Home made Solar Bee Wax Melter

After years of Bee Keeping, got some spare Bee hive in whole pieces sitting in storage. OK now to clean up the storage and take some action.

Stop by a Local Wine shop and ask for a wooden wine crate.
Paint that in darkest color I have. Yes dark brown is all I have. Supposely Black work for best. BTW I will shop for Homede any discount paint.
Found a broken fish tank and cut the glass fit the top side of the wooden crate. For now I do them in single glass. I can make it double if not hot enough to melt.
Here we go!!! Pics below :-)



Here is famous Wax Melter sponsor by Chateau Palmer. :-P

Bee Queen Jackpot?

Finally a heat wave happened at week of Aug 26. Almost all of my virgin queens got mated. And now that is produce worker cells. Althought not sure how long the queen can last, but that is better than drones laying hive.

Ok, now next step is winter preparation. I hope those new hive can surive thru this winter.

El Nina and Bee Keeping

In year of 2010, the El Nina effect affect eastern of the Pacific Ocean few degree colder. Hence over US pacific coast are cooler than average. As I live at San Francisco Bay Area and Beekeeping seems hard to re-produce this year. From reviewing the Max and Ave temperature in this year. At San Francisco along over Max temperature on 70 degree F is less than 10 days. And those all at Spring season.

I have few virgin queen are waiting and waiting right temperature for the maiden flight to mate. But apparently, those are not happened and turns out those colonies are Drones factory.

In the other side, due to alot rainfall this year of Spring in California. Most of fruit fram have good quantity and quality of produces. Also most of the reservoirs at bay area had been filled up. And no more water shortage problem and drought problem.

This is my first testing blog. I guess I like to use this platform to share my experience on diy car maintenance, beekeeping and others? Well, just something to share. Also can be some experience and opinion on American living