coffee 5-12-12

009to090 wrote:
Nice hive Lisa! I would shorten up the supporting boards so the rain doesn't bounce off them, then run under the hive? I'm assuming the hive is not Pressure-treated wood?

Those boards are actually not supporting boards - they are just boards I put under the hive so I could have some place to put tools on when I'm working the hive. My smoker fits on them really nice and then I don't have to worry about knocking it over or reaching for it with the hive open; everything is within reach. It would have to be raining pretty hard for rain water to get in the hive. The hive actually sits on a bottom board that is mostly a screen for ventilation and pest control. It doesn't look very sturdy but it is. You are correct, no pressure treated wood here. It's all inexpensive pine. Some hives are made of cedar but that's big bucks for something that only going to get sticky and messed up. I painted mine the light green because it's camouflage in my suburban neighborhood and I got it cheap off the "opps" table at HD - 5 bucks for the gallon. Believe me the cost to get started in beekeeping adds up fast. Have a great rest of the weekend, Lisa

Freddy wrote: The latest thing with my neighbor moving.... a driveway permit. A what? Yup, shoulda done it first but no one knew, or at least realized, that he wouldn't be allowed to use the existing driveway. The new law (2002 but who knew?) says every new house must have a driveway permit. That is, a state person inspects and tells you where you are required to put the drive. Joe must move his driveway 70 feet down the road and "is darn lucky you are allowed to have one at all". Ahhh... 'scuse me? Is that to say "Sorry you can not build on that land"? The new law, for safety, when you pull out of a driveway you must be able to look left and right and see traffic in both directions to such distance that when you pull out, you can attain 70% of the speed limit within the stopping distance of any vehicle that just came into sight.

In Maryland not only do you need an approved permit for a driveway that meets the sight safety standards, a short portion of it must be paved. It's about 10-12 feet and the intent is a junction between your driveway and the road that doesn't wash or plow out. Who get's to approve the driveway permit depends on the owner of the road, state, county or incorporated town. With private roads it's the home owner's association. The paving doesn't apply to dirt roads, I suspect because there are no dirt roads left in my county. There's almost always not a problem with being able to build on a particular parcel because when it was sub-divided from a larger parcel (usually a former farm) the surveyor divided it up such that each lot got a driveway that meets specs. It may not be were you want it but you do have a driveway. You can not record a land locked sub-dived parcel. Some few exceptions for small private cemeteries.

Freddy wrote: I was told bees will tell each other where the good stuff is and the next trip more and more will follow. They will go....I can't quite remember...it was either 5 or 7 miles to find pollen. Cool stuff! Lisa.... how close can a bystander get to a bee hive before they should fear?

Yep, the bees will tell each other where the good stuff is by dances they do. It's mesmerizing to watch them. They take off and land just like the big jets coming in to Washington National Airport - down and up real fast. The saying is 10 ft from the front of the hive and the bee is already 20 ft up. That's why the neighbors haven't seen any bees in their yard and why we haven't seen any in ours; of course they are there but not in huge numbers like you would think. In fact, this afternoon the neighbors were having family photos taken 50ft from where I was smoking and inspecting the hive. Bees were swarming around but the neighbors were oblivious - it didn't bother them in the least. As for how close you can get to the hive, you can walk right up to it on three sides and stand there forever and not be bothered. The bees don't care one bit if you are around but if you step in front of the hive opening and their landing and take off zone, you are going to get stung. Sometimes I will even take the top off and look inside to check things and no bee bothers me. Now if I want to inspect and remove frames that's another story; you need all the gear for that. They are actually pretty harmless unless you are stupid and make what they consider to be an aggressive move toward them. Unlike wasps, honeybees can only sting you once and then they die. Wasps just keep on coming. Bees have been known to travel 5 miles to a nectar or pollen source. They are just programmed to do it. They are really amazing bugs. Take care, Lisa

009to090 wrote: ..... Tell him to just use Premium gas. Less, or no, ethanol ....

Ahhhhh, but you forget what state I live in!

Just checked my truck with the scan tool for shits n giggles (no codes at 53k miles! Shocker!). It requires premium for the program I'm running. Read 15.3 % alcohol content. So not only do we have alcohol in Premium, but it's OVER the 10% posted on the pump!! We're getting screwed left & right & nobody even realizes it!!

lowfog01 wrote: Now if I want to inspect and remove frames that's another story; you need all the gear for that.

This is how a friend did it. More nerve than I would have.

You & me both Richard, BUT, that's the way they all do it up here also.