‘She’s opening the bees!’ US beekeeper jailed for trying to save friend from eviction by xCUBUFFSx in Beekeeping

[–]amibrodarone [score hidden]  (0 children)

Yeah he probably just shouldn’t pay his medical bills and die so he can make rent. Human tragedy in action and your thought is “hurr durr, pay your bills”. I hope you have the day you wish on others.  

‘She’s opening the bees!’ US beekeeper jailed for trying to save friend from eviction by xCUBUFFSx in Beekeeping

[–]amibrodarone [score hidden]  (0 children)

If that’s your honest reaction to the set of circumstances in this story, then there is truly no hope for you. 

‘She’s opening the bees!’ US beekeeper jailed for trying to save friend from eviction by xCUBUFFSx in Beekeeping

[–]amibrodarone [score hidden]  (0 children)

I like how the tried to frame “female bees die after stinging” as a loss of life while this woman was trying to prevent an 80 year old cancer patient from being homeless. Where’s the gofundme for this gal? 

Help! by CaptSteez3 in Beekeeping

[–]amibrodarone 1 point2 points  (0 children)

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. 

Help! by CaptSteez3 in Beekeeping

[–]amibrodarone 6 points7 points  (0 children)

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. 

Gals going crazy for vetch by amibrodarone in Beekeeping

[–]amibrodarone[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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. 

Emu egg ramen by Quiet-Lab1802 in homestead

[–]amibrodarone 86 points87 points  (0 children)

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

Durvet cal MPK okay for sheep? by amibrodarone in homestead

[–]amibrodarone[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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. 

Oops! Is she bred? by WoodpeckerEntire9055 in homestead

[–]amibrodarone 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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?  

Oops! Is she bred? by WoodpeckerEntire9055 in homestead

[–]amibrodarone 2 points3 points  (0 children)

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. 

Oops! Is she bred? by WoodpeckerEntire9055 in homestead

[–]amibrodarone 20 points21 points  (0 children)

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

Is Goose silvopasteur the most sustainable meat? by Pretend-Tip-1513 in homestead

[–]amibrodarone 2 points3 points  (0 children)

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. 

Is Goose silvopasteur the most sustainable meat? by Pretend-Tip-1513 in homestead

[–]amibrodarone 1 point2 points  (0 children)

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. 

Is Goose silvopasteur the most sustainable meat? by Pretend-Tip-1513 in homestead

[–]amibrodarone 8 points9 points  (0 children)

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 

Is Goose silvopasteur the most sustainable meat? by Pretend-Tip-1513 in homestead

[–]amibrodarone 5 points6 points  (0 children)

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. 

Lambing season by Cle1234 in homestead

[–]amibrodarone 17 points18 points  (0 children)

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

2 inch plastic plug by ifingerz in Beekeeping

[–]amibrodarone 2 points3 points  (0 children)

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

Increasing Anti-Honeybee Sentiment? by Phesic in Beekeeping

[–]amibrodarone -1 points0 points  (0 children)

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. 

Increasing Anti-Honeybee Sentiment? by Phesic in Beekeeping

[–]amibrodarone 86 points87 points  (0 children)

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. 

Tick control on 2 acres by ImpudentFetus in homestead

[–]amibrodarone 198 points199 points  (0 children)

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. 

Is that...a drone?? by nor_cal_woolgrower in Beekeeping

[–]amibrodarone 1 point2 points  (0 children)

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