Hi all,
Here is the video that I took of the bee drinking.
Enjoy.
Peter
Enjoy.
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I’ve recently been talking about the Golden Pendas in flower. We have one of our own in the front yard. I’m waiting for a chance to get a bee photo to share. I will as soon as the rain stops. Also when the lower down buds bloom. In the mean time this Rainbow Lorikeet posed for a photo.
cheers
PS, an hour later, the rain stopped, the sun came out, & so did the bees
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David wants that Lorikeet. He would keep it in our back garden! 
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Yeah right Dawn, then it would become an invasive pest like it is here. Although they are pretty and often kept as pets in cages I hate them with a passion.
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Hi Skeggley, are you into bush tucker? You might be able to turn those invasive pests into tasty meals
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Fruit and veg growers hate them with a vengeance.
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We drove past this row of Golden Pendas this afternoon in King St. Buderim.
This is one of the bees, possibly mine.
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This bee was working my Yacon (Peruvian Ground Apple) flowers a little while ago.
I didn’t know which photo to upload, so I uploaded both.
cheers
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Congratulation on that Martha, it has been a while happening with some set backs along the way.
Cheers, Peter
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Good on ya Martha!
I’m waiting for my day
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It’s going to happen Peter! I bought some wax from kelly bee supplies and and took a torch, melted it then scratched the wax block on the flow frame then repeated the procedure until the frames were covered. Plus I didn’t have a mess to clean up. Melt as you need. They took to it more rapidly this year.
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I got this photo emailed to me this morning with the caption “Can you pick the queen?” I have no idea where it originated from but it is an excellent shot of the queen and her attendants. Thought you all might enjoy it. Cheers, Peter
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It’s going to happen! I’m in my 3rd season and the first season nothing, second season was a poor nectar flow but I got 3 frames. 3rd season great nectar flow all my 3 hives filled them all. Believe! Try stuff the right combination will set the bees to filling the flow super.
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I have three questions…
- Is that in the red circle SHB?
- What are the other debris?
- Why is there a concentration of droppings towards the front of the hive and nothing on the other half of the board.
Would be grateful for your knowledge.
That creature looks like an earwig to me, nice and dead 
The other debris consists of wax bits, bee bits, and some chunks of pollen. Without my good glasses I can’t see if some of the dark golden/mahogany colored stuff that mostly looks like brood comb bits to me actually contains varroa mites…but it might 
The concentration of debris in one area is often seen, has to do with brood areas where the bees have been working hard to prepare cells for the queen to lay in and where new bees are emerging. Nothing to worry about 
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The insect in the red circle is not SHB, it is an insect that is not normally in a hive but as there is only there is nothing yo worry about. SHB is very round in shape and black. the other debris is normally seen in a hive that is going well, the bees are house proud and constantly cleaning up as in the yellow circle. Bees will clean up brood frames prior the the queen laying eggs in them. So the debris on the board will move about. So as there is no Varroa in Australia don’t even consider that as a possible, I’m sure @Eva missed where you live. You will often find the ‘sunny side’ of the hive is used more than the ‘shady side’.
Cheers
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Thanks Eva and Peter. At least now I know not to worry!
The sand like stuff I spread on the board is garden lime which idea I got from @gaz sometime ago. Thanks Gary.
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