The smallest swarm I have ever caught! It’s going to be interesting to see if I can build this colony up and the overwinter them.
#teenytinyswarm2019
Author Archives: Bee Keeper Steve
Traps set!
Thirty plus trap hives all waxed up and set.
With an unusual ten-day golden week coming up, it’s looking like I’ll be camping at the apiary catching swarms.
Bees Wax 4 Sale
Summer 2019
Our hives do not use ready made foundations making 100% of the wax produced by the our honeybees, there is zero chance of the wax being contaminated with paraffin or soy wax . We do use chemicals in our hives, thus making our wax chemical free. Our wax processed via two methods, Solar in the months of July and August, and steam in in the other months.
Two grades are available for purchase, Apiarist and Cosmetic.
Apiarist
This wax is suitable for use in beehives and products such as leather or wood polish. The wax is deep yellow in colour with some impurities. This wax could used in candle making providing you filter the liquid wax beforehand.
20 yen per gram
Cosmetic
Our light golden cosmetic wax is perfect match for any type of cream or balm.
35 yen per gram
Drone Down!
Yep! I kill it!
Oh! well… Sold the parts on
360
Originally purchased my drone for video. Now my Anafi done falls more and more into my toolbox as flying camera for stills! and then I found 360 panorama mode… OMG! I am sold.
And it starts…
With the warm winter, I expected spring to arrive early.
Sakura trees are budded and ready to explode, but will boom later than last year and this years predicted forecast.
Queen cells are already built in the stronger hives and drone brood looks good…
Trap boxes are waxed up and counting down the days.
Counting down the days.
Sumoto Castle
Pre-Sakura
Almost the end of March and it’s still a little cold at dusk. Thirty minutes before sundown on a windless day with my hands starting to freeze I powered up the drone and engaged (don’t you love that word 🙂 ) the camera mode.
When I first purchase the drone I envisioned myself videoing the Japanese countryside with its acclaimed, for the price the 4K camera, now all I want to shoot is still photos with it… Oh! how I get things wrong.
Sumoto Castle
The Drone
Introducing the Anafi drone from the French company parrot. She’s compact and has a great camera, but lacks obstacle avoidance sensors… do I need those? Only time will tell.
As a proficient drone pilot with two hours of flight time under my belt 🙂 I felt it was time for a challenge because we all love a challenge, don’t we…
The Castle
Sumoto castle has been a favourite of mine since moving here all those many years ago. My Showa era apartment, with its Japanese style toilet Washiki Benjo 和式便所, cold water only bathroom and head-banging brain cell losing door frames was and still is located at the base of Mt.Mikuma the mountain, which is really a hill 🙂
After work on many occasion, I would make my way up the gruelling when drunk path to view the city light nights below, alas the view from the castle was mediocre, trees had taken root and were obscuring the city view…boo…
Fast forward twenty years. The city must have scored a ton of cash from somewhere, They had decided to clean up the castle. A new public toilet was built, and trees on the East side were cut down to make sweet as picnic area. Trees on the North side were also mowed down, thus exposing the amazing once hidden stone foundations.
Droning at the present time is allowed around the castle, the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (国土地理院) has an online map to show you restricted places to drone. Any area not in red is fine as long as you follow the Japanese drone rules and laws.
Why aren’t I?
Droning and taking time lapses of the castle, Hell even just more photos? It’s only a stone’s throw away. Funny how we fail to see what is in front of us.
Floored
And it t
New Motorcycle…
After riding my Honda PCX150 into the ground, I finally needed a new two-wheeled companion for the new year.
About six months ago I made a list of possible motorbikes/scooters which fit the way I ride and ended up with five bikes on that list, I’m not a sports bike person, so hardcore petrol heads are going to cringe a bit.
- Honda NC750S
- Honda Forza 250
- Honda Super cub 125
- Honda PCX 150
- Yamaha X-MAX 250
I hummed and hawed for the good part of those months and broke my touring needs up into a few groups.
Storage space
The Super Cub and the NC750S failed here. My criteria, enough space for clothes for two days, onsen kit, summer sleeping bag and bivy sack.
- Honda NC750S -1
- Honda Forza 250 +1
- Honda Super cub 125 -1
- Honda PCX 150 +1
- Yamaha X-MAX +1
Tank Capacity
Simply 350km per fill up, because I mainly spend Sundays travelling around the Island of Shikoku with many a gasoline station close on that day of fun.
The X-MAX, NC750 and Forza all easily hit 400km. The cub and the PCX come around in at 300km.
- Honda NC750S +1
- Honda Forza 250 +1
- Honda Super cub 125 -1
- Honda PCX 150 -1
- Yamaha X-MAX +1
Mobile Phone Mountable Handlebars
Yeah, seriously… only the PCX and the NC750S can do this, the X-MAX requires an optional part. Not sure what Honda’s R&D was thinking when they designed the Forza cockpit.
- Honda NC750S +1
- Honda Forza 250 -1
- Honda Super cub 125 -1
- Honda PCX 150 +1
- Yamaha X-MAX +1
Highway Rideable
Japan requires an engine capacity of 126cc to ride on the highways, and since I live on Awaji Island, to leave the island, I need a motorcycle legally capable of using those highways. Granted if I wanted to go north, Awaji island does have a ferry service for bikes with an engine capacity of 125cc and under, but this then ties me to boat schedules which is something I want to avoid when getting off and on the island.
- Honda NC750S +2
- Honda Forza 250 +1
- Honda Super cub 125 -1
- Honda PCX 150 +0
- Yamaha X-MAX +1
The PCX150 can ride the highways; it’s just not good at doing it.
Fuel Economy 30km/l
Judging from real-world user blogs, the Yamaha X-MAX rides in at 32km/l (72mpg) compared to my old PCX150 38km/l (90mpg). The Forza is apparently around the same as the X-MAX and the NC750S chimes in around 30km/l (70mpg). The Super cubs’ mileage is off the charts, doubling any of the above.
- Honda NC750S -1
- Honda Forza 250 +1
- Honda Super cub 125 +2
- Honda PCX 150 +2
- Yamaha X-MAX +1
Conclusion
- Yamaha X-MAX 5
- Honda PCX 150 3
- Honda Forza 250 3
- Honda NC750S 2
- Honda Super cub 125 -2
Japan’s Ultimate Touring Bike
Weekends usually involve beekeeping, which eats my weekends and leaving me with just scraps to tour on, thus, for now, sits the Honda Super Cub on the bench as a touring bike which is sad because even though it scored the lowest marks on my check-sheet, this, in my opinion, is the ultimate tourer for Japan.
Ride Slower, See More
My Touring Bike
The Yamaha X-MAX checked all the boxes, and after riding her for two months, I must say. I am most pleased with the choice I have made.
Ride on…..