California - Northern

[BCollie]

Wow, have you guys seen Papa Brooder's Chocolate Orpingtons? They're so beautiful.

 

[caychris]

Okay... umm, that just kinda sounds creepy...

When you miss the quote it sure does.

 

[BCollie]

Sorry for the spam, but I have a question. My mom said she was wondering if my Olive Egger is a boy because she holds her tail so high. She usually holds it even higher than she is in the below pictures...but she's 2.5 months old and as you can see has no comb or wattles(or color in them) to speak of. Girl or boy? Does how high they carry the tail have anything to do with gender?

 

[Happy Chooks]

Sorry for the spam, but I have a question. My mom said she was wondering if my Olive Egger is a boy because she holds her tail so high. She usually holds it even higher than she is in the below pictures...but she's 2.5 months old and as you can see has no comb or wattles(or color in them) to speak of. Girl or boy? Does how high they carry the tail have anything to do with gender?

Pullet.

And I'm so sorry to hear about Carolina.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Thought I'd share here too. My very first extraction of my honey. I'm so excited and it's delicious!

Well, they were starting to draw out comb on the 2nd super, but no honey in it. I only extracted 8 frames because the outer 2 frames were only capped on one side. Now I have to figure out what to do with those frames because I'll need to take the super off the hive to treat for mites.

It's hard to do the work and take pictures, but here is what I got with my phone. It looks like I'll end up with 2 to 2 1/2 gallons of honey. It's still draining and straining, but I came in to have lunch. Keep in mind this is my first time harvesting, so I'm certainly not a pro at this.


I chose to extract in our well house. It is a sealed building with lighting, so it seemed like a good choice. All set up and ready to go:


Borrowed extractor and double sieve ready.


The person I borrowed the extractor from had this homemade cappings tank. My hot knife, which was very handy once I figured out how to use it correctly.


I chose to use a fume board to get the bees out of the supers. I chose the non-toxic spray Fishers Bee Quick. It worked really well, only a few bees left on the frames to brush off. You spray it on the felt on the underside of this board on top, and the bees clear out of the super in 2-5 minutes.


Frames of capped honey.




After I took the knife to them, but before using the cappings scratcher.




Ready to go for a spin.


And the honey begins to flow out of the extractor into the sieve.


Frames after extraction. They went back into the hive for the bees to clean them up.


Getting more honey now. Pretty amber color.


Had to take a break and let the sieve catch up.


Cappings draining into the tub below, so I can take the honey from that too.


I'm glad I did this in the morning, it was starting to get hotter and the bees were less patient. I had the smoker ready to go, but I didn't need it. No stings either, though 1 bee was trying like heck to get me.

It was a lot easier than I thought it would be.

 

[ronott1]

Thought I'd share here too. My very first extraction of my honey. I'm so excited and it's delicious!

Well, they were starting to draw out comb on the 2nd super, but no honey in it. I only extracted 8 frames because the outer 2 frames were only capped on one side. Now I have to figure out what to do with those frames because I'll need to take the super off the hive to treat for mites.

It's hard to do the work and take pictures, but here is what I got with my phone. It looks like I'll end up with 2 to 2 1/2 gallons of honey. It's still draining and straining, but I came in to have lunch. Keep in mind this is my first time harvesting, so I'm certainly not a pro at this.


I chose to extract in our well house. It is a sealed building with lighting, so it seemed like a good choice. All set up and ready to go:


Borrowed extractor and double sieve ready.


The person I borrowed the extractor from had this homemade cappings tank. My hot knife, which was very handy once I figured out how to use it correctly.


I chose to use a fume board to get the bees out of the supers. I chose the non-toxic spray Fishers Bee Quick. It worked really well, only a few bees left on the frames to brush off. You spray it on the felt on the underside of this board on top, and the bees clear out of the super in 2-5 minutes.


Frames of capped honey.




After I took the knife to them, but before using the cappings scratcher.




Ready to go for a spin.


And the honey begins to flow out of the extractor into the sieve.


Frames after extraction. They went back into the hive for the bees to clean them up.


Getting more honey now. Pretty amber color.


Had to take a break and let the sieve catch up.


Cappings draining into the tub below, so I can take the honey from that too.


I'm glad I did this in the morning, it was starting to get hotter and the bees were less patient. I had the smoker ready to go, but I didn't need it. No stings either, though 1 bee was trying like heck to get me.

It was a lot easier than I thought it would be.

Oh my!

I love honey and would love to get a hive....The neighbors though?

 

[Happy Chooks]

Oh my!

I love honey and would love to get a hive....The neighbors though?

Don't tell them.

Unless you're restricted from having them or allergic to stings, I wouldn't worry too much. Most bees that people are stung by are wasps and yellowjackets. Honey bees are very docile, and you probably have a lot of food down there for them. They can fly for 2-3 miles in all directions from the hive. I've only been stung one occurrence, because the honey bee got caught in my hair. Then dumb me didn't think about the pheromone and went out and got stung again. After that, I took a shower and changed clothes before going back outside. You just have to aim them where nobody will walk in front of their flight path.

This was my hive activity this morning before I went in for the honey.

 

[Kaylish]

But they would be full of chickens for most of us. Thus, no room for humans to enjoy me too

Too true!

Thought I'd share here too. My very first extraction of my honey. I'm so excited and it's delicious! Well, they were starting to draw out comb on the 2nd super, but no honey in it. I only extracted 8 frames because the outer 2 frames were only capped on one side. Now I have to figure out what to do with those frames because I'll need to take the super off the hive to treat for mites. It's hard to do the work and take pictures, but here is what I got with my phone. It looks like I'll end up with 2 to 2 1/2 gallons of honey. It's still draining and straining, but I came in to have lunch. Keep in mind this is my first time harvesting, so I'm certainly not a pro at this. I chose to extract in our well house. It is a sealed building with lighting, so it seemed like a good choice. All set up and ready to go: Borrowed extractor and double sieve ready. The person I borrowed the extractor from had this homemade cappings tank. My hot knife, which was very handy once I figured out how to use it correctly. I chose to use a fume board to get the bees out of the supers. I chose the non-toxic spray Fishers Bee Quick. It worked really well, only a few bees left on the frames to brush off. You spray it on the felt on the underside of this board on top, and the bees clear out of the super in 2-5 minutes. Frames of capped honey. After I took the knife to them, but before using the cappings scratcher. Ready to go for a spin. And the honey begins to flow out of the extractor into the sieve. Frames after extraction. They went back into the hive for the bees to clean them up. Getting more honey now. Pretty amber color. Had to take a break and let the sieve catch up. Cappings draining into the tub below, so I can take the honey from that too. I'm glad I did this in the morning, it was starting to get hotter and the bees were less patient. I had the smoker ready to go, but I didn't need it. No stings either, though 1 bee was trying like heck to get me. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be.

How cool!

 

[Flowers of Abba]

Thought I'd share here too. My very first extraction of my honey. I'm so excited and it's delicious! Well, they were starting to draw out comb on the 2nd super, but no honey in it. I only extracted 8 frames because the outer 2 frames were only capped on one side. Now I have to figure out what to do with those frames because I'll need to take the super off the hive to treat for mites. It's hard to do the work and take pictures, but here is what I got with my phone. It looks like I'll end up with 2 to 2 1/2 gallons of honey. It's still draining and straining, but I came in to have lunch. Keep in mind this is my first time harvesting, so I'm certainly not a pro at this. I chose to extract in our well house. It is a sealed building with lighting, so it seemed like a good choice. All set up and ready to go: Borrowed extractor and double sieve ready. The person I borrowed the extractor from had this homemade cappings tank. My hot knife, which was very handy once I figured out how to use it correctly. I chose to use a fume board to get the bees out of the supers. I chose the non-toxic spray Fishers Bee Quick. It worked really well, only a few bees left on the frames to brush off. You spray it on the felt on the underside of this board on top, and the bees clear out of the super in 2-5 minutes. Frames of capped honey. After I took the knife to them, but before using the cappings scratcher. Ready to go for a spin. And the honey begins to flow out of the extractor into the sieve. Frames after extraction. They went back into the hive for the bees to clean them up. Getting more honey now. Pretty amber color. Had to take a break and let the sieve catch up. Cappings draining into the tub below, so I can take the honey from that too. I'm glad I did this in the morning, it was starting to get hotter and the bees were less patient. I had the smoker ready to go, but I didn't need it. No stings either, though 1 bee was trying like heck to get me. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be.

Wow I really admire you! Beekeeping is so wonderful for the bees and for those of us who love honey!!! Thanks for sharing the pictures

 

[chrissyr]

I cannot bring myself to apologize for picture spam this time. [COLOR=141823]All I could do was scream "NO!" and fall down crying when I found you lifeless. I spent a good portion of yesterday and today crying because I will never again see you come running every time I called your name, I'll never again see you fly up to eat from the food pail as I carried it back to the coop. I wish I could see you just one more time walking through my house when the back door got left open. I wish you would fly over the fence again just so you could go scratch arou[/COLOR]nd in the grass while my dog tries to herd you back to the coop - and you totally ignore her because you know she's all bark and no bite. I love how you liked to perch on my arm, and I love how you always started 'talking' every time you'd see me. You will always be my favorite bird, there will never be another you. "I love you every day. And now I will miss you every day." Rest in peace my sweet Carolina.

SOOO pretty!!