Thank you very much, the grapevine is actually quite a bit bigger than it appears. There’s a lot of growth on the other side. It still recovering from me moving it around. Certainly can’t wait to get more plantings in the area. Likely going to get a bench to put back there as well instead of me sitting in a lawn chair.
The trellis/archway works well with the design of the house, this is the 3rd one I’ve built like this. The other 2 frame each side of the pool one going to the pool equipment and the other going to the grill.
The 1st trellis which was about half the size of this one took me all day, this one took about 3 hours. Practice may not make perfect but practice does increase speed
We made a heavy-duty fencing for hopeful bear-proof. Approaching Fall … We’ll see. Had a mamma with 3 cubs on our front porch a month ago. They’ve gone after my bird feeders - mainly the suet, so took that down now for awhile. They’ve not bothered our chickens in several years and not gotten into my compost yet.
Here is an update of my setup. Only one active hive at the moment, but swarm season is approaching, so hopefully will have girls in the smaller hive soon!
I’ve been experimenting with different timbers to go with the Flow western red cedar and loving the results.
Hey Dawn, the white and red box is Japanese maple, the one below that is Redwood, the dark red/brown one is kwila hard wood (left over flooring from the verandah- you can see the join), the feeder is pine and the roofs are a combo of most of that plus a beautiful nz native called Rimu, which is not usually used outside but I love it and have protected it well (that’s the front panel with the fish carved into it). Paul
Ok, I’m now interested in this setup. Too many ants in my area.
Who did you purchase this from or is your fabricator?
How are the upper part of the tubes connected to lower frame box? (We have earthquakes)
Are the inner disks welded to the inside of the upper pipe?
I’m sure I have other questions…but great full for any reply. Thank you!
You can make a simple ant moat too. I will post complete instructions on another thread, but here are the materials and the end result:
We have nasty ants and earthquakes in California too, and these moats are very sturdy. Fill the moat up to the edge of the jar lid with mineral oil. To clean it out, use a pipette or turkey baster to suck out the old oil through the hole. If it is really dirty, take it out and unscrew the CD and jar from the lid and base, then you can easily wipe it clean and refill.
Hello from sunny Qld - so I officially became a beek today. Just finished installing my very first nucleus hive into the brood box. Can hardly believe it after all the time spent reading and dreaming and prepping. Amazing…
Just thought I’d share a pic of my set up. Worried ants will be a problem. Will be watching closely. Have set stands at 50cm because of cane toads…
For ant control I have a small jar with a crumpled bit of paper towel (cotton balls work too) and borax-laced sugar water, topped with foil with some tiny holes so ants get in but not bees (used a fork). The towel makes a place for more ants to congregate and then die on. Those who make it out supposedly bring the poisoned syrup back to their nest Simple & effective
Thanks Eva I was thinking something like that would be the way to go too. Saw a post from Michael Bush who uses jelly/borax/water (american jelly that is - jam without fruit) in a jar - like the addition of cotton balls though great and use of foil until I can find some good sized mesh. Rae
Very simple to make - takes about 15 minutes, and they are very sturdy. I will try to get a picture of them under the hive too. You have also reminded me that I need to post the instructions on how to put them together. I will try to do that this weekend.
@Dawn_SD Your ant moats are a fancy version of what I’ve done under one of my top bar hives. I used tuna tins, olive oil and a bits of poly pipe slightly taller than the tin. Sturdy - tick. Cleaning and refilling - hmm, not sure…
@Sting I’m liking the fish thingos on your roof! Very nice.
Jaydub, interested to know what plans you’re using for your top bar hives in the background? The side angles look very vertical, do you have issues with bees building comb against the side in these hives?
Thanks RBK. Sorry, I’m not sure where the plans came from exactly, I found them online, as you do They’re standard TBH plans, the sides are slanted as per normal, but we’ve modified with vertical attachments in an attempt to protect them from the heat of our long hot summer (typical temps around 35 C and regularly in low to mid 40s).
The vertical wall is lined with insulating al-foil which creates an air space between it and the slanted hive wall that should be cooler than the hot outside air. It’s not a sealed cavity, time will tell how it performs, but even just keeping the direct sun off the hive walls should be beneficial. The roof is also lined with foil and vented at either end.
As for the bees attaching comb to the sides, mostly they do. I just slide my trusty tomato knife along the edges before lifting the bars.
Love your set up, space has a really nice feel & great planting. Also bit jealous of your nice flat ground, it’s only since setting up hives have felt need for just a few metres of truly level ground. What is the tree on far right of photo, bit hard to see leaf form, Banksia?
Thanks Kirsten, we’ve added bench seat for us and a bath filled with rocks for the bees now too.
It would be tricky on anything but flat ground, wouldn’t it? What are your conditions? I was accused of “turning the place into a desert” to get that clear ground. I didn’t think it was safe to have to run the gauntlet through all those native grasses in an panic (if ever I need to panic…) and they are great snake hidey holes. He’s lucky there’s still any left. The old rug makes it even clearer.
And yes, that’s a banksia, the rest are coastal moorts and a young weeping peppermint. The banksias are now flowering and the moorts are covered in buds
The plan was to have only two hives and learn slowly…So much for that plan, there are another two you can’t see! All are filled with captured swarms. The oldest hive is now 88 days old. It’s been a steep learning curve, lol.
Well your ‘desert’ looks fantastic, the best being it doesn’t look like it’s been cleared. I had an experience today with my bees where I also decided that I need a ‘clear run’ one caught in my hair & couldn’t get her out, sting just behind & above ear.
I’m in the Dandenongs & our block is sloping & 85% steep gradients. The areas which are flatter are dense bush & very difficult to access, would mean significant clearing. I also intended to begin one hive, but in space of a week now have 3, 2 from swarms. I also still have swarm traps in place, just in case anything happens by.
We’ve had major works on 3 of our boundaries for past month by council which invaded my intended permanent home for the hives, they have had to stop work for last week due to appalling weather. Once they are finished I’ll have 10m sq. to turn into my ‘apiary’. Have asked them to level as best as can (will get my own contractors in to finish off) & have been sourcing plants & propagating. It’s going to be great to be able to get stuck in. Haven’t seen snakes here for a few years, but I can imagine them in your place, it does look ideal. We did have an echidna train through here last week.
Would love to see some photos inside your hive , next time you do inspection & if feel like taking some?
Wow, that’s a steep gradient alright, challenging to walk on empty-handed let alone with boxes full of bees! Not seeing snakes for a few years is something I can only dream about…
I don’t have any pics from having the Flow hive open yet, and only phone pics of the inside the top bar hives. This is inside the first one we built, without roof insulation.
Simple & effective
