Parachute silk

[Chris B]

Helping to clear through a long departed beekeepers shed yesterday.
Among the crumbling veils, metal ends, PDB crystals, Folbex strips, etc. I found a small bag labelled Parachute Silk and the contents seemed in good condition.
What would this have been used for if anything in a beekeeping context? I have no idea personally.

 

[Bee-Key-Pur]

polishing your wax once it's out of the mould, before taking to the honey show....

 

[dpearce4]

i dont know maybe a nice shirt for the Beekeeping association annual ball or something.

 

[newportbuzz]

could be to make the swarm catching bags used in the german skep vids. or to strain the honey as its proberly quite a tight weave.

 

[Hebeegeebee]

polishing your wax once it's out of the mould, before taking to the honey show....

I vaguely remember something about parachute silk and polishing....


But just remember.
You can't polish a turd!

 

[debzbees]

dying drones

[Just been outside and there a lot of drones wondering aimlesly around and then five gathered together and one was trying to feed them all....I presume they have reached the end of their little lives....seems a bit sad. Then i saw a worker with some pollen also looking as it its dying...anyone any idea what may be happening? I've got five full frames in a super and the brood box looks pretty full?

 

[oliver90owner]

seems a bit sad

Perfectly natural, and surprising they are still around now. Up to 10 000 workers might die in one week during the summer, so nothing unusual.

However, I think you should have started a thread? Not tacked it onto one about parachute silk...

RAB

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

Jumping out of planes to observe drone mating areas?

 

[newportbuzz]

ohh thought of another possible use. as a traveling screen.... its breathable and strong so could be put ontop of hive instead of crownboard and a bungee cord put around it to hold it in place????

 

[alanf]

Maybe just a 'useful piece of cloth'.

I recall as a lad there was an endless treasure trove in elderly neighbours sheds. Quite a lot of ex military surplus among it too including 'souvenirs' - nothing explosive as I recall but there were odd badges, shell cases and bits of various uniforms. Oh, and a bayonet or two and knives that you might not carry around so readily today.

 

[For want of a better word]

Bloomers...a WW2 luxury item

 

[itma]

Bloomers...a WW2 luxury item

Yes, a bit of silk is just the sort of thing that might be presented as a special, er, present ... and thus the sort of thing that a perfectly decent chap wanting to reserve for his honey straining (if I can call it that) would undoubtedly have to keep squirrelled away, where else but in his last male bastion, the shed.

 

[rog]

How much is there? I would love to buy it off you if there are a few metres. I desperatley need some original material to make a new spinaker for my vintage dinghy. The original one was made of very fine cotton and is very frail.

 

[BBG]

JIC






Just In Case

You wouldn't throw such a precious commodity away.

 

[Chris B]

I just unpacked the bag.
5 or 6 pieces chopped into squares about 1m.
(Doesn't sound enough for your purposes Rog?)
They look like decent honey straining cloths to me, apart from a musty aroma and a few hand written 4 digit numbers in various places, possibly annual tonnage or even ladies telephone numbers.

 

[rog]

Chris, thanks but pieces will be to small. I shall have to keep looking.

 

[tonybloke]

I vaguely remember something about parachute silk and polishing....


But just remember.
You can't polish a turd!

oh yes you can!! seen on 'myth-busters'

 

[Hombre]

. . . and a few hand written 4 digit numbers in various places, possibly annual tonnage or even ladies telephone numbers.

Four figure annual tonnages! What was his name Mr Gale? Just a hobby beek then?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

maybe he was a forward thinking beekeeper and worked in grams!