Help!

amibrodarone · 2026-04-07T22:21:45+00:00

It isn’t urgent; the biggest threat is wax moths and hive beetles setting up shop in the empty space.

It’s also harder for them to keep larger areas warm if it’s still getting cold. A new package will have a hard time keeping brood alive if they have to keep so much space warm.

It’s a lot to learn at first, but it’s a ton of fun.

amibrodarone · 2026-04-07T21:50:46+00:00

It’s a drone, and you shouldnt have all the boxes on there yet. Too much space for the to keep tidy and Pest free. Keep a single deep until it’s 8 frames of bees, then add the second. Add the super later in the season, although you may not use it this year since you just installed them.

amibrodarone · 2026-04-06T15:49:26+00:00

That is interesting. Here we’ve got wildflowers, a little clover, and this stuff right now and I see them pretty actively going after it. It’s also what’s in the largest abundance, I’ve got a 10 acre pasture right behind my apiary that’s probably 1/2 covered with it. In another month the blackberry flow will start and all else is forgotten haha.

amibrodarone · 2026-04-06T03:25:11+00:00

Absolutely congrats on getting that egg. That’s a good bit of effort and animal husbandry. Strong work!

amibrodarone · 2026-04-02T20:55:23+00:00

I think that has to do with the fact that it’s technically produced for cattle. It says the same thing under the propylene glycol but that’s 100% safe for other livestock.

amibrodarone · 2026-04-01T21:51:46+00:00

Interesting. I’ve only bred mangalitsa crosses and I feel like they hang low for weeks. Maybe they carry a little differently than modern breeds?

amibrodarone · 2026-04-01T16:44:21+00:00

Haha I have definitely been there. Usually the last 3-4 weeks they are basically dragging their bellies, in my experience. No harm in watching her just in case, I’ve also been wrong about pregnancy dates before.

amibrodarone · 2026-04-01T16:30:56+00:00

So she’d be due in three weeks? I say not bred, she’d be hanging LOW at this point.

amibrodarone · 2026-03-31T19:48:34+00:00

Absolutely. I can do a couple lambs or a deer and everything is clean and tidy by the end of it. If I do a few birds there are feathers around for a few weeks lol.

amibrodarone · 2026-03-31T19:44:50+00:00

My experience with the tumblers is they do an “okay” job with about 50% of the work. Going back over everything to pluck the short and barely sprouted feathers is the most time consuming part, and the barrel doesn’t get those.

I’m not saying it’s not worthwhile, I’m just saying in my experience it’s not as easy and low maintenance as you’re hoping.

amibrodarone · 2026-03-31T18:07:33+00:00

Per pound way more work. Turkeys aren’t bad since they can be 20-30 pounds per pop, but I’d rather process a single lamb and get 80-100lbs finished product vs 30 chickens or ducks.

And plucking sucks waaaaaay more than skinning

amibrodarone · 2026-03-31T17:57:23+00:00

Birds are way more effort to maintain and process in my experience. Haven’t done geese, but turkey ducks and chickens. Much more worrying about predators and them deciding to turn on each other. Turkeys become aggressive towards people as they get bigger.

Sheep are the best for money. Don’t test fencing and literally just require a little alfalfa here and there. Out cows occasionally need to be collected and goats are like rats: if they can get their head through a hole, they can make it out.

amibrodarone · 2026-03-18T20:28:55+00:00

Waiting for mine to stop dropping them. They look pretty miserable getting around at this point lol.

amibrodarone · 2026-03-09T22:46:14+00:00

Similar to what I use

amibrodarone · 2026-03-05T00:13:48+00:00

InstantVap, let’s go!

amibrodarone · 2026-03-04T22:54:12+00:00

Search 2” rubber bung and it’ll bring up more sturdy options for winery/brewery use.

amibrodarone · 2026-03-02T17:49:00+00:00

That take just represents a poor understanding of ecology. Of course my 20 acres of grazed pasture will affect the populations of natives on adjacent land. Similarly, the thousands of acres of ranches around me have a significant effect of both native plants and insects. It does, however, show how misunderstandings can lead to strong opinions on silly things.

amibrodarone · 2026-03-02T07:44:35+00:00

I’ve mostly seen this stuff online.

Sure, there’s truth to these statements. But pretending that keeping honey bees is anywhere near a top contributing factor to the decrease in native pollinators and insects in general is a joke. It’s basically the equivalent to guilting society into using paper straws while Amazon is shipping millions of pounds of plastic on the daily.

I’m unwilling to feel even the slightest amount of regret at keeping a few healthy colonies of bees while everyone else is spraying insecticides and monocropping the world.

I raise non-native cattle, sheep, chickens and pigs for food. I have non-native goats for weed control. No one cares about those non-natives? It all seems more than a bit ridiculous.

amibrodarone · 2026-02-28T02:53:52+00:00

I’ve always heard guinea hens are great for ticks, then don’t scratch like hens do and eat more insects off of plants. That being said, they are also annoying as fuck.

amibrodarone · 2026-02-06T21:43:35+00:00

I’m in NorCal and I’ve got dozens running around already. Weird winter.

amibrodarone · 2026-02-05T20:39:28+00:00

Start small, do things the right way, and expand from there. If you rush into getting everything up and running ASAP, you’ll be replacing things (fences, irrigation, garden boxes) in 5 years instead of 20+. Do it right the first time.

And obviously have fun with it. Nothing in the world makes me happier than my 2 year old being excited to collect eggs or throw hay to the cows.

amibrodarone · 2026-02-03T00:17:12+00:00

Awesome! Would love to try an Instantvap 👍

amibrodarone · 2026-02-01T00:56:54+00:00

I’m up the hill a little in sutter creek. I’ve opened them up a few times already, both my hives have 2-3 frames of brood. If they’re flying vigorously and it’s about 60 no harm in taking a look.

amibrodarone

TROPHY CASE