Infelizmente o mel é um produto facilmente adulterado para maiores lucros mas felizmente basta apenas atrair abelhas para que o façam por nós. E para mim, é um substituto saudável do açúcar e tem inúmeras aplicações.
Um dos poucos meus amigos que não tem medo do mato, o Hélio, é de famílias mais rurais. Veio até aqui passar uns dias acompanhado com a mulher e o filho. Ele já cria abelhas há vários anos e estava com vontade de tentar criar um modelo de colmeia mais prático e económico de fazer: a top bar.
O mel não é uma planta mas este projecto é como estar a semear mel.
Construção
Fomos até uma serração e o Hélio fez valer os seus dotes de negociador para trazermos umas tábuas por meia bagatela. Fizemos um bom trabalho de equipa onde eu serrava e ele pregava (ou vice-versa). A coisa ficou meio tosca mas confiámos que funcionasse. As ripas onde as abelhas constroem os favos levam um rasgo onde é colocado cera de abelhas derretida. E o interior é barrado com mel e uma aromática, a alfazema no nosso caso. O Hélio escolheu um sítio que lhe pareceu abrigado e com muita alfazema em redor. Ainda acabei o telhado sozinho usando um contraplacado flexível que tinha aí e caricas para ajudarem a fixar os pregos.
Resultado
O vento ou as ovelhas insistiram em derrubar a colmeia. Os pés, fracos, também não ajudavam. O que conseguimos atrair foi uma ou outra vespa que fazem ninhos solitários.
Melhorias
Os buracos, tanto no telhado como na caixa aparentavam ser o desconforto suficiente para que as abelhas não vissem a colmeia como um sítio apetecível a habitar. O Hélio aconselhou-me a tapar os buracos com barro. Assim o fiz, coloquei uma cobertura de plástico no telhado, para garantir que não chovesse no interior e coloquei uns pés mais resistentes. Já nesta primavera, na altura da reprodução das abelhas assim ficou mais duas semanas no mesmo local. Nada! Descobri uma colmeia tradicional noutra zona do meu terreno, supostamente de um primo do meu vizinho, e habitada! O sítio parecia convidativo e não tive meias medidas. Coloquei a minha, novamente barrada com mel e alfazema, ao lado da outra. Umas semanas e nada :( Que desespero. Será do plástico, de tanto remendo? Talvez o design não esteja bem. Já considero comprar ou fazer uma caixa tradicional.
Custo
Custo
A meia bagatela.
Sucesso
★☆☆☆☆
Unfortunately honey is a product easily adulterated for greater profits but fortunately all it takes is just to attract bees to do it for us. And for me, it's the healthy substitute for sugar and it has lots of applications.
One of the few friends of mine who isn't afraid of Nature, Helio, is from a more rural families. He came here for a few days with his wife and son. He has been raising bees for several years and was eager to try to create a more practical and economical hive model: the top bar.
Honey is not a plant but this project is like being sowing honey.
Making
We went to a sawmill and Helio made use of his negotiating skills to bring some boards for little money. We did a good teamwork where I sawed and he nailed (or vice versa). It was kind of rugged, but we hoped it worked. The slats where bees build honeycombs take a rip where beeswax is melted. And the interior is barred with honey and an aromatic, lavender in our case. Hélio chose a place that seemed to him sheltered and with a lot of lavender around. I still finished the roof alone using a flexible plywood that was there and bottle caps to help fix the nails.
Result
The wind or the sheep insisted on knocking down the hive. The legs, weak, didn't help either. What we managed to attract was one or another wasp that makes solitary nests.
Improvements
The roof's and the box's holes appeared to be discomfort enough for the bees not see the hive as a desirable place to dwell. Helio advised me to cover the holes with mud. So I did, I put a plastic cover on the roof, to make sure it didn't rain inside and put some sturdier legs. Already this spring, at the bees' reproduction time there it stayed like this two more weeks in the same place. Nothing! I discovered a traditional beehive in another area of my land, supposedly from my neighbor's cousin, and inhabited! The place looked inviting and I didn't have any compunction. I placed mine, again barred with honey and lavender, next to the other. A few weeks and nothing :( What a despair. Is it the plastic, or so much mend? Maybe the design isn't well. I already consider to buy or make a traditional box.
Cost
The little money.
Success
Unfortunately honey is a product easily adulterated for greater profits but fortunately all it takes is just to attract bees to do it for us. And for me, it's the healthy substitute for sugar and it has lots of applications.
One of the few friends of mine who isn't afraid of Nature, Helio, is from a more rural families. He came here for a few days with his wife and son. He has been raising bees for several years and was eager to try to create a more practical and economical hive model: the top bar.
Honey is not a plant but this project is like being sowing honey.
Making
We went to a sawmill and Helio made use of his negotiating skills to bring some boards for little money. We did a good teamwork where I sawed and he nailed (or vice versa). It was kind of rugged, but we hoped it worked. The slats where bees build honeycombs take a rip where beeswax is melted. And the interior is barred with honey and an aromatic, lavender in our case. Hélio chose a place that seemed to him sheltered and with a lot of lavender around. I still finished the roof alone using a flexible plywood that was there and bottle caps to help fix the nails.
Result
The wind or the sheep insisted on knocking down the hive. The legs, weak, didn't help either. What we managed to attract was one or another wasp that makes solitary nests.
Improvements
The roof's and the box's holes appeared to be discomfort enough for the bees not see the hive as a desirable place to dwell. Helio advised me to cover the holes with mud. So I did, I put a plastic cover on the roof, to make sure it didn't rain inside and put some sturdier legs. Already this spring, at the bees' reproduction time there it stayed like this two more weeks in the same place. Nothing! I discovered a traditional beehive in another area of my land, supposedly from my neighbor's cousin, and inhabited! The place looked inviting and I didn't have any compunction. I placed mine, again barred with honey and lavender, next to the other. A few weeks and nothing :( What a despair. Is it the plastic, or so much mend? Maybe the design isn't well. I already consider to buy or make a traditional box.
Cost
The little money.
Success
★☆☆☆☆
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