BillibusMaximus

@BillibusMaximus@sh.itjust.works

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Does it make sense to buy a lifetime supply of honey?⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  When I was first starting out, I spent a lot of time at the BeeSource forums. I haven’t been there in a while, so I don’t know how it currently is, but I found it a good resource initially. FWIW, I always found the beekeeping-related subreddits to be pretty hit and miss.

  There are tons of books available, possibly from your local library, but some are better than others. Wicwas press has a lot of good books, but I think they skew more towards advanced beginner and later, rather than the basic beginner.

  But most importantly, there’s a saying that “all beekeeping is local”. While the basics are generally the same everywhere, the specifics vary depending on location. Not only things like temperature, humidity, and rainfall, but also what kinds of plants bloom, when and how often.

  So regardless of any reading or other research you do, one of the best things you can do to learn is join a local beekeeping club. There will surely be members that have been there for a while, and you can learn from them what really works in your area.

  Also, if you’re in the US, check with your local Ag Extension office. They may have resources or info to help you get started. Possibly even classes.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Does it make sense to buy a lifetime supply of honey?⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  I’d start with local apiaries and/or small/mid scale beekeepers.

  The trick will be finding one that will let you buy a smaller quantity (relatively speaking - you probably don’t want multiple 55 gallon drums of honey) at near-wholesale prices.

  This might be tough, because small scale (hobbyist or side-gig) beekeepers often charge a premium because they’re not producing a lot, and value the hard work they put into what they did get.

  On the flip side, larger outfits will likely already have contracts with a reseller, and may not want to bother with selling a mere 50-100 lbs as a one-off.

  A good place to ask around might be a local beekeeping club/meetup. It would at least let you meet some of your local beeks, and maybe determine which are retail-only and which do wholesale.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Does it make sense to buy a lifetime supply of honey?⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  Unfortunately, I’ve really scaled back my number of hives and now only get enough honey to keep my immediate family supplied.

  But I appreciate the sentiment.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Does it make sense to buy a lifetime supply of honey?⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  Beekeeper here. I won’t comment on whether or not you should. But since I know a little about storing honey, here are some things to consider:

  If you do this, you need to make sure it’s sealed in airtight containers.

  Part of what gives honey its antimicrobial properties (and long shelf life) is its low moisture content. But it’s hygroscopic and will pull moisture directly from the air if exposed. After it pulls enough moisture, it can ferment, grow bacteria, or otherwise not be fit for normal consumption.

  Also, honey can crystallize over time. This doesn’t mean it’s bad, but in order to re-liquify it, you’ll need to heat it. So consider your storage container size and material carefully.

  That said, 52 lbs is less than a 5 gallon bucket full (at roughly 12 lbs / gallon), so it shouldn’t take an incredible amount of space if you choose to do it. Or, in smaller portions, a quart mason jar will hold about 3 lbs. So 2 cases (12 jars each) would exceed your quantity requirements, and be more manageable than a 60lb bucket.

  Also if you can buy it in bulk at wholesale prices, it will be cheaper. Retail can be anywhere from $5-$20 per pound (depending on what/where) whereas the last I checked, wholesale prices were more like $1.50 - $3.50 per pound, depending on quantity.

  Hope that helps.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨There's fucking ads in board games now⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  Then you’ll love this new product that’s guaranteed* to reduce the amount of advertising you’re exposed to!

  *Warning: may cause blindness, loss of hearing, and inability to leave your room.

  But in all seriousness… I hate it. It’s fucking everywhere.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Why is daisychaining multiple extension cords considered unsafe, even if only done to the length of a standard cable?⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  The longer the distance, the larger the diameter of the wire you need, due to resistance/heat.

  Typically, extension cords are going to be manufactured with the thinnest wire they can get away with based on the safety requirements, in order to save on materials cost.

  So plugging 2 short cords together might cover the same distance as 1 longer cord, but the longer cord will use thicker wire to maintain the proper margin of safety.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨I’m Lovin’ It: Exploiting McDonald’s APIs to hijack deliveries and order food for a penny⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  Might be fiddler

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Harvey (1950) discussion⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  I haven’t watched it in years, and I don’t really remember enough about it to comment on the details.

  But in case you’re not aware of it, they did a remake in the mid '90s, starring Harry Anderson. Obviously it’s like 30 years old now, so not modern/contemporary from today’s point of view.

  But if you haven’t seen it, it might be worth a watch just for the fun of being able to compare/contrast.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Honey⁩ ⁨⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  Maybe you’re right. I get all confused when it’s not in Möbius order.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Honey⁩ ⁨⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  To expand on this… Part of what happens to the nectar inside the bee’s honey crop is the addition of various enzymes (IIRC invertase is one. I don’t recall any of the others) that modify the sugars and other compounds in the nectar.

  So nectar goes in, nectar + enzymes comes out, then the result is dried until the moisture content is low enough (~18% is what I was told as a beekeeper. Who knows how the bees measure it…)

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Honey⁩ ⁨⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  Not to be all “Well ackchyually” but most (maybe all?) of the moisture reduction happens after the nectar has been stored in the comb, but before it has been capped with wax for storage. So the bottom two panels should be switched

  Also, if anyone cares, the term for the mouth-to-mouth passing of the nectar is trophallaxis.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Learn how to count with Bill Gates⁩ ⁨⁨10⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  3.11 was WfW, and ran on top of DOS just like 3.1 did.

  NT 3.51 used the NT kernel, and (mostly) looked like 3.1/3.11 on the surface. NT 4 used the NT kernel, and (mostly) looked like Win95.

  Win 95/98/Me also ran on DOS, though it was more tightly integrated than it was in the 3.1 days.

  Win 2k and everything after was based on NT.