What have you done today bee-related?

[JoJo36]

Sounds like a great price!
I hope you have the white coat ready to use the refractometer and your new electric extractor??!!
You're certainly turning pro now

[AdamD]

Interesting Adam, you have a booker card? Does this mean you are registered with them as a business?
I'm in the process of registering so don't have to worry about BBKA bit.

Yep, I obtained a Booker card a few years ago shortly after the BBKA announced that Booker were allowing beekeepers to register with them - that was a while ago. In the Trading Name space on the card it says "Beekeeper". I can just beep and enter.
Just stolen some of the sugar for making a few gallons of blackberry wine. I hope the bees don't mind!

[AdamD]

Endured the wretched inconvenience of working for ungrates all day then returned to my newest toy waiting on the doorstep

Wasnt expecting anything useful for less than a tenner delivered ,but it calibrated with EVOO giving 26.75% out of the box.
Im assessing the damage on the honey tomorrow.

You are right to check the refractometer calibration with olive oil; I bought a spare one this year (the plastic flap is broken on my old one and is liable to get lost) and the reading was 16% for honey that I beleived to be 20% with my old refractometer. Using oilive oil, I found that my old one was fine, the new one was way out.

[NigelP]

Yep, I obtained a Booker card a few years ago shortly after the BBKA announced that Booker were allowing beekeepers to register with them - that was a while ago. In the Trading Name space on the card it says "Beekeeper". I can just beep and enter.
Just stolen some of the sugar for making a few gallons of blackberry wine. I hope the bees don't mind!

Therein lies the difference, I always got a temporary usage number for the day I went there and they have now stopped issuing them to BBKA members. But hopefully will have a card next week when I pop back there as I've registered as a business user.
Too be honest they are not much cheaper than the cut-price supermarkets...but fed up of getting 200 x 1kg bags

[Alfred]

With the OH on the payroll and 15 degrees at sunrise we went up to visit the bees and gave them an early morning surprise vaping.
I tested some of the harvest with the new light sabre.
The main batch just shy of 17 litres ( Im quite proud of that considering my scepticism) is in the freezer still,but I did spin out just over 3 litres before uncapping.
This is currently at 19.5.
I suppose I could have left it in with the capped reserve but didnt have the gadget arrive in time to check it.
For experimentation purposes I am thinking of getting a small dehumidifier and making a cabinet from a decommissioned chest freezer to see if I can get this down to a more stable level

[NigelP]

Make life simpler Alfred, extract the uncapped and capped at the same time. Saves time and usually comers out around 17% (with exceptions).

Just brought 8 supers back from the heather (many more to follow). Uncapped is reading 18% which is excellent....heather honey can be 23% water.

[JoJo36]

That's a very good result Alfred and just confirms that the new extractor was/is a necessity not 'just a toy for Christmas'!! Looks like you really are in business!!

[JoJo36]

Nigel
That really was a worthwhile trip up to the heather with more to come??!!
Sounds like a bumper harvest for you!!

[Steve 1972]

Its that time of the year again where wasps are a pain in the arse..i had a colony on a worthless dartington underfloor entrance (my last piece of rubbish) that i made and the hive was getting hammered with dead wasps all over the floor..
The dead wasps on the ground means they are getting into the colony through the sides of the entrance.

NOT anymore..i changed the floor to a standard floor with my weapon in place..my weapon of choice is my tunnel entrances shimmed down to a 10mm x 9mm entrance and 100m long..i was sat giggling viewing the entrance today as the wasps had no chance of getting in and strangely enough the bees had calmed down a LOT..

[JoJo36]

The mad professor!!

You'll have to get a patent for it??!!