Homeschooling, farm life and our love of earth

"Everything that happens to you is your teacher. The secret is to learn to sit at the feet of your own life and be taught by it." ~Polly Berrien Berends

Saturday, 03 May 2008

Kalla teaches Frugal Beekeeping

Here is a great visual guide of beekeeping with a Top bar hive. A top bar hive is a central African technique of keeping bees. Beekeeping is a great hobby and this is a easy way to do it! It is cost effective and very gentle on the bees. [non-invasive]


Greg and Rose [the eager students] change into the beekeeping veils, gloves and tuck their pants into their socks. Karl starts his smoker with some dead grass, and then feeds it with eucalyptus leaves. [I guess the bees wont have any sinus problems tonight ~ lol]
Karl carefully smokes the bees and then allows them time to fill their bellies with honey. The more honey they eat, the more difficult it becomes for them to bend their abdomen and sting you! So give them a good few minutes before you open up the hive.
Karl gently nudges the top bar loose and then adds a little more smoke, again to subdue them. And then gently starts to work from the outermost frame that the bees have worked.

He removes the last frame and shows his very eager students the difference between capped and uncapped honey.


Aah the reason we keep bees! YUM YUM. Kalla looks so well rested and happy! He loves his bees.



Karl shows them an older frame and again Greg is the ever eager student, Waving a salute!


Greg gets up close and personal with the beehive while Karl teaches him the fundamentals


AAAAHHH! Greg has his honey all tucked away from the bees!



More sharing of beekeeping ideas and bee biology. Rose is totally fascinated and loves look at the bees and the hive activity.

Can you see the uncapped shining honey inside the comb? On the far left, you can see some capped honey.


Oh my! What has Karl found, he gently removes the bees with his bare hands to expose....

A brood frame with a queens cell at the bottom! Look at all the bees in his hand, he is so kind and gentle with them that he does not get stung.

Our basic equipment, excluding the hive tool.

The low tech hive gets sealed up with a piece of corrugated iron and a nut and bolt on either side.
Thank you bees for the lovely honey!






1 comment:

Linda said...

Hi Carle

This is such a lovely visual of your bees, I have just shown it to Erin and she thinks that it's lovely!! We want bees too!! The photo of the queen bee's cell is really impressive!

Blessings

Linda


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