What did you make today?

[Sundae]

I made up the table that Limey manhandled all the way from Arran to Leeds for me, and then either Limey or Dani carried up two flights of stairs for me.

Looks great.
Am thinking of covering it with a Hello Kitty tablecloth. Just because I have one and no other table to put it on.

I also made Diz a cabriolet cat bed from a cardboard box. Cut a hole in the front, folded the flaps down inside because I put it in a place where the sun shines in the afternoon.
But get this, the flaps are still there so I can cover the box over and put it in front of a heater at some point in the future.
A craftswoman for all seasons, me.

[limey]

(Arran to Leeds, to Aylesbury, to Otley!)


Sent by thought transference

[Sundae]

Ah but the van took the strain from Leeds-Aylesbury-Otley

[lumberjim]

I approve of your logo choice

[Griff]

I was too tired to post this earlier. I did two nuc installations before taking Little Griff to the shows. Here are some pics of the first and my first install. I was working alone so the shots are only as steps ended. The first nuc was really active with a lot of bees and excess comb all over it. The supplier sent 4 frame instead of 5 frame nucs. The spacers that took place of the fifth frame are those black rectangles.

[Griff]

The second went much more smoothly. Hey I didn't get stung! Beekeeping smells are wonderful between the smoker, the wax, and the honey.

[nowhereman]

Nice job with the nuc install !
I would ditch that 1 gallon feeder and get a 2 gallon from Mann Lake with ladders - (http://www.mannlakeltd.com/beekeepin...ry/page45.html). They will need syrup to draw out the bare foundation until the nectar flow starts. A Mega-bee pollen patty from Dadant would help with brood stimulation as well. I'm a fan of wooden frames myself, as some of the plastic (Pierco) frames can warp over time. Have fun !!!

[Griff]

Thanks. I'm using two different hive top feeders both over 2 gallon capacity.

[Clodfobble]

That is so cool.

[glatt]

I see both plastic and wooden racks. Is one better? Wood has a nice aesthetic, but I imagine plastic is much cheaper and up to the job. Can you reuse them?

[footfootfoot]

Killer Bee Killed.

Color me envious.

[Griff]

The plastic ones came with the nucs. All the ones Pete assembled are wood with natural wax foundation. For us, using wood really is an aesthetic choice although experienced keepers argue both ways in terms of functionality. I think the price was nominally different. You do reuse them but rotate them out after a few years.

[Aliantha]

Dad has always used wooden ones. His lasted for many many years. I can't recall him ever having to replace many. His hives died off a few years ago and he hasn't found a decent swarm to replace them as yet. He hasn't been looking too hard though. He's been busy with other stuff.

[glatt]

The sanding drum I made was vibrating out of balance too much. I realized the threaded end of the bolt just wasn't being held straight by the chuck. I needed a smooth surface for it to grab. So I dug around in my scrap metal pile and found a perfect rod that I think came out of an old ink jet printer. I pulled out my grandfather' sold surplus navy tap an die set, and got to work putting some threads on the rod.

[glatt]

The sanding drum I made was vibrating out of balance too much. I realized the threaded end of the bolt just wasn't being held straight by the chuck. I needed a smooth surface for it to grab. So I dug around in my scrap metal pile and found a perfect rod that I think came out of an old ink jet printer. I pulled out my grandfather's old surplus Navy tap and die set, and got to work putting some threads on the rod.