I think I now qualify nder this heading lol

[Angi_H]

Well guys I am back I have been very very busy. I only bought 2 packages this year and the rest 3 were cutouts and lots and lots of honey. And The rest were swarms. So the grand total for me in gain this year is 10 hives. And they are all doing wonderfully. Only one swarm is doing so so> I am thinking of requeening them as they are slow to draw out anything. Either that or combine them with the cut out I did a month ago that had 90lb of reserves of honey. Those are doing great as well. Anyway I am getting ready to go and pull a few excess supers on the new secondary yard out in an organic farm on organic pima cotton.  And pull some from home as well. And extract in my extractor I bought from a friend with a 30gal holding tank for 100.00. I am going back and buying the other holding tank that is 40gal. Next year if all goes well I will do splits and continue to catch swarms and cutouts. I have had to stop swarms for this year as I dont have frames or boxes for them. And I had gotten a call yesterday for one at a farm equipment place.  Money is tight with gap prices the way they are and food prices so I cant afford to go and get any more swarms. And I would be worried about them doing well through winter anyway. So this is what is up with me. I am rappid alright lol. My pain levels have also been through the roof and if feels like I am getting rheumatoid arthritis as my joints in my fingers, toes, feet, hands, ankles, wrists, knees, elbows are all stiff sore and has burning pain. In the morning I can hardly walk. And the degenerative discs in my mid back every morning I am waking up with the pain so high in my back I have to take my break through meds and lay flat on my back on the couch for 3 hrs till the pain goes away. So i can move around not fun.

Angi

[rdy-b]

well good for you Angi you are a quick study and dont seam to have the problems that many others are facing -they tell me that cotton honey is very fine honey and they also tell me that it makes the best creamed honey around because it crystallises very fast -any way albeat your customers would love some creamed honey this fall-as if you dont already have enough to do -dont try to do it all in the first year  yes indeed you are on your way know RDY-B

[Cindi]

Angi, nice to have you back, it sounds like you have been swamped, with business and pain.  That is excellent that you have built up your colony numbers so fast.  I wish you well with your pain, I hope things improve with your health.  I do not know what that type of pain is, I have experienced other types of pain with my horribly torn rotator cuff a few years ago, so I do know pain, but not to the depth that you speak about, I wish you well.  Have a great and wonderful day, Cindi

[Melilem]

Hi Angi, what a great deal on the extractor! I keep hoping I'll get so lucky, but for some reason beekeepers around here arent giving them up. Anyway, about your swarms, did you use swarm traps? I tried this summer and I didn't catch any /: My spot was pretty good, there were a bunch of hives pollinating blueberries. I put wooden nuc boxes 15 feet up in a tree with some comb in them and lemon grass on the front step, and nothing!  Would you mind sharing your secret?