Beer

[emo_snal]

   (A) I've remembered my dreams for the last few nights, which is a bit unusual. (i) Three nights ago I dremt I was a political prisoner; (ii) The night before last I dremt I was an adventurer in Saudi Arabia around the turn of the century. Lawrence of Arabia style (not that I've seen the movie actually, but I'm guessing), riding around on horses

Comments

[misterschmoo]

Very jealous of your bees, I am thinking of getting some hives in the next couple of years, I have a question, if you had known what you know now about bees/hives etc. is there anything you would have done differently.

Also, about getting stung, I appreciate that this happens, but I'm curious as to why, does the protective clothing not work?

[emo_snal]

Sometimes even after meticulously putting on the whole suit they can somehow find their way into some gap or hole in the suit you were unaware of or accidentally left. BUT

Whats more likely is that, as you can see for example my associate doing here, experienced beekeepers almost invariably eventually become too lazy to put the suit on unless they really have to. If you have docile bees and aren't rummaging about their hive overly much you can still maybe expect to get stung once or twice while wearing no protective clothing, but one usually eventually decides this isn't a terrible cost to pay to not have to wear the big clumsey suit

[misterschmoo]

Well that's good to hear, in other words I will only get stung as much as I deserve to be.

There is a bee keeping club here and a guy just in the next town over who will sell swarms for a nominal fee, so that's all good, to my knowledge we have no problems with africanised bees here, though the country has a problem with the Varroa bee mite,

http://www.biosecurity.govt.nz/pests-diseases/animals/varroa.htm

Though I don't think it has made it to my area yet, and I don't know if it's innevitable that it will.

[emo_snal]

Yeah varroa mites are pretty much throughout North America now I think. There are some basic treatments though which should keep them at bay. Where are you located?