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[Michael Palmer]

Besides I am pretty sure Mr. Palmer dosent want me glued to his butt

Really! Too much dead weight here already. :-)

Wouldn't mind some company though Jim.

[sqkcrk]

It's full of great people but you do not need to remind them that you are not from there. I would gather from your post your not " faithfull follower of Brother John Burch
and Don't belong to the Antioch Baptist Church!!!

No offense taken, just wasn't sure what you meant. For the most part I've been well accepted by the locals, especially my Landowners. Just like anywhere, treat people and theie property w/ respect and you'll get along. I give folks down south a little more personal attention. I'll be calling them this week just to make sure I'm not interrupting any hunting.

No, not an Antioch Baptist Church member. I have found a UU Church to attend, which I enjoy. A good mix of Locals and Snowbirds.

I don't network well, but I do alright. And there are a number of fellow NY Beekeepers I can call on in aa pinch or just to dine w/ and compare notes w/. Then there is Herb and his son Matt, from NC, who along w/ Herb's wife, I have come to know and will be visiting on the way north. So, things are good.

I don't mind sticking out. It isn't as bad now as it once was. 'nuther story.

[Acebird]

a healthy, well mated queen will last 3-5 years regardless of how many eggs she lays each season...

Not for nothing, that is not pinning the life span down much. That is a 40% spread. You wouldn't say the lifespan of a human is 60 to 100 years whether they smoke or not would you? It might be that queens that produce fewer eggs in a shorter season live 5 years and queens that produce more eggs in a long season live 3 years. Your statement still agrees with this scenario.

[Acebird]

It is the queen that carries the burden of timing her laying in order to survive harsh winters, thus taking a queen from the north and placing her in the south usually means replacement within the first full year, but then that new queen will have to be replaced once again within the next full year in order to express the traits picked up by mating with the southern drones... she still may not have the timing down perfectly though, this could still take many generations of being in that climate before the timing is perfected...

So while the bees are communicating the stresses, the only real stress that Marks bees would be communicating is that the season is long and thus demands more brood production earlier, throughout, and later in the season...

I don't get it. These two paragraphs appear to me to be contradicting. You said in your last post the queen lives 3-5 years and then is this post the queens needs replacing in the first year.

[Acebird]

I don't mind sticking out. It isn't as bad now as it once was. 'nuther story.

When I was a young wipper snapper I worked in the textiles and those plants are in NC, SC, GA, VA, TX, and even OH. I found the people to be very hospitable and friendly. They welcomed me into their homes and fed me real catfish, fried ocra, and pan fried chicken. It was a wonderful experience but I just couldn't get use to the gits. There is a common saying in the south for yankees "The difference between a yankee and a **** yankee is a **** yankee doesn't know enough to go home." I alway went home and was always invited to come back and visit.

[hpm08161947]

There is a common saying in the south for yankees "The difference between a yankee and a **** yankee is a **** yankee doesn't know enough to go home." I alway went home and was always invited to come back and visit.

I can not tell much difference in an Upstate NY country boy and a down south country boy.... seems like the same kind of critter to me. Now.... NYC... that's a different species.

[Acebird]

I can not tell much difference in an Upstate NY country boy and a down south country boy.... seems like the same kind of critter to me. Now.... NYC... that's a different species.

Yeah, but if you say you are from New York the whole world assumes that is the big apple. I agree, a country boy is a country boy even if you are from a different country.

[sqkcrk]

A pretty full day today. Left at 7:30, picked up pallets of beehives from 7 yds, 54 pallets, three trips. Finished up at 5:30. Got the bees from the Cranberry Yd and got two 5 gallon buckets of cranberries. Got the bees from the Orchard yard and picked a half a grocery bag of apples. Skipped the Lunch Yd., my favorite.

Talked to Ken, my Trucker. I think we're loading and leaving about a week from tomorrow.

I still have 7 more yds to get hives from. Getting a new windshield tomorrow morning and then picking up more hives.

The weather has been just about ideal for picking up pallets of bees during daylight hours lately. Mid to low 40s and heavily overcast. No need for gloves, but a smoker still comes in handy.

Once I get them all here to the Home Yd I'll shift hive around so all the pallets destined for the truck are full and of even level and even number. I have some singles, a bunch of story and a halfs and a bunch of doubles. Should be an interesting load to build. High in the front and then nlower in the back or vice versa. I don't know that it really matters.

[hpm08161947]

I have some singles, a bunch of story and a halfs and a bunch of doubles. Should be an interesting load to build. High in the front and then nlower in the back or vice versa. I don't know that it really matters.

So these all go on the F450? We have that problem too... but then we aren't traveling very far. Can you boards when you have odd ones like that? Strapping would be the challenge... I guess.

[hpm08161947]

Yeah, but if you say you are from New York the whole world assumes that is the big apple.

I should never knock the Big Apple, my brother spent most of his life there... and I mean right smack in the middle of Manhatten. Me...whenever I visited... I felt so claustrophobic! I felt like all those tall buildings were going to fall on me. But I remember him saying that he could not understand why anyone would want to live anywhere else but NYC.... guess he did not need to see the sky.

[sqkcrk]

So these all go on the F450? We have that problem too... but then we aren't traveling very far. Can you boards when you have odd ones like that? Strapping would be the challenge... I guess.

I picked up one yd of story and a halfs, 8 pallets, which made two rows. One pallet did have a dbl on one corner, but that wasn't hard to deral w/. The next yard was all dbls. Then the third yd was soingles except one of the six pallets had two dbls on it. So I stacked the excluders and the unused covers and built up a stack on top of the last pallet of singles so the board could hold everything down on that row, which was on the head of the trailer.

I don't strap every row. Just the second, fourth and fifth rows. And whatever is on the ttrailer. It rides pretty rough back there.

[hpm08161947]

IC... buildem up with lids... gotta remember that trick. You have got those cranking straps too... the kind that bold to the bed of the truck I believe. We may need to have some of those installed on the bed of the GMC.

[sqkcrk]

No, just ratchet straps.

[Acebird]

But I remember him saying that he could not understand why anyone would want to live anywhere else but NYC....

It is an amazing psychology ... They have three locks on their front door because they don't trust what is on the other side. When they come up hear they can't stand the peace because there is nothing on the other side.

[hpm08161947]

It is an amazing psychology ... They have three locks on their front door because they don't trust what is on the other side.

Have you ever heard of the "Big Apple Circus"??

[sqkcrk]

Well, there a good productive days and then there are days like this one.

The day started off well, w/ the instalation of a new windshield. New windshield and new glasses gives one a nice view on life.

I had to unlad the Bonbcat from the trailer and put the truck in 4WD to get as close to the hives as I could and still had to drive aways w/ the Bobcat to get them. There were 6 pallets of story and a halfs so I thought I could make two trips. Seems I've heard it said before that haste makes waste. Or is that waist? I forget.

Anyway, started down the trail w/ 3 pallets of hives and trhen the top pallet started sliding back towards me. Before I could set the stack down and stick out my hand to keep the pallet from ending up in my lap, a deep had fallen off of one corner onto the ground. It was full of bees and honey. I muscled the pallet back up where it belonged, got down on the ground and set the deep where it came from and got the stack down to the truck. Got everything loaded and got out to the road.

Went to the next yard, which had 6 pallets too. But, they way the farm roads were torn up by the farmer's tractor no way could I drive the truck in near the hives. Though I tried to get closer only to tear out a tail light out of the trailer when it bottomed out on a good size rock. So I parked the truck up by the barn and drove the Bobcat close to a half a mile to where the hives sat.

Taking two pallets at a time I decided to take a path, going out, that the tractor had not. Big mistake. I got to a wet spot and before I knew what happened I was bogging down. Fortunately I got the Bobcat out from under the pallets of hives before I really got stuck. But, I was stuck. About as badly as one could.

I went to the truck and called the landowner and about 45 minutes later he showed up and we wrestled w/ the Bobcat, first getting his Kubota stuck and then getting the bigger tractor to pull the Kubota and then my Bobcat out of the mud.

Got the two pallets to the tyruck and went back for more. This time, staying on the road. Even though the road was a muddy mess, it had a bottom which wasn't too deep.

So, only two smallish yds brought in today. Honey deliveries tomorrow and back at hauling bees Saturday. At least it is cool enuf the bees don't fly much at all.

[Acebird]

Would a skid steer be better suited for what you are doing? It probably has disadvantages when you are on better ground or pavement. Maybe just drag them all out on a couple of 6x6's if the farmer will let you use his tractor.

[sqkcrk]

Bobcat is a skidsteer loader. Dragging would be disasterous.

[hpm08161947]

Anyway, started down the trail w/ 3 pallets of hives and trhen the top pallet started sliding back towards me. Before I could set the stack down and stick out my hand to keep the pallet from ending up in my lap, a deep had fallen off of one corner onto the ground. It was full of bees and honey. I muscled the pallet back up where it belonged, got down on the ground and set the deep where it came from and got the stack down to the truck. Got everything loaded and got out to the road.
.

Wow - three pallets at time... and over rough ground too. I've seen Matt do that... but me... I just ain't that good. Maybe in a parking lot. And on top of that... you are by yourself. I remember one time... bout 2 in the morning when Matt dumped one of those 3 pallet loads - now that was a mess... guy could really get hurt too. I remember figuring I was in the middle of about 200000 crawling bees... a bee suit is not much good in the middle of the night... at least it seemed that way.

Doesn't sound like anything lost... that's good.

[Acebird]

Dragging would be disasterous.

No chance of dumping pallets of bees on you. Actually you could ratchet strap the pallets to the 6x6's and not loose anything. I guess you are having fun doing it your way. I hope the family has a lot of life insurance on you. Extra disability insurance might not be a bad idea either.