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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

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Subject:
From:
David Taylor RMIT Bundoora <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Discussion of Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Thu, 24 Feb 1994 11:03:08 -0500
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Hello Folks,
 
I've been following this list for some time but till recently did not
have bees of my own.
 
Strangely, the bees found me, not vise-versa.
 
I live in a rural area 70km North East of Melbourne. A friend recently
bought a house in the district and found 5 eight-frame hives that the
previous owner had neglected and allowed to die out. He offered me the
hives, which I took home, knocked the loose dirt and dead bees out and
stacked under a verandah until I had more time. The frames were in poor
condition, some having been attacked by wax moth etc.
 
After a few days I noticed bees were exploring the hives - I thought
just to dig out wax or remaining honey. But they kept this up for
12 days or so. Then, late one afternoon I saw a black cloud 20 metres
across near the verandah. I got closer as the cloud condensed into a stream
of vibrating black molasses which flowed up hill into one of the hives. I
was absolutely amazed!
 
Not having any protective clothing, I contacted a nearby beekeeper who
came up the next weekend to see what had happened. It seems the bees had
chosen the dirtiest hive with the roughest frames and had started to build
combs between two frames which had no foundation. We transferred the colony
into a clean hive with the best frames from the other boxes. Three weeks
later he came back to check that the queen was laying - we found brood in
neat patterns on two of the combs.
 
I've been moving the hive .5 - 1 metre a day to get it away from the house
and can vouch that the weight is increasing as stores are brought in.
 
It looks like the bees are working clover and other ground flowers. Our
district has cleared grazing land with large areas of tall eucalypt
forrests which haven't bloomed so far.
 
Next weekend we're attending a beekeeper's field day, where I hope to
obtain some of the necessary equipment, as well as information and advice.
 
Regards... David
 
[log in to unmask]
Kinglake, near Melbourne, Australia

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