system, fires up right away. the only thing i am not a fan of on this chainsaw is the quick chain adjuster.
Title: Re: Getting ready for spring
Post by: Slowmodem on January 07, 2014, 05:28:09 pm: Quote from: riverbee on January 07, 2014, 12:27:05 pm
purchased one of these last year:

Stihl MS 180 C-BE Lightweight Easy2 Start Chainsaw (http://www.stihlusa.com/products/chain-saws/homeowner-saws/ms180cbe/)

i like it, it's not heavy, and the easy 2 start system, fires up right away. the only thing i am not a fan of on this chainsaw is the quick chain adjuster.

That's the one I got for my Dad. We also have a farm boss 20" for the major tree work. If this cold weather keeps up, we'll have to get them back out and use them some more!
Title: Re: Getting ready for spring
Post by: Perry on January 07, 2014, 06:36:30 pm: :D I don't know what to tell you Ef, but everyone seems bound and determined to make you work! :laugh:
Title: Re: Getting ready for spring
Post by: efmesch on January 08, 2014, 04:06:31 am: Perry, my resistance to the encouragement is low----I think I'll sstart looking to see what is available from the local suppliers. These lighter models might not be available in Israel. [Almost everyone here likes to be "Macho" :laugh: ]
Title: Re: Getting ready for spring
Post by: tecumseh on January 08, 2014, 06:35:18 am: I would suggest that without a large and roaring 2 cycle motor and a 2 foot bar an operator of a chain saw doesn't really look manly... :laugh:

in a professional wood lot even a stihl looks a bit wimpy. get yourself a good Husky or johansen and then work on the swagger. some folks just don't seem to know how to create a certain air of respect. 8)
Title: Re: Getting ready for spring
Post by: Jacobs on January 08, 2014, 07:55:16 am: As soon as the weather warms up enough and is dry enough for my backyard bees to fly, I will begin my program of supplemental feeding to crank up brood rearing. I have external jar feeders about 30 feet from my hives and use honey water in them. I will also put out a dry mix of spent brewers yeast, soy flour, and sugar that I have powdered myself (no corn starch). The bees will really use this pollen substitute until the red maples bloom here around the first of February. Once the red maple blooms, the bees quit visiting the substitute mix, and within a few days, I get my first phone calls or e-mails from people looking for local honey to help with allergies.

For me, that sort of marks the beginning of the spring season and is a reminder to try finish up whatever I need to get done for the spring buildup.
Title: Re: Getting ready for spring
Post by: efmesch on January 08, 2014, 08:15:06 am: Quote from: tecumseh on January 08, 2014, 06:35:18 am
... get yourself a good Husky or johansen and then work on the swagger. some folks just don't seem to know how to create a certain air of respect. 8)
:goodone:

Maybe I should change my avatar too---a big cowboy hat would probably do me wonders. :laugh:
Title: Re: Getting ready for spring
Post by: minz on January 08, 2014, 03:50:04 pm: Cowboys out here stopped wearing cowboy hats, they said they confused for truckers too often.
I hear that the new chainsaws are fussy on fuel. Are you guys required to run alcohol in your fuel? I am using one that my dad said was too big for him. Last year it quit and when I pulled it apart I found the fuel line was rotted off the tank. That could have been a bad fire.
Title: Re: Getting ready for spring
Post by: Slowmodem on January 08, 2014, 04:01:45 pm: Quote from: minz on January 08, 2014, 03:50:04 pm
I am using one that my dad said was too big for him. Last year it quit and when I pulled it apart I found the fuel line was rotted off the tank. That could have been a bad fire.

I think you'll find ethanol is the culprit. It eats rubber and destroys carburetors.

Look for 100% gas (http://pure-gas.org/) to run in small engines. Also, use a good quality oil to mix in the gas.
Title: Re: Getting ready for spring
Post by: LazyBkpr on January 08, 2014, 06:22:26 pm: Have to buy premium here to get no alcohol.. thats what I always used in my boat and small engines anyhow, but dont think it will be long before they switch the Premium as well.. wonder if I can go after them to PAY for my repairs when they switch that to alcohol too???? Since they added Alcohol to ALL gas but premium, I have been running nothing but premium in all my vehicles.. Owniong older trucks makes that a real pain to deal with, and I refuse to buy a new one.
Wife had a little 2wd Chevy truck with a 4.3 in it.. that think ATE fuel pumps... I put six in it in seven years.. Then I told her to stop using the cheap gas.. had it another five years with no fuel pumps.. she sold it to her sisters boy... he put three fuel pumps in it in two years...
Alcohol sounds good, and looks good on paper, but the fact is, it takes a lot more alcohol to get the same power, UNLESS your engine is designed to RUN Alcohol.. Higher compression, better cam etc.. Our Govt website states how BAD alcohol is compared to gasoline, and everything they say is TRUE, Unless, you change the engine design so that it is MEANT to run alcohol, and then there is NO Comparison whatsoever...
i wont even go into how they say we dont produce enough grain in this country to make alcohol for vehicles............................ :laugh:
Title: Re: Getting ready for spring
Post by: riverbee on January 08, 2014, 06:39:14 pm: "I hear that the new chainsaws are fussy on fuel. Are you guys required to run alcohol in your fuel? I am using one that my dad said was too big for him. Last year it quit and when I pulled it apart I found the fuel line was rotted off the tank. That could have been a bad fire."

how about us girlies..... :D they are, or so i am told, and use of premium fuel only, and no additives.
i do have to say that using premium fuel has made a difference.
Title: Re: Getting ready for spring
Post by: iddee on January 08, 2014, 06:44:18 pm: Chain saws aren't for girls. You are supposed to marry LOGGers, not LAWyers. :P
Title: Re: Getting ready for spring
Post by: Perry on January 08, 2014, 06:47:03 pm: Quote from: iddee on January 08, 2014, 06:44:18 pm
Chain saws aren't for girls. You are supposed to marry LOGGers, not LAWyers. :P

Perry steps away................far away! :o
Title: Re: Getting ready for spring
Post by: iddee on January 08, 2014, 06:48:16 pm: You can't get far enough away to escape the coming explosion, Perry. :laugh:
Title: Re: Getting ready for spring
Post by: Perry on January 08, 2014, 06:56:01 pm: Quote from: minz on January 06, 2014, 04:46:03 pm
....... This weekend fired up the chainsaw and made it into turning blanks.
To which Efmesch replied: "You caught me on a sore point. I dream of buying a chain saw and making easy work of my tree cutting work----only I'm afraid of them things. I don't think my strength today is adequate to handle one safely."

C'mon Ef, someone took this picture of you a couple of years ago. We know why you don't need a chainsaw my friend. ;)

(https://worldwidebeekeeping.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi664.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fvv1%2FPerryBee%2FEf_zpsb16257f2.jpg&hash=70f1dc923a84d847ca696db4ba5968c9a414797b) (http://s664.photobucket.com/user/PerryBee/media/Ef_zpsb16257f2.jpg.html)
Title: Re: Getting ready for spring
Post by: efmesch on January 09, 2014, 11:34:32 am: Okay folks, you'll never guess what kind of shopping I've been doing. I LOOKED at a few chain-saw models today, but I'm not ready to make the purchase yet. :-\

Best of all, I did my "shopping" while my wife did hers. So she had a weak spot exposed and she didn't even object to my intended purchase. O:-)
Maybe I'll find the right saw for the right price------ ;D
Title: Re: Getting ready for spring
Post by: riverbee on January 09, 2014, 12:04:42 pm: "Chain saws aren't for girls. You are supposed to marry LOGGers, not LAWyers. (https://worldwidebeekeeping.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.worldwidebeekeeping.com%2Fforum%2FSmileys%2FwBee%2Ftongue.gif&hash=fdb28a1dfe5a50a6d020271b82f386761bbce202)"

"Perry steps away................far away! (https://worldwidebeekeeping.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.worldwidebeekeeping.com%2Fforum%2FSmileys%2FwBee%2Fshocked.gif&hash=70de3881a886c5365c837b1cc7e96448348bcfbe)"

"You can't get far enough away to escape the coming explosion, Perry. (https://worldwidebeekeeping.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.worldwidebeekeeping.com%2Fforum%2FSmileys%2FwBee%2Flaugh.gif&hash=54d030e1ff023f40a65e5473be74689b1cf39f86)"

lol, some funny stuff you guys! IDdEE, my brothers were all LOGGers, well except one, he was the smart one......and that's why i married a LAWyer..... ;D :D