Cider, Wasps, and feeding

[bjosephd]

Afternoon…

Second round of making cider this weekend starting tomorrow.

6000 litres (hopefully) of juice to squish out of the apples. Bringing our grand total up to 20k litres!

Last month there were a LOT of wasps that came to join us to get their share of the sweet stuff! And also a few hornets bumbled around to see what they could lap up.

I'll report back with how many wasps we have 'helping' us with the apple pressing which might give us a clue (in the North Somerset area at least) of what the current wasp situation is… the weather is looking 'good' this weekend also.

On another note, my bees are still hauling in the nectar and seem to be slowing down taking feed down. Should I stop feeding now? Or is it worth trying to squeeze in another 2 litres of thick syrup? Or best remove it all now and get the insulation in the roof and leave them beee?

I've had some syrup mixed up for a week or so but am nervous it might be fermenting in waiting… how would I know? Is it obvious? I might just pour it away and get saving for the extra brood boxes I'll need for next spring's monster colonies!

 

[For want of a better word]

makes my 30 gallons look diminutive... but is all from our own orchard.

10 will go to cyser as I have to use the ORS honey for something!

If your sugar syrup has not had additives... thymol etc... you could add it to a batch of cyder with a champagne yeast and bottle.... to make hand grenades?

yeghes da

 

[bjosephd]

Ha, yes… the 20k litres is more of a local small scale commercial operation… I'm very much manual labour for the small apple harvesting season, cider has a rather narrow window!

From our own orchard we manage to make about 250 litres of really rather nice very dry cider… more my kinda thing.

I don't think the sugar syrup has fermented… but it's difficult to tell? It's just been sat in a a very big pan indoors for a week or so… but very thick… a lot of sugar un dissolved sat on the bottom, however much I stir it. I may add some hive alive and feed, or take feed away completely and hope the bees get on with evaporating what they have already taken down while the weather is still not super cold.

I like the grenade idea!

And yes… cyser is a plan for next year!

 

[For want of a better word]

20k litres is more of a local small scale commercial operation

How many dead rats do you add?

( I asked the MD of Thatchers that last year... he said it depended upon how big the rats were!!)

Nos da

 

[linoleum bonypart]

What do you do with fruit pulp waste

 

[For want of a better word]

What do you do with fruit pulp waste

feed it to the chickens!

Nos da

 

[bjosephd]

9000 litres of apple juice pressed for cider, and less than 10 wasps in total came to say hello over 3 days... and one hulking great hornet.

I think that points towards there not being very many wasps around.

Apple pulp has gone to feed beef cattle.