trapping bees:
there are different ways to trap bee's mainly 3
1. lure a swarm into your box. this is the approach i use. it's worked twice. set up your hive above the natural fenceline. bee's will fly above fences. using a box that already has bee's in it is preferable, but not necessary. there are other scents you can use to lure them. this can take years to finally lure in bee's.
2. catch a swarm. this is the easiest way to do it. post adds in local places that if they find a swarm of bee's to call you. describe it. it's usually a football sized group of bee's resting on a branch. if you find it, simply cut the branch off, or shake the bee's off into a cardboard box. then transfer it to their future home. i like to seal up their home for two or three days, so they can't get out, and get used to the place. when you finally open the box, make sure it's in a good position for them. high up, no blockage to the opening etc etc etc.
3. transfer an existing hive. sometimes bee's root themselves in places nobody wants them. like in a house, in an old tree, etc etc etc. there are a few ways to lure them out, first, simply cut them out, and repair the thing. if it's a tree, just kill the tree. or you can set up a box outside their opening so they have to fly through it to get anywhere, make sure it's set up for bee's. eventually the queen will make her way into the box, and start laying there. when this happens, and there is enough brood in there, take the box, kill the bee's in the hive (or, if you don't mind, let them live, maybe they will reproduce a queen, and you will have another hive next year when they regain their health)
it's best to do this in the spring. the reason is, you will severely weaken the hive. stimulate growth of new bees by feeding them sugar water. the spring is the best time for this. the first year with your bee's, you may harvest honey, but be careful not to harvest too much, or they will starve throughout the winter. i think this is what happened to mine.
this is not even close to even half of what there is to know about bee's. but is all i will post right now.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Donkeys
Donkeys.
wild donkeys can be trained very easily.
step one: isolate them.
if they're lonely, they will seek company. the donkey is a social animal. don't ALWAYS isolate them. only at the beginning, or when it's necessary.
approaching them. if you can approach them, don't touch their face first. touch a less offensive place, like the shoulder. scratch. never pat.
it's not a good idea to get them to come to you based on food or treats. instead.
step 2. walk up to the donkey slowly. do not let it run. before it runs, walk away from it. do this as many times as it takes. you walk closer to it every time. walking away from the donkey rewards him for his courage. do this the first and/or second time you approach him.
step 3. after that, walk up to him, if he runs, walk up to him until he stops running. it is in his nature to stop at some time to look at you. when he stops you stop for about fifteen seconds, then continue. note: you are NOT chasing him. walk calmly up to him.
usually you will only have to do this once. after this, it will be easy to approach even a donkey that was a few days ago from the blm. if it does take a few times, it's ok. sometimes walk around the whole field for hours just to scratch him on the withers.
this throws him off... he thought you were a threat, he'd avoided you as a threat for a long time... now you just scratch him?
spend time with him, talk to him. everyday go out and at least scratch his withers.
donkey do not need shoes. however, his hoofs do need trimmed, every 9 months.
donkeys can sense intentions to a degree, so do not get angry. have perfect patience.
when you trim his hooves: first, make him comfortable with you grabbing and lifting his leg. do this while on your daily visits. it's simple. while you're scratching or brushing him, brush down his leg a little. just as much as he's comfortable with. eventually, get all the way down. when he's comfortable with you grabbing his leg, squeeze gently on his calf, and lift. brush his hooves, and clean it out a little, and drop it. reward him with love and praise. if it comes time to trim his hooves, and you have not got him used to it yet. make sure the man you hire to trim them does NOT just throw a rope around him, tie him down, and trim the hooves. it's important they just use drugs. the reason is this: then they remember the last time they were trimmed, they just stood there, they do not remember they were drugged. though, this usually costs more.
donkey's love praise. conversely if you punish him, he will remember it. so punishments must not be harsh. example, if he bites you, leave for the day. that's it. do not hit unless he does something dangerous. if he kicks or shoves, i hit. it has to be immediately, never too hard, and leave him before he runs from you.
this is important: always leave him. NEVER let him leave you. even after a walk, when you release him, before he realizes he's loose, walk away.
a donkey is often thought to be stubborn. this is always the case when there is some degree of mistrust. a donkey will NEVER do ANYTHING that he thinks will hurt him.
i shouldn't say never. or anything i guess, because if he trusts you. and you always protect him, never hurt him, and lead him around enough, he will trust you to the degree that he will walk right up to anything.
wild donkeys can be trained very easily.
step one: isolate them.
if they're lonely, they will seek company. the donkey is a social animal. don't ALWAYS isolate them. only at the beginning, or when it's necessary.
approaching them. if you can approach them, don't touch their face first. touch a less offensive place, like the shoulder. scratch. never pat.
it's not a good idea to get them to come to you based on food or treats. instead.
step 2. walk up to the donkey slowly. do not let it run. before it runs, walk away from it. do this as many times as it takes. you walk closer to it every time. walking away from the donkey rewards him for his courage. do this the first and/or second time you approach him.
step 3. after that, walk up to him, if he runs, walk up to him until he stops running. it is in his nature to stop at some time to look at you. when he stops you stop for about fifteen seconds, then continue. note: you are NOT chasing him. walk calmly up to him.
usually you will only have to do this once. after this, it will be easy to approach even a donkey that was a few days ago from the blm. if it does take a few times, it's ok. sometimes walk around the whole field for hours just to scratch him on the withers.
this throws him off... he thought you were a threat, he'd avoided you as a threat for a long time... now you just scratch him?
spend time with him, talk to him. everyday go out and at least scratch his withers.
donkey do not need shoes. however, his hoofs do need trimmed, every 9 months.
donkeys can sense intentions to a degree, so do not get angry. have perfect patience.
when you trim his hooves: first, make him comfortable with you grabbing and lifting his leg. do this while on your daily visits. it's simple. while you're scratching or brushing him, brush down his leg a little. just as much as he's comfortable with. eventually, get all the way down. when he's comfortable with you grabbing his leg, squeeze gently on his calf, and lift. brush his hooves, and clean it out a little, and drop it. reward him with love and praise. if it comes time to trim his hooves, and you have not got him used to it yet. make sure the man you hire to trim them does NOT just throw a rope around him, tie him down, and trim the hooves. it's important they just use drugs. the reason is this: then they remember the last time they were trimmed, they just stood there, they do not remember they were drugged. though, this usually costs more.
donkey's love praise. conversely if you punish him, he will remember it. so punishments must not be harsh. example, if he bites you, leave for the day. that's it. do not hit unless he does something dangerous. if he kicks or shoves, i hit. it has to be immediately, never too hard, and leave him before he runs from you.
this is important: always leave him. NEVER let him leave you. even after a walk, when you release him, before he realizes he's loose, walk away.
a donkey is often thought to be stubborn. this is always the case when there is some degree of mistrust. a donkey will NEVER do ANYTHING that he thinks will hurt him.
i shouldn't say never. or anything i guess, because if he trusts you. and you always protect him, never hurt him, and lead him around enough, he will trust you to the degree that he will walk right up to anything.
tree's
i've been reading alot about tree's. and pruning them.
apple tree's.
it's best to prune apple tree's during the early spring. you can prune them a lot without causing lasting damage. if you are pruning your tree more than a third, you should wait for he next year, or spread your pruning out throughout several years. but is very difficult to kill a tree.
things you need to take off, and can anytime: dead. anything dead, suckers. suckers are any branch that is going straight up. mostly it is at the base of the tree. it's very often NOT apple tree that is growing at the base, since apple tree roots are stuck with a more hardy rootstock. it's probably usually poplar. if your tree dies, and you let a sucker grow, it won't be apple tree. but it will grow into a tree that maybe beautiful...
it's better to let the tree seal its self.
other things to prune, but is best in the winter or early spring:
1. any branches that are growing down.
2. any branches that are dying
3. any branches that are rubbing against other branches.
4. one of the two that are competing for the peak
5. any branches that are growing Inboard.
6. any branches that have a bug living in them, which may prevent the bug from reaching the base of the tree, eg. if the branch is hollow, but the tree is not.
there are a couple of different reasons to prune an apple tree.
1. thin it out. it's best for apple production to have airflow, the less apples growing on the tree (proportional to it's size) the bigger the apples will grow. (so if there are too many growing, and you would rather not cut the limb, thin out the apples as they come in)
2. train the tree. sometimes based on the location of the tree, it is best to train it to grow away from an object. it may make the apples easier to pick if you keep it low, or in a shape. also, shaping the tree to a pleasant look.
3. safety. if it will grow into a power line, or if it already has grown into a powerline. (for example)
it's not a good idea to top the tree, since it will encourage suckers to grow at the top of the tree, it is a bad idea however, if it's to prevent growth. it will stimulate the tree's growth, if you don't mind trimming suckers later.
if a deer or something eats the bark off the tree, it is dead. there needs to be a link of bark from the bottom, to each branch at LEAST, since water and nutrients are passed immediately underneath the bark. if your tree dies because of this, letting a sucker grow, will not solve the problem, as it will most likely NOT be a fruit bearing tree.
apple tree's.
it's best to prune apple tree's during the early spring. you can prune them a lot without causing lasting damage. if you are pruning your tree more than a third, you should wait for he next year, or spread your pruning out throughout several years. but is very difficult to kill a tree.
things you need to take off, and can anytime: dead. anything dead, suckers. suckers are any branch that is going straight up. mostly it is at the base of the tree. it's very often NOT apple tree that is growing at the base, since apple tree roots are stuck with a more hardy rootstock. it's probably usually poplar. if your tree dies, and you let a sucker grow, it won't be apple tree. but it will grow into a tree that maybe beautiful...
it's better to let the tree seal its self.
other things to prune, but is best in the winter or early spring:
1. any branches that are growing down.
2. any branches that are dying
3. any branches that are rubbing against other branches.
4. one of the two that are competing for the peak
5. any branches that are growing Inboard.
6. any branches that have a bug living in them, which may prevent the bug from reaching the base of the tree, eg. if the branch is hollow, but the tree is not.
there are a couple of different reasons to prune an apple tree.
1. thin it out. it's best for apple production to have airflow, the less apples growing on the tree (proportional to it's size) the bigger the apples will grow. (so if there are too many growing, and you would rather not cut the limb, thin out the apples as they come in)
2. train the tree. sometimes based on the location of the tree, it is best to train it to grow away from an object. it may make the apples easier to pick if you keep it low, or in a shape. also, shaping the tree to a pleasant look.
3. safety. if it will grow into a power line, or if it already has grown into a powerline. (for example)
it's not a good idea to top the tree, since it will encourage suckers to grow at the top of the tree, it is a bad idea however, if it's to prevent growth. it will stimulate the tree's growth, if you don't mind trimming suckers later.
if a deer or something eats the bark off the tree, it is dead. there needs to be a link of bark from the bottom, to each branch at LEAST, since water and nutrients are passed immediately underneath the bark. if your tree dies because of this, letting a sucker grow, will not solve the problem, as it will most likely NOT be a fruit bearing tree.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
houses
well... a couple days ago, sarah and i decided to maybe instead of re-finance, look for a different house since it was the same process.
so we found one. of course, we couldn't make an offer on it, until our house is under contract, unless it were contingent on us selling our house.
well, yesterday, the realtor came over, and said someone had put an offer in on the house we want.
then he put our house up for sale. then as we were leaving someone called and wanted to see our house. they saw it at seven. then around eight thirty our realtor called, and said they wanted to present an offer last night. so he came and presented an offer. they offered full price. we accepted, and put an asking price offer on the house we want in newton.
now you know.
so we found one. of course, we couldn't make an offer on it, until our house is under contract, unless it were contingent on us selling our house.
well, yesterday, the realtor came over, and said someone had put an offer in on the house we want.
then he put our house up for sale. then as we were leaving someone called and wanted to see our house. they saw it at seven. then around eight thirty our realtor called, and said they wanted to present an offer last night. so he came and presented an offer. they offered full price. we accepted, and put an asking price offer on the house we want in newton.
now you know.
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