Oompetesbees

20/11/2025

So we go from not having a Chimney removal for a while, to one almost every night🫣🫣. This one wednesady night has been a pain in the neck, arm and just about everywhere else….🫣🤣🤣. A realy hectic hive was a problem for the new owners of the property. We see now it has been there for many years…

A very otherwise hive when first approached. So, as access was not easy, i decided to trap them out…. Managed to set up the initial cone with only minor irritation. But so big was the field force that they bent the cone in the first couple of days… Armed with the bee vac to take away the guards…. And a substantial number of bees trapped outside i approached at dusk, vacuumed and reinforced the cone.

The volume of bees always seems to add to their determination to stay in the home they have created…. Then These clever girls figured out how a trapout cone works and found the way back in. Another visit lengthened the cone…..
Just days later, no good! they bent the extension to the cone🫣🫣🫣😵‍💫 as well…. time to consider alternatives.

It’s now been a while, we have decreased the workforce (and combined them into another weaker hive). We make an appointment for the removal of the chimney…. Warn the neighbours, and approach with caution… and it’s like like butter would not melt in their mouths…🤔🫢.

Very few bees wanting to kill us any more in fact none… very subdued bunch of girls…. Which did assit in the process of dismantling the chimney sections…. Even when we lifted the 1.2 meter top section….. no reactions….

With the top section removed and laid flat on the roof we can access the remaining comb in the chimney section within the roof… extending about 70cms down we release and remove the lower sections (containing the brood) and mount it in our brood box. No eggs and all brood of at least 7 days old. We suspect all the messing with them has caused a swarm off. But then we find them cowering way down in the chimney well below the last bits of comb.
A good number were chased out with a jimmy juice bomb but not all by any means. So we remount the brood box, put the vacuumed bees back on the brood and let them regroup at their own speed.
Bless em!

Remarkable their change in attitude now numbers are reduced.

20/11/2025

Quite a long read but a great demonstration of the enthusiasm of a new beekeeper and a parent rejoicing in a solution to happier screen time limitations…
I design and manufacture custom build observation bee hives for inside or out. Be it a private space or an educational facility…. A retail outlet or a specialised Bee related store.

I came across this article…./ advert…

https://www.facebook.com/share/1KibyX7X5v/?mibextid=wwXIfre

08/11/2025

07/11/2025

07/11/2025

At the bonsai, succulent and plant show at Killarney mall for the weekend… giving a talk at 10:30 on Sunday. Check some amazing plants. I never realised we had a local carnivorous plant… and what a beautiful thing it is….

06/11/2025

At Killarney mall this weekend. Awsome exhibits.

24/10/2025

23/08/2025

Mmm yum yum! The Latest batch or our new infusion range of Honey and Chilli and Honey, Chilli and Garlic mix. Each with 4 different strengths. Ranging from, for the faint of heart (👆 that's me) “Mild”1.0 to the two strengths, (mild 1.5 and hot 2.5) to the more serious kamikarzi chilli lover of “very flipping hot”3.5 (😤 not me) it has to be tried to be believed!
We will be sampling and have stocks at next Saturdays market and open day respectively (see the flyers attached, Benoni and Bedfordview).🔥🔥

16/08/2025

A new market! From the same organizers as the very successfully Heckers market. The Next craft market at Heckers is in November, but the next Honey show is at the end of November honey and bee show. With the first annual Gauteng regional honey and mead competition. So come see the bestbod the best in honey competition entries from around the country. Do some judging your self in the all new peoples choice completion.

14/08/2025

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10385528/ a couple of years old but big Pharma seldom enjoys news like this. A nice summary of already published research.

Apitherapy (using bee products) has gained broad recognition in cancer therapeutics globally. Honeybee venom has a broad range of biological potential, and its utilization is rapidly emerging in apitherapy. Bee products have significant potential to ...

13/08/2025

This evenings removal in Etwatwa. These girls where about to become a serious problem. Already burning a short fuse, with lots of brood about to hatch, well actually in all stages or development (great to see!) they where really upset with us, even before we removed the side of Their home….. From the customers photo I decided on an on site cutout. When we arrived I had wished I had taken shade net to wrap it and uplift in one piece…. I have a course this weekend and it could have been a great example removal for the students.
As soon as we touched them I was relieved I stuck to the on site route…. Not the temperament of bees My newbies would appreciate on the weekend 🫣😂

After removing a section of the bin side, we needed to take more….. To expose the comb. The bin had obviously been burnt before so was a scrap item… maybe the fact they had been burned at some stage made them so upset….

We often get called out to complete a diy removal. 🫣🤯…. Often the bees have had enough of human interference, so try nailing us to the wall immediately. Fortunately all precautions where taken just in case…. Safety of the bees and locals is important…

On leaving Etwatwa, we noticed vast areas of new suburbs with power poles and bright street lights abaze, but not a single property, let alone traffic or people. We left the highway at snake road and not a single street light working but loads of traffic.🫣🫣