No honey for me, my one hive swarmed. We had a great summer here, I did catch the swarm, but since there is no wild bees here they could not mate a new queen and by the time I figured that out I was dealing with a laying worker.

I did get a new queen shipped in but it was too late as they were already capping drones and varroaa set in bad so they then absconded.

My swarm hive is still plugging along. I did treat for varroa and now hope to winter them, not sure how that's going to work out for them, but we don't get as cold as you do there.

I got a good education this year and hope to get a couple more packages next spring.

I ended up buying some Fireweed honey for $25 a pint so looks like a good way to retire. let the bees do the work

Don't feed you bees to late in the fall Jeff. A common mistake. They need to ripen the sugar water or the moisture build up in the hive during the winter will cause a real big mold mess. Personally given you lack of cold and snow it will be hit and miss. Consistent cold is far better than freeze thaw for wintering bees in Alaska.

Yea I have been trying to feed them for a few weeks but they are still bringing in nectar and not taking much sugar syrup. I will feed sugar cakes in the winter to help absorb some of the moisture.

I do understand the moisture issues they will have and plan on using a quilt box its a pillow of wood chips to absorb and release the moisture through a vent hole on top.

Hope it buries under the snow for the winter.

Holly cow $25 a pint guess I better tell my wife to raise her price

this guy got a free pass yesterday as the freezers are already full sure was a pretty one double shovels were almost identical on both sides

You have far more restraint than I.

Trust me I was all over it. loaded the gun sat there watched him hit the beach and looked him over real good He was very symmetrical and those two big shovels almost did him in ,the final factor was it is late Sept and his neck was swollen already I would have hated to drop him and then have it be to stinky to eat

Does anyone have experience with the Federal F&G Board?

Hello, haven't had a chance to take a pic of the whale/seal hook yet. I got a few picks of the harpoon style I like to use. They have many for different uses. I like the naliq/unnuaq. It has a toggle piece on it that moves and keeps the tip from bending or breaking. They use to use bone,ivory, antler for building so they needed a way to keep the pieces from breaking.

Interesting, but to be frank, that buoy would have a hard time holding up a rock fish. And the points, while cool looking, look highly in-effective. Sorry.

I should add that I see the "toggle" effect, but they appear way too small. Even for a fish, let alone a seal. Of course a whale is silly.

Having used the ivory/antler and brass type on the right in most of those pictures on salmon when short a landing net I'll tell you if they get to the other side they flip and won't come back through. I suspect it would be the same under a seal skin. Never had the chance to try one on a seal when I had the harpoon in the boat, couple times I REALLY wished I had one in the boat and didn't.

As for that little buoy, maybe it's shallow and only to hold the rope up, or maybe just for demonstrative purposes in the classroom. I'm hoping That Fool will elaborate more on it.

I bet those points work good, same principle as a earth anchor, just depends how much depth they get.

I assume the small buoy is only to help retrieve the harpoon shaft.
Neat to see the different points. Thanks for posting.

I don't think it would take much toggle to hold when the point is driven into the meat of the seal, or whale.

Bottom line it works, as it has in the past.

Cool stuff TF, thanks for posting!

Its worked for centuries AV. The buoy is for following the whale once the highly effective point is firmly anchored between the meat and blubber of a whale. most times the water is pretty shallow so the buoy is to hold the rope up, not the whole whale. Pretty hard to hunt or follow the whales head wave in deep water. The areas used for whaling are chosen because whale gather in the shallows.

I see. So the whale, or seal has already been terminally struck prior to the spear. The spear itself is not intended to inflict injury, but rather to mark the location of the animal, and maybe assist in retrieval.

Exactly AV. Some guys use a wooden disk on the harpoon line to slow the whale down. Most guys will follow the head wave and get close enough so when the whale surfaces the harpoon is jabbed or thrown into the chosen whale. At this point some oil can escape from the wound and an oil slick is visible on top of the water. Now, a buoy can be followed to avoid confusion when a large pod is in the area. The hunters will stay close to the buoy and when the whale surfaces again the kill shot is taken. Most guys use 30-30 or 243 and try to shoot right where the neck bends for a quick kill.

Getting tangled in the harpoon line is dangerous and has happened to people before. A guy I know has designed a new style that eliminates the loose rope but I doubt I could find a picture of it.