I was wondering about getting a beehive here when we're done with the building work as we're planning a load of wildflowers for the boundaries and we already seem to have a decent mix of stuff growing wild which the bees like.
The birds and the bees
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Ascender
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Re: The birds and the bees
Fantastic stuff
I was wondering about getting a beehive here when we're done with the building work as we're planning a load of wildflowers for the boundaries and we already seem to have a decent mix of stuff growing wild which the bees like.
I was wondering about getting a beehive here when we're done with the building work as we're planning a load of wildflowers for the boundaries and we already seem to have a decent mix of stuff growing wild which the bees like.
Cheers,
Mike.
Mike.
Re: The birds and the bees
Absolutely fantastic stuff. Would love to do similar if space allowed!
Re: The birds and the bees
Think it’s time for an update.
I finished the chicken coop.
For the nest boxes I ended up doing an external unit. It has sloped floors and baffles so the idea is the chickens will lay their eggs which will roll down the slope to an out of reach area so they don’t damage them. Then you just collect them from outside.
My hours of careful planning, designing and building have been rendered useless thus far as the hens refuse to use them.
On to the much better behaved bees.
So I had one harvest and thought that would be it, what with the drought, the landscape looking very barren etc.
But I was wrong.
And there was another 8kg which I have stored to give back to them over winter.
At this point my other beehive remembered that they are honeybees and should perhaps make some honey too.
Sweet diabetes this is already getting out of hand and it’s only the first year.
The third beehive I left for honeycomb but it didn’t really work out. I may still get something usable in a few weeks but I will try something else next year.
The fourth beehive which is for insurance has doubled in size so it is in effect 2 beehives stacked on each other. It is difficult to plan ahead. You don’t know what winter losses will be like up to early spring and beehives go on sale during the winter. I may buy 2 more and cross my fingers.
I finished the chicken coop.
For the nest boxes I ended up doing an external unit. It has sloped floors and baffles so the idea is the chickens will lay their eggs which will roll down the slope to an out of reach area so they don’t damage them. Then you just collect them from outside.
My hours of careful planning, designing and building have been rendered useless thus far as the hens refuse to use them.
On to the much better behaved bees.
So I had one harvest and thought that would be it, what with the drought, the landscape looking very barren etc.
But I was wrong.
And there was another 8kg which I have stored to give back to them over winter.At this point my other beehive remembered that they are honeybees and should perhaps make some honey too.
Sweet diabetes this is already getting out of hand and it’s only the first year.
The third beehive I left for honeycomb but it didn’t really work out. I may still get something usable in a few weeks but I will try something else next year.
The fourth beehive which is for insurance has doubled in size so it is in effect 2 beehives stacked on each other. It is difficult to plan ahead. You don’t know what winter losses will be like up to early spring and beehives go on sale during the winter. I may buy 2 more and cross my fingers.
How about not having a sig at all?
Re: The birds and the bees
Living the fucking dream.
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Gavster
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Re: The birds and the bees
Very cool! Great honey harvest too. Are you going to sell it or keep it for personal use? Are the hives all in the same location or different places and was there any difference in the honey between them?
I did a honey tasting of about 15 different honeys earlier in the year and the breadth of flavours depending on what plants the bees had been feasting on was crazy.
Very impressive chicken coop too! How big is it and how many birds are you keeping in there?
I did a honey tasting of about 15 different honeys earlier in the year and the breadth of flavours depending on what plants the bees had been feasting on was crazy.
Very impressive chicken coop too! How big is it and how many birds are you keeping in there?