Beekeeping, candle making, bee products ? (2 Viewers)

suavecarve

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Anybody else play about with bees ?
I have 6 hives on my flat roof and we bbq within 2 metres of 2 of them.
In the summer we have about 300,000 bees up there and i m sort of allergic to them but not quite epipen life endangering allergic. The grandchildren eat there as well.
Both daughters have beehives in their gardens as well.
I started candlemaking to use up some of the wax then got into making lip balms, petroleum jelly and things like that with the wax, then i started with the propolis and make tinctures of propolis with 80 per cent alcohol on a 20 per cent solution. Then i made some stretch mark cream (which worked both times for number 1 daughter) Propolis is amazing stuff that GMC agree cures some types of cancer)
Because i love my bees that much i bought 3 manuka plants to go in the front garden.
Because i ve got bees and they all die i bought a bat box so they could eat all the dead bees, just waiting to get some good bad shit to throw onto the allotment in the back garden.
Now i have an owl box (empty at the moment)

I think i get too much time off !
 
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suavecarve

suavecarve

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My uncle John used to keep bees and the fresh honey on toast for breakfast was amazing. Never kept any myself though.
Really brilliant hobby, you can self teach quite easily, I did, £250 gets you a hive and the basic tools, and unbelievably rewarding.
I never sugar feed my bees so the honey is absolutely outstanding. I have the locals queueing up for it when i sell it. I import pollen infused icing sugar from germany to feed them if i have to.
There is also nothing quite like naming them all on a lovely sunday morning

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EX51SSS

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Really brilliant hobby, you can self teach quite easily, I did, £250 gets you a hive and the basic tools, and unbelievably rewarding.
I never sugar feed my bees so the honey is absolutely outstanding. I have the locals queueing up for it when i sell it. I import pollen infused icing sugar from germany to feed them if i have to.
There is also nothing quite like naming them all on a lovely sunday morning
Not a problem naming them but trying to remember their names must be a nightmare especially 300,000
 
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suavecarve

suavecarve

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Not a problem naming them but trying to remember their names must be a nightmare especially 300,000
I made the mistake once of calling out "Dave" and caused a swarm

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EX51SSS

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I made the mistake once of calling out "Dave" and caused a swarm
Did you really mean Rodney?
YouTube · BBC Comedy Greats

PREVIEW
2:51
My Name is Rodney! - Only Fools and Horses - BBC
29 Oct 2009
Doesn't work. Drat!!!!!
 

EX51SSS

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3uatvo.jpg

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DBK

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Don't let the hobby take over. :) I ended up running a company selling beekeeping equipment and secretary of the Devon Beekeepers' Association.
I live quietly in retirement now. :)
Not sure about the bats and the dead bees link. Bats aren't carrion feeders and most fly at night when bees don't fly.
But life is full of mysteries. :)
 
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suavecarve

suavecarve

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Don't let the hobby take over. :) I ended up running a company selling beekeeping equipment and secretary of the Devon Beekeepers' Association.
I live quietly in retirement now. :)
Not sure about the bats and the dead bees link. Bats aren't carrion feeders and most fly at night when bees don't fly.
But life is full of mysteries. :)
They eat the dead ones in the cemetary which is normally on the pitch of the roof and sometimes the BBQ area. Havent confirmed it but was reliably informed they do and my bat box is about 20 yards away from the hives so if they do then no reason they wont. And something takes them away overnight
Certainly doenst take over. 6 hives is only an hour a fortnight. Swarm catching is too much like fun. All the stuff i make takes no time at all. (Lip balms I still have over 500 left as i make about 1,000 at time)
 
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suavecarve

suavecarve

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I make mine with beeswax, seychelles coconut oil, vitamin e, a small amount of honey and flavouring. I have a few Nepalese working with me who swear by mine as it treats their cold sores (they say they suffer more from them) and i dont bother with Zovirax anymore, first tingle and the lip balm goes on and no nasty unsightly visible cold sore or pain. Still takes a week for it to go though but definitely works.
They are also absolutely brilliant for putting a shine on your boots just before the big boss comes in (Ghurkas refuse to do this and the ex Major just looks daggers at me when i do it)
 

scotjimland

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My grandfather was a beekeeper, fond memories of tending his hives and moving them in summer in the back of his Commer Cob van up to the moors above our village so they could feed on the heather .. . Was only stung ones, right on top of the head.. ouch

He had a large comb press in the kitchen at home.. loved when he was doing that..

Kilbarchan Bee keepers club, still going today.. I contacted them but they didn't recognise anyone in the picture.. he is on the right, wearing glasses and leaning on the hive.. not sure of the date..

IMG_20180310_0001.jpg
 
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suavecarve

suavecarve

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do you market your products ?

if so, would be interested in purchasing
Honey sells out and i charge a wopping 8 pound a pound, however that is worth every penny. It is pure honey with the tiniest tiny amount of manuka, because of where the bees are it is a blossom honey and no rape from early harvest. I have the possibility of finding out how much manuka as where i work has very clever stuff and a Professor of insects who looks after the bees at work who can test it, but it will be tiny tiny tiny. I do not sell it as Manuka honey. i think grade 25 goes for up to 50 quid a pound and mine would be grade 0.002 !

However, I tend to more or less give away my lip balm. I have a bog standard charge of a quid (I know its far too cheap) whereas bertsbees charge 3 quid. They are tremendous stocking fillers and I have also supplied for wedding favours (I didnt know what this was but you put stuff on the wedding table for your guests like chocolates in pretty little napkin present Hence i make 1,000 at a time)

If you were interested i d do 10 for a tenner including postage and packing. Does that sound reasonable ? From memory i have peppermint, orange, lime, lemon, coconut and almond (almond is rubbish, no flavour at all)

The propolis tinctures i give away. Propolis in raw form is about a grand a kilo. Before i let my tinctures go, you have to do your research, you have to discuss with your Doc for the side effects, (low blood pressure) and i have generally made it for arthritis sufferers. I dont sell it. I give it away if it will help with your suffering. 1 or 2 drops a day applied externally and rubbed in to affected areas. I only have about 5 10 ml bottles left and my dad needs another 6 month supply and has just been diagnosed with prostrate cancer so he is discussing with his oncologist the potential benefits on top of more normal treatments at the moment and may have to come off the propolis for his knees dependant upon what she says.

I presume youre not interested in the stretch mark cream ? ( I only make that to order 4-5 months after the daughter has had a drink)
 
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suavecarve

suavecarve

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Beeswax polish as well. I ll throw in one of those as well. I have a few left over. These are all easy to make at home in a morning.
Beeswax polish is beeswax and virgin olive oil. The better the oil the better the wax.
 

scotjimland

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If you were interested i d do 10 for a tenner including postage and packing. Does that sound reasonable ? From memory i have peppermint, orange, lime, lemon, coconut and almond (almond is rubbish, no flavour at all)
yes, that sounds very reasonable.. will PM you

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suavecarve

suavecarve

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Found a few photos.
My honey and beeswax products sales locally in the village hall. I sold out.

15193604_10209700451400813_8723687851646488206_n.jpg

Fruit shoot candles
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I tried making these pepsi cadles so it looked like they were frothing
12728969_10207399858607431_391323394718587922_n.jpg

Daughter number 1 with grumpson number 1
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This is a swarm of bees that i caught and then transferring them into their hive. They were caught in the polystyrene thing on the left
11139372_10205557314064969_5431986664830906974_n.jpg

One bee sting to the eye
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My favourite candle which is in a few households of friends who have neighbours they dont like
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This is one bee sting to the lip, Doc says it is a mild reaction. For those of you who want to know I did not get the part in the Simpsons
10550984_10205752952915818_6800789579934746591_n.jpg
 

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