We were siting around Wifey’s office a couple of weeks ago and noticed a person in a beekeepers suit across the street. There was a huge, like the size of 2 or 3 basketballs, swarm of bees about 20 feet up in one of the trees over there and he was working on knocking it, or most of it, into a large cardboard box while balanced on an extension ladder. This went on for about half an hour until he had most of them in the box. Then he sat the box down on the sidewalk and after awhile the rest of the bees left the tree and, I assume, got in the box with their fellows. It was very entertaining.
I hope your new swarm thrives, Nut.
I hope Pooka is gonna be all better now, Sunny.
Sorry to hear about Anthony Bourdain. I didn’t particularly like him, but suicide (almost) always makes me sad.
It’s supposed to start raining here today and continue until Monday. This weekend is The Portland Rose Festival and tradition must be observed.
Somebody sent Wifey a recipe for grilled-huli-huli-chicken and I’m thinking about trying to do that tonight, 'cept I wanna use ground ginger instead of fresh. I think that’ll be okay.
Butters, better wear your helmet the rest of the day, in case of meteors.
This was fun, as the site is on a smallholding belonging to a lovely local beekeeper, and he has quite a lot of animals. Friendly animals. Getting the box o’ bees to where the bees go involved getting them through a gate into a field containing 2 donkeys, who thought they were getting a treat, then through a gate into a field of sheep, including what I’m pretty sure is a handreared lamb, which was determinedly attempting to suck my trousers as I tried to get a box o’ bees through the gate without letting donkeys in with the sheep or sheep in with the donkeys. Coulda been filmed for a comedy show, it really could
I left the box shut for the night, as it’s getting dark anyway and the bottom is mesh so they’re not going to asphyxiate. I’ll be back in tomorrow to open up and have the quickest of quick peeps into the box to see how they’re settling in. Don’t want to disturb them unnecessarily yet, as they could still decide to leave, but I’m nosy and I kinda need to put the last frame in the box, I’d taken it out to make it easier to get bees in.
I did wind up having to leave some behind; being where they were it just wasn’t possible to get them all, but the vast majority had gone into the box, and with any luck those that didn’t ill find their way back to their old hive. They won’t have gone too far.
Home, boiling 23 eggs - one was cracked, so Higgs got a treat. I’ve also watered my houseplants and was drooled upon by RoxStar. **FCD **and I are going to Cracker Barrel for supper because I want the fish fry.
Long work week - glad it’s over. Just hoping the rain holds off for the company picnic tomorrow.
Bees will normally fly up to 3 miles foraging. If you’re moving a hive, you’re always told to move it over 3 miles, otherwise the flying bees (they stay and do jobs in the hive for the first week or so when they hatch out as adult bees) might recognise the area, and a load of them will fly back to where the hive used to be.
I’m not sure how far swarms will go, but it’s usually not all that far. I’d say under a mile, I’ve not heard of one going further than that. They’ll often hang round within sight of their old hive for a while, on a tree branch or something, while scouts go out and look for a hollow tree, wall cavity, post box or whatever else they can find.
Lots of beekeepers keep empty hives around in swarm season (‘bait hives’) for roaming swarms to move in to, and so swarms from their colonies might stay around. Apparently putting some old wax and smearing lemongrass essential oil in the empty hive (lemongrass mimics some pheromones supposedly) really helps attract them.
We have ingested majik intartoobz pizza and sallit. All is good. Lowe’s and Walgreen’s sent me emails threatenin’ to not send me email if I don’t buy sump’n online soon. Reckon I’ll get emails tellin’ me that they are serious about not sendin’ me anymore emails?
Nuts I have a friend who keeps bees. He lives on a big property and has three hives. He even showed me how to collect honey once. Not that I remember any of it but I was shown. I also have some cool candles made out of beeswax. They are for decoration only, however. Bees be fun to watch.
metal mouse, minor league baseball usually has fun names, fun mascots and entertaining fan participation games. I prefer them to MLB.
nut, I’ve learned a lot about beekeeping from your posts.
I knocked off irk around one, grocery shopped and came home to make the vegetarian entree for the homeless shelter with the heathen group. It was supposed to be there by 4:30, but I didn’t make it until closer to five, what with the traffic from CMA Fest going in. Coming home, I got into Bonneroo traffic. My town is in between on I24 and the festivals overlap every year. I have to go back to Nashville Sunday and I’m giving the airport as wide of berth as I can for the folks leaving.
Tomorrow morning, the green bean gets an oil change. Fortunately, the Toyota dealership is surface streets and doesn’t get into the traffic mess.
Red, I agree, we’re getting a AA team back here in 2020 (new stadium being built) and I’m sure they’ll have a contest for a new name (the previous team, the Huntsville Stars, was not a very peppy choice, IMHO).
Watering the back yard as it is now in shade and cooling down some. Need to file paperwork for my refereeing trip, the organization says they’ll pay my costs for it, so who am I to turn down money?
Nut, about all I remember about bees is from the (very) old Wonderful World of Disney. Thanks for the lessons.
Need to do a little filing in a bit, but that’s the sum total of my planned evening activities, outside of internettin’.
For your edification, the Ford stereo removal tools don’t work, so I will be taking the dashboard apart.
I am very glad that you guys aren’t around to help. :dubious:
We got our groceries and the front postage stamp got mowed.
It takes longer to get the mower and extension cord out than it takes to do the actual mowing.
I’m letting the back postage stamp go for a bit until I can determine what is what growing back there. I have some pretty white flowers (although I think technically they may be weeds) all over the yard, and the wild flower patches have some interesting things going on. I hope the cleomes come back this year, everybody says they will take over the yard but the wild violets seem to be the dominate flora this year. I also have wild strawberries all over the place.
Ripple and Sah-son are fighting over the love seat. My son likes to watch Battle Bots so he is in the living room. Everytime a commercial comes on he leaves the room and Ripple grabs his spot. Then when he comes back he makes Ripple move. Lather, rinse, repeat.
Made it through the day. We have supped upon Filet Mignon, baked N.O.T’s, and spare guts.
We had a big thunderstorm complete with thunder and lightening but nary a drop of rain yet. There are still some showers out there and the chance of rain is 80% both tonight and tomorrow. I love rainy nights. I am off this weekend so rain is OK in the daytime too.
I is tahred. I am so glad tis Firday. Happy weekend all.
metal mouse, my vote would be for the Rocket Scientists. I will likely be down to see the occasional game when they come to town. I get to see the Sounds play a few times a year.
You came close to being offered tix to CMA Fest. However, I really pushed my friend to sell her (extra) tix. She was able to sell 'em & was quite appreciative that I pushed her, she asked what she could get me. I suggested a cut of what she made…90+%.
I have my [del]ticket[/del] pass to see one of the few country artists not there; the nice woman with the “All Access” laminated photo credentials (who I usually have Thanksgiving dinner with) left it in my car for me.
But I worked for it; over 1000 still images & 3 video cams going tonight. Just downloading stuff now. Then I’ll recharge batteries & clear out what I took & go to bed. I was able to talk them into a later start in the moaning - I now need to get up at dark:30 instead of be somewhere an hour away at that time. :eek: Not even gonna look at what I took tonight.
(I really hope there’s time for a nap [del]tomorrow[/del] later today.)
I have used one of these dashboard removal tools a few times; are you sure you don’t want our help?
I will likely be down to see the occasional game when they come to town. I get to see the Sounds play a few times a year.
I dreamed I visited my late gradfather in his new house. It had a bar in it.