Friday Cocktail

[SASKFARMER]

Ah aren't you special for helping out.

[seldomseen]

A January cold snap is perfect for getting the cocoons punched out of the nests.

[shtferbrains]

That looks like a one of a kind?

How are bee prices?

[seldomseen]

I am hearing $80-85 per gallon estimated but no firm offers yet.
10,000 bees in a gallon.

[woodland]

A January cold snap is perfect for getting the cocoons punched out of the nests.

I know enough about honeybees to be dangerous but know next to nothing about leaf cutters. What are doing there and what is involved in handling them throughout the year?

We have bee boxes every mile or so out here and get paid rent in cases of honey which is awesome to give away at Christmas. Our guy makes cinnamon honey and it’s great on toast

[woodland]

Out doing some feeding this morning and it’s -9 which is so nice compared to the -39 of yesterday. Hydraulic hoses bend and the pto moves without being Hercules. Today the yearlings are leaving and it’s kinda like Christmas morning awaiting to see how they weigh up. Looking forward to a payday since it’s been a year from the last major sale. It’s even snowing so Christmas will be white this time⛄️

Good times

[AlbertaFarmer5]

I know enough about honeybees to be dangerous but know next to nothing about leaf cutters. What are doing there and what is involved in handling them throughout the year?

We have bee boxes every mile or so out here and get paid rent in cases of honey which is awesome to give away at Christmas. Our guy makes cinnamon honey and it’s great on toast

The saying "know just enough to be dangerous" is extra applicable when it comes to something as potentially hazardous as bees.

[woodland]

The saying "know just enough to be dangerous" is extra applicable when it comes to something as potentially hazardous as bees.

It always blows my mind that the cattle graze around the boxes and never knock them over. They started putting electric fence around them a few years ago but that’s to keep the black bears out of them. Never been stung going around them on quads or cabless tractors……….. yet

[seldomseen]

Bee nests are 3” deep and cutter bees build a nest out of alfalfa leaves and places an egg in the nests. This egg turns into a cocoon and then we harvest the cocoon with a machine called a bee stripper. Once all the cocoons are harvested we keep what we need for next year then sell the remaining cocoons.

[AllisWD45]

Brings back memories. Was in leafcutters from 1978 to 1991. Looks like a modern operation. I got into blocks a couple years before I sold out. My nests were the single board system. The blocks I used were for exporting bees to the USA. It was a good business and treated us well.