No queens available in West Australia!?

Hiya Dee thanks for sharing. Any chance I could get a copy of that publication too?

Is it from the WBKA? Like one of these two? :blush:
http://www.wbka.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Swarm-Control-Wally-Shaw.pdf
http://www.wbka.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Simple-methods-of-making-Increase-Final-reduced1.pdf

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YES
First one …

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Wow, these are great!

Thanks @Dee and @Dawn_SD

Cheers, Paul (so looking forward to spring)

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Hi, I am not sure as I am based in Sydney. However they have an active Apiarist association who should be able to advise on clubs in or near Albany.

http://waas.org.au/

Also, there are a number of WA beekeepers who subscribe to the following facebook groups who could offer some advice.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1381989935450304/

Not sure if you are suggesting posting from Queensland or Perth? WA doesn’t allow bees to be brought into the state as we are free of a number of diseases and pests that are present in Queensland.

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You are right Dunc, cannot import bees into W.A.

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How are your spring bees?
:smile:
I wrote that then realised what’s going on your side of the planet and where you are.
I hope you’re OK…

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Yeah, the EQ’s are causing a fair bit of chaos but didn’t lose my house this time round. I got up in the middle of the night to check the hives hadn’t fallen over.

Spring is working out well thanks @Dee. Split my only colony back at the beg of October and the new one is going super well. Just put the flow supers on both #1 and 2 and both are getting waxed/propolised, so hopes high for my first go at flow extraction one of these days.

Made a tiny split about a month ago with a swarm cell a neighbour gave me and that hive is humming along beautifully. I’ve now caught four swarms, both in my bait hives and two caught while standing on the roofrack of my truck. Three of them have been from my school (I’m a teacher) - yes, I have a bait box in a tree outside my classroom. So, have gone from one hive to seven in fairly short order and run out of gear. Great fun.

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Glad to hear that you are OK, @Sting. As a Californian, I am well aware of the fear of earthquakes, and I admire the way you have dealt with it in a logical and sensible manner. :heart_eyes:

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Just caught another swarm at school. That’s two days in a row and four in less than two weeks… crazy! But fun.

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Great fun with the swarms.
I’m sitting here planning workshop stuff.
It’s 12˚C and raining The bees are looking out but going nowhere as all forage has gone. All they are doing is continuing to brood and eating stores Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

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Got 40kg off that first big swarm so far and it’s not even a good season here according to the experts! Lovin’ it

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Wow, you got 40kg of honey from your Flow Frames? That’s great news :slight_smile: Would love to some photos or videos so that I can share it with the Flow team :grinning:

Would love to say yes… but it’s a regular langstroth not flow. My flow hives are much slower ( :sob:

Ahh well. I guess you did all the things to encourage bees onto your Flow Frames?
http://forum.honeyflow.com/t/how-to-encourage-bees-to-fill-the-flow-frames/6535

Sure did. Just a bit slow…

Hive two is mostly full now. Hive one a fair bit slower. The 35kg box is in a different area with possibly a better flow.

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Ah okay. You never know I guess.

@Faroe I’ve got 9 flow frames and managed to collect about 25-27kg so far this summer (first season and by all accounts less than average for nectar flow given how messed up the weather has been). I’ve got another 10kg I’m expecting to rob within the month.

I find my hybrid super performs significantly better than the full flow super. I’ve been toying with the idea of going to 3 hybrids next year instead of 1 hybrid and 1 full flow…

I’ve also for a half deep I’m using for honeycomb.

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That’s interesting feedback.
I guess you could split your current full Flow Supers and make them all into hybrids and have honeycomb and straight Flow honey :slight_smile:

I have heard (somewhere on this forum) that beehives, even standard hives can differ quite a lot even if they are just a few metres apart. So, I wonder if it is because it’s a hybrid or because it’s just nature… :bee: :beetle:

27kg of honey sounds like enough honey to keep you going a while :wink: