I'm taking my first bbka module exam.

[Erichalfbee]

No... it is "proofed"

Yeghes da

Water added!

 

[BugsInABox]

My Nain was a whiskey drinker. She used to have a few drops of water - literally; <1/2ml. We used to laugh at her.
Now I do the same.
BIAB

 

[Apple]

Water added!

Not just any water... it has to be from the same source of supply as the distillery... or angels tears if you can get them to cry!
Jura for me... no water!
Yeghes da

 

[Worldsend]

On the subject of education, I attended a very good series of webinars by Dan & Ken Basterfield over the summer. Covered key subjects including queen rearing, swarming, reading the bees, wax refining etc. They also run a ‘summer school’ each year, a full week of practical hands on beekeeping supplemented with talks geared towards beekeepers with 3-5 years experience who perhaps (but not exclusively) want to go on & take their General Husbandry assessment. Has anyone attended one of these & can share their views? I’m a firm believer in spending time with other beekeepers, picking up tips, watching & listening to their ways of management, to help develop your own views, so this appeals to me. Held at Pershore college.
Elaine

Did a bee anatomy and dissection weekend course with them in Devon between lockdowns- it was excellent and blew my mind

Will hope to book queen rearing when we are allowed out again

 

[Gilberdyke John]

That is irrelevant. If this forum refuses to allow contrary views, or indeed criticism of the way it is run then it is just as dogmatic.

And yet most of us like it, just as it has been for years.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Not just any water... it has to be from the same source of supply as the distillery... or angels tears if you can get them to cry!
Jura for me... no water!
Yeghes da

I remember my first taste of Jura, it was in the proofing room at the distillery, me a mere deck trainee given the 'honour' of piloting the commander and chief engineer ashore in the RHIB for a guided tour. They also gave us a taste of one of the unblended samples they had - clear and colourless as water, before the batch had been casked so it still contained the 'angel's share' of the alcohol - it really did bring tears to my eyes

 

[Swarm]

No doubt Dani knows all about Polish rectified spirit?
On no account sip, very bad idea.
Down in one and even then it comes back up to bite you!!!!
Plenty of tears and none of them angel.

 

[Erichalfbee]

No doubt Dani knows all about Polish rectified spirit?
On no account sip, very bad idea.
Down in one and even then it comes back up to bite you!!!!
Plenty of tears and none of them angel.

Ha Ha
never tried it
I did used to enjoy a nice single malt though.
Not had the nerve to try yet...though I have come close
Maybe this Christmas though I feel I might have to live with disappointment

 

[pargyle]

.

Do you know so many children aren’t being taught to in school. I went to a grammar school and the city swimming pool was a five minute walk away. It was part of our curriculum and compulsory. I hated it but learned to swim.
I still hate swimming. The best place for water is in a whisky.

We lived across the road from the canal ... I used to go fishing from almost the age I could walk - my mother insisted that I learned to swim before I was allowed to go on my own...just as well as I spent nearly as much time in the water as I did on the bank ! When I finally got to the Grammar School swimming lessons were also compulsory but by then I could already swim so I was forced to do life saving which I really didn't like ... I still have my certificates somewhere but whether I would be capable of even saving myself these days I don't know !

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I still have my certificates somewhere

Not hanging on the wall next to your beekeeping ones?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

No doubt Dani knows all about Polish rectified spirit?

Boarded a Russian 'Klondiker' tender in Peterhead once, Insisted on checking their bond declaration (as well as doing a stock check) was a bit surprised to find they had twenty gallons of neat alcohol in an unsecured locker on the messdeck 'are you having problems with your magnetic compass Cap?' (the captain blushes and looks sheepishly at his feet) suddenly the chief engineer strolls in from his walk ashore, quickly gathers the situation, opens the carrier bag he was carrying which had two bottles of decent malt from the local offlicence within. he laughs and shouts 'I only drink fine real scottish whisky - these fools drink that industrial shait with orange juice or whatever they can find to take the taste away!! I'm the only one whose brain hasn't rotted away!!
Unfortunately we got there too late to catch the estimated 500,000 L&M cigarettes they had stashed in the lagging of the forard refrigerated stores which had slipped ashore as they arrived.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Usually the Basic is the first step, that is done after one year beekeeping and then it opens up the modules and other practical exams, I'm assuming due to covid people are being allowed to do the modules without taking the basic first.

The basic assessment is what it says, basic. Lighting a smoker and being able to answer basic questions about the bees and equipment, opening a hive and identifying drone, worker and the queen if seen and knowing the difference between capped stores and brood.
Very basic really and has a high pass rate. Some do fail though.
You'll have to make a frame too. Remember they like 11 nails in a frame.

Nigel, I've still got the chanting in my ear from the agm....
Remember they like 11 nails in a frame.
I like to use 5 plus glue.. I'll pass surely.

 

[Nige.Coll]

Nigel, I've still got the chanting in my ear from the agm....
Remember they like 11 nails in a frame.
I like to use 5 plus glue.. I'll pass surely.

No glue mate just 11 nails .

 

[pargyle]

Not hanging on the wall next to your beekeeping ones?

No ... my Basic Beekeeping one I have on me all the time in case I meet up with a Master Beekeeper on my travels, in my wallet with my driving licence ... I passed in spite of my smoker going out in the pouring rain and me explaining to the examiner that I'm foundationless so the frame I'm making has a starter strip and wires and no foundation. Getting stung more times than in my entiire beekeeping life because he insisted on me continuing with the inspection when it was blowing a gale and pissing down - I would not have even started let alone continued. Him getting on my deaf side and me mis-hearing "Where would you expect to find queen cells" and me answering - "probably from a good breeder on the internet"

 

[Curly green finger's]

No glue mate just 11 nails .

Bugger that, I might have to say to the examiner 11 nails that's two frames you want me to make... No problem.
Pass me the brush and pot of wood glue.

 

[Curly green finger's]

No ... my Basic Beekeeping one I have on me all the time in case I meet up with a Master Beekeeper on my travels, in my wallet with my driving licence ... I passed in spite of my smoker going out in the pouring rain and me explaining to the examiner that I'm foundationless so the frame I'm making has a starter strip and wires and no foundation. Getting stung more times than in my entiire beekeeping life because he insisted on me continuing with the inspection when it was blowing a gale and pissing down - I would not have even started let alone continued. Him getting on my deaf side and me mis-hearing "Where would you expect to find queen cells" and me answering - "probably from a good breeder on the internet"

That's faf!!, that is bloody brilliant!

 

[Sibutcher]

Water is used to open up the flavor of hi proof single malt. Just a drop (tea spoon) and give it a swirl. Ice is no good as it chills the whiskey which kills the flavor.

 

[madasafish]

I was fortunate with my examiner on my basic. He was competent. I made a national frame with hammer and nails -despite it being so 19th century (I use nail gun and glue).

 

[North End Bees]

I was fortunate with my examiner on my basic. He was competent. I made a national frame with hammer and nails -despite it being so 19th century (I use nail gun and glue).

I'm obviously very 19th C
What glue do you use for frames?

 

[robinharman]

I do like a Springbank (but it has to be 12 year old plus) but my favourite is the original Jura - not the poncy mucked about ones they market now, matured in dirty beer barrels or whatever but like the first ones when the distillery was rebuilt - matured in brand new clean oak barrels.

Jura is my favourite after a distant Scots relative brought a bottle to my grandmother’s funeral twenty five years ago. We had the lot and I rarely don’t have a bottle around. Either that or Talisker.