clean wax with slow cooker 2023

I switched to a round slow cooker (crock pot) to clean the crushed honeycomb and this led me to simplify my crushed comb cleaning steps using a colander.

• crushed honeycomb - link for bee yard and kitchen activities
  
• after several days of straining, I rinsed the crushed comb in warm water
• selected a colander of the same diameter as the round slow cooker lid
• line colander with cotton fabric and I mounded with rinsed crushed comb 
• added lid and joined cotton fabric edges with 2 bull clips
• removed the colander and added 1 cup of water and lid to the slow cooker
• be safe and melt the wax outdoors
• set slow cooker on high for 1 3/4 hours
• turned off the slow cooker and let it cool undisturbed to room temperature with the lid on

ChatGPT generated haiku 

Crush, strain, honey's flow,
Slow cooker's gentle embrace,
Clean comb's sweet glow.

summer inspection of 2023 swarms

This spring 3 swarms selected one of my 4 swarm traps as their nest cavity. During summer heat, I waited for a cool dawn to inspect these swarms now moved into 8-frame hives. That cool morning arrived with 69 °F (20.6 °C) temperatures.  

As usual, the preparation was longer than the actual inspection task that included lighting the smoker -- just in case 😉.  I even remembered to take out the SuperDFM probiotic from the refrigerator.  

The bees did not take flight or behave defensively - the smoker was not used.  

I added one tablespoon (15 ml) of probiotic to the top bars and workers moved to gather this sweet treat - sucrose is the primary ingredient. The first iPhone photo has the best color balance and shows dramatic red propolis on the top bars. The last 2 photos required correction as the brilliant white probiotic screwed up the iPhone color balance.

Vera and Slava (makers of SuperDFM) write, "Multiple bacteria are present in all nectars, pollens, propolis and the environment. Honey bees need these bacteria to aid not only in digestion, but also to improve immune response and combating stressors detrimental to their health." 

ChatGPT generated haiku 

Summer hive's embrace,
Dearth shadows, health blooms within,
Immune strength sustains.

ChatGPT - what do you know about honey bees?

Here is my experience with asking ChatGPT about honey bees.

• easy to use 
• replied quickly with niche knowledge about honey bees
• challenges web search business
  
• if a portion of the reply is incorrect, I pressed the "Regenerate" button; the screenshot is the best reply after 5 tries; including "simple terms" in the request kept the reply short