Grundsau

Bentiron1946, your safety comes first so don't feel too bad. How did you know they were AHB? Its amazing that the AHB is almost identical to the european honey bee and they have a much meaner disposition. Here is some info on them: http://www.lawestvec.../beebiology.htm And a map: http://www.ars.usda....id=11059&page=6 I've read that they were introduced to Florida via a container ship from S. America. Maybe its just a matter of time before they reach the DelMarVa-area via ship too. A member in our bee club traveled to S. America and worked with some beekeepers who maintain AHB colonies. He commented it was the first time in his long life that he was really afraid. Allen

Looks good B) Are those excluders between the top and middle supers? Allen

Thanks Beth for the compliment. :) Hope you get some swarms! We are using powdered sugar dusting to help with mites. Have you tried that? Here in Pennsylvania we had a whacky Summer. First, it rained a lot in Spring, then there was a long dry spell throughout the Summer months. Because their honey stores weren't built up enough towards Fall, we started feeding them sugar water. When they stopped taking that, we placed granulated sugar on top of reversed inner covers. The moisture from the bees moistened the sugar just enough for them to munch on it as needed throughout Winter. Am starting to work without gloves. Only got stung once when I didn't watch what I was doing while picking up a frame. I trapped one of the girls and got nailed. :o :P Allen

We had plannd to build our own from scratch. But then my friend found after purchasing all the materials, the TBH at the above link was about the same price which includes all pieces cut and some assembly already done. So he returned all the wood to Home Depot and ordered the Bee Authority hive. It saved him a lot of time. Allen

Its great to see I'm not alone here with an interest in bees. B) Phil, strange thing about my friends bees this Winter. The weakest colony going into Fall built up its population throughout Winter and has been booming for months. Those mild temps must have really helped. The two strongest colonies going into Winter didn’t do as well. One had a population loss and succumbed to freezing. We believe there weren’t enough bees to stay warm in the cluster. We also think there may have been a varroa mite issue that weakened them. The queen had been located just a few weeks earlier on a very warm day so we knew she was still around. The other one had a population reduction but was still hanging in there. We saw them bringing in pollen all Winter. Colors ranged from red to orange to a pale yellow and are capping honey already. Thomas, were both of the lost hives the TB style? My friend just built a TBH from a kit he purchased from these folks: http://beeauthority.hostedbyamazon.com/Bee-Authority-Top-Bar-Hive/dp/B006IIKXVY?traffic_src=froogle&utm_medium=organic&utm_source=froogle I’ll be giving that style a go later on sometime. Beth, its fairly diverse here. His colonies are set-up on some farmland at the base of a small mountain which is heavily wooded. Ragweed, mustard (mustard is going gangbusters right now), wildflowers, tulip poplar, black locust, maples, dead nettle and I’m sure lots more. The honey is light colored and very good. We always sample some of it when cross comb breaks a few cells open. Ferrous, that must have been a treat to have them as neighbors. I wonder what Einstein would have said about Monsanto. Ron, thanks for that link. I go there often but am signed up at www.Beesource.com and my username is Allen. David, how many colonies have you lost? By going with foundationless frames we hope to get some beeswax next year for our ironwork. And the bees will eventually build smaller cells that are natural for them. Which is supposed to help with the varroa mite issue. If the girls survive over the long term, we’re hoping the sale of honey and maybe even some splits will help recoup our initial start-up costs. Profit motive isn’t the primary motivator in starting our bee yard though. Here is an album link with some images of my friends bees from an inspection in mid-March: http://s596.photobuc...reekforge/Bees/ This image was taken last November. I had sprinkled some sugar water on the back of my hand and the little gals were happily drinking it up. This is a new bee being born: Allen

Looks great! Wish I could have been there.

Hi Keith, nice items. I've been asked about the mason jar candleholders and wasn't sure how to make the candle holder part. Could you make a circle on the end with the tag end of the rod going across the bottom side of the circle to keep the taper from falling through? Our first show (Easter) was on 3/17 and 18 at a small historical building nearby. We did better than expected for an Easter show. For outdoor shows we use two set-ups. Structured shows with limited space we use a 10x10 Goliath canopy. For less formal outdoor shows we have a 14'x14' Sutler Wedge tent from Tentsmiths. I will not demonstrate at any show where we have to use the canopy. The tent is made from sunforger canvas and tolerates sparks a bit better than the polyster canopy. This is our indoor set-up from the Easter show: Allen

I've been helping a friend with three colonies since last Spring. Three Nucs and a package are ordered for sometime this month if the weather holds out. We are planning to go foundationless and chemical-free. Here is a shot of the four hives in the "beeyard".

I'll check out moving the floor boards. Am hoping the screws holding them down are self-tapping.

We have a 5x8 utility trailer that gets used for hauling mulch, wood chips, etc at times. It has angle iron rails and the floor has gaps between the PT wood boards. I thought about a 1/2" x5'x8' sheet of ply with four removable sides to make storage easier when the liner is not needed. Anyone have any suggestions on what to use? I'd rather not add a lot of weight to the trailer so the lighter the better. An aluminum drop in liner would probably be expensive and couldn't locate a plastic pickup truck style liner.

Its a coring tool for making giant apple dumplings...

Think I found what I've been looking for: http://www.detailspartyrental.com/Table%20Decor/Candles.htm

Mitch, go figure... :D Whenever I try to describe that type of glass shape I usually get a blank stare. May I use one of your photos with most of the ironwork cropped out except the glass to illustrate what I'm looking for? Allen

That looks great! Where did you find the glass? I've been looking for something like that for a patio stake. Allen

Hi Neil, I'd like to know what shakes out on your question also. This style: http://jas-townsend.com/product_info.php?cPath=46&products_id=169 does not offer protection. Used to wear them while demo'ing. The last time they were worn was during a demo at the Daniel Boone Homestead and had a piece of scale stick to a corner of an eyelid. Modern safety glasses are what I have used since then. Allen

Interesting way of doing that. Thanks for the illustration and info. Allen

Lol Great suggestion. Thanks

Thanks for all the info. The photo was just for illustration and didn't plan to use a spIke for the candles. A pocket weld may be the way to go till I see how the design flows and then try more traditional joinery later. Seeing an example up close would help. Randy, do you know of any resources in our area where I could see his type of work? I wonder if the Novitiate in Wernersville would have something. Allen

I'd like to try my hand at some medieval candle holders and am trying to fgure out a way to attach the drip cup to the upright stem. Not sure yet what size material the stem will be but it may be in the 1" range or a little larger. Would rather not use any elec welding. Should I neck down a small portion of the end of the stem into a tenon, punch a hole in the drip cup and then peen the tenon over like a rivet? That should draw things up tight.

Great idea. A flypress could do that.

You will want a good ceramic fiber blanket and ITC 100. The blanket isn't too expensive. If you get the right stuff in the beginning, you won't be paying for it in wasted fuel later on. Contact Jay Hayes and tell him what you are looking for. Great guy to deal with and he will spend time on the phone answering questions. He'll also send you prices via email. http://home.earthlink.net/~xmas4lites/ Allen

I do like photo business cards but in this case felt that less is more. Layout in P-shop. Saved to jpeg and then inserted into an MS Word Avery label form. Printed with inkjet on Avery business card stock with glossy front. Backside is uncoated for writing notes. Modified my anvil and hammer in Pshop for logo. Allen

Thanx John. Eric, If you don't mind, post some photos of how things worked out.

Thanks B)

JNewman, am I understanding that the bar slipped down between the flats while being formed and the flats helped to keep it from twisting? With that V-shape, did it actually close at the bottom? I have some 1/4" x 2" x 2" angle laying around. What if I took two pieces and drilled holes through both for bolts on the ends of the angle. Add two or more holes for 1" round bar to slip through. Then add a few washers to the bolts between the angle iron to match the width of the material being bent and bolt the angle together. A cutout would be needed for the top tool when its lowered. The material being bent would be supported by the angle as its "rides" on the round bars. Eric, what size press do you have? I have a P5 and have not tried anything like that yet. Are you able to bend it hot? Allen