It's good to bee the king.

Back to the hive design, it's really cool to me that the bees are steered into making their honeycombs within the frames. They don't cross the gap that's a fraction of an inch wide, they stay on the frame and fill that vast open space inside the frame. It's really a brilliant design that takes into account how the bees build honeycomb.

WITHIN NATURE’S INTRICATE WEB OF CHECKS AND BALANCES … THERE IS A PLACE FOR ‘PAY BACK’.

These too are honeybees. they made their hive in a hollow tree.

they too are caring for their young.

but these are native japanese honeybees. and they are not quite as defenseless as their european cousins.

THEY haVE EVOLVED A SECRET WEAPON AGAINST THE GIANT HORNET.

one they may meet often in this deadly season.

this hornet is the advanced guard of an attack force the bees could never withstand.

but this time THE BEES SET A trap. they want the hornet inside. and the hornet obliges.

The SCOUTs main task IS TO MARK THE SPOT WITH A telltale pheromone … SO THAT her sisters CAN FIND IT LATER.

But the native honeybees know her game.

By swinging their abdomens to and fro they signal their strategy to one another.

the bees hold off until the last possible moment. and then, as if of one mind, they swarm.

the hornet is engulfed by hundreds of bees.

but they don’t sting the intruder. instead, as revealed by thermal photography, they all begin to vibrate, gradually raising their collective temperature to 117 degrees Fahrenheit.

Japanese honeybees can tolerate a temperature of 118 degrees.

Their victim's upper limit is 115. The hornet scout is slowly roasted alive.

And the secret of the honeybees' location dies with her

http://video.nationalgeographic.com/...bees_vs_hornet

That's what Rev. L.L.Langstroth discovered from observing natural combs - the "bee space", which is typically 3/8". He then designed the hive bodies and frames around that dimension. Previously to that, bees were kept in skeps - conical basket-type hives, but to harvest the honey, the combs had to be cut out and crushed. His system allowed beekeepers to slice off the wax cappings of the frames and spin the honey out with an extractor. The Dadant and A.I. Root families manufactured his designs (and made a lot of money), but were very good to him, making sure he had money when he needed it. It is believed that he was bi-polar.
Nice job on the hives ! Good luck with your bees.

You can buy pre-made wax combs to speed up the settling of a swarm in a new hive.

I have switched over to wooden frames with black plastic foundation for the brood boxes (easier to see eggs), and the natural color for the honey supers. The bees draw these out very well. Mann Lake has assembled frames in all sizes for a good price - http://www.mannlakeltd.com/beekeepin...ry/page17.html. Easier than putting together large amounts of frames and mounting and wiring foundation. IMHO

Thanks!

Today, I made my new bike as loud as the old one.

Straight pipes.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/03/22/rybyra7a.jpg

The stock pipes sounded like a weed whacker. This is suggestive of how it sounds now, but it's much throatier in person.

bottled two batches so far, bottling a Saison tonight if I can stay awake. The Russian Pumpernickel Emperical Stout has started up again after some non-Euclidean experimental brewing techniques. Possibly it will be on track and drinkable in a month or two.

Up next is a Pale Ale. A few test batches on the horizon.

Also made some mods to my magnetic plate stirrer, gotta test ii out today at my yeast ranch.

Today I made a very successful batch of homemade gummy bears, except instead of bears they are Lego minifigures. They're going on top of the cupcakes for Minifobette's birthday party this weekend. I'm pumped.

want that ice cube tray, now watching several on ebay. My boys are really too old....but still...... :D I need pics of the gummies!

That's awesome. I want pictures too.

Wow, you actually got them out of the mold in one piece, terrific!

The trick is to use enough gelatin. These aren't "jigglers," they are dense and chewy like real gummy bears.