My Name is Nick and I love making things!! Learning about everything is something I like to do. I have been a carpenter here in Australia for about 10 years but recently have quit my job to do something I love, make stuff. You can view some of the things I have made here - http://www.instructables.com/member/PowellMade/
I also have a passion for bees.
Powell Split Frames – Hive split Powell split frames are a little invention I have put together to make the propagation of Austroplebeia australis easier. I believe they will also work for other species of stingless bee also. Watch this video to see what they are all about. About Powell split frames. I took my…
Swarm capture 2 Mark is a Friend of mine who asked about capturing a swarm of native bees. I talked him through Dean Haleys method of capturing a swarm. Since then Mark has caught a few swarms and keeps me updated on his progress. I asked Mark if he would write a short article…
Bees of North Queensland Recently I went north to have a look at the stingless bees that live in northern Queensland. I found a few that we do not have down south and saw differences with the ones we do. I also got the chance to interview Lewis Roberts, a local naturalist. Check out…
Keeping Hives Close Together Intermediate Keeping hives close together is something most Native bee keepers will face once they get a few hives together. Small urban blocks don’t allow to much space for city bee keepers and this is a good way to accommodate housing more then 1 hive in a small place. Have…
Stingless Bee Intermediate Natural hive duplication 2 Hive duplication is something I have always been interested in. The ability to make a new hive from an existing one means you can use any hive box to start your new colony in. The support offered by the mother colony means your new hive will…
Stingless Bee Intermediate – Hive split Performing a hive split is not something that I do often. However, it is an important thing to know how to do successfully. An unsuccessful hive split with leave you with one of two things. A) A hive that appears to be working for the first 3-6 months and…
Stingless Bee Intermediate – Building a Hive Building a hive is a great thing to do when working with stingless bees. The satisfaction of housing bees in something you have created is wonderful. This video is about building the hive I am currently using for my bees. I normally start bees off in…
Stingless Bee Intermediate – Removing Brood Removing brood Removing brood from stingless bee hives can be a useful tool for many reasons. It can be used for transfers, boosting hives, making new colonies with the help of existing colonies and of course swarm capture. Removing brood from hives can be difficult to do without causing…
Stingless Bee Intermediate – Solar wax melter Solar wax melter Making a solar wax melter isn’t something every stingless bee keeper is going to want to do, however, I have found it to be super useful for collecting and recycling wax. In this video you will see how you can build your own. Solar wax…
Stingless Bee Basics- Boxes I thought I would put together some videos to help stingless bee keepers who are starting out answer questions they might have. Feel free to post questions below so I can get an idea what people want to know. The first video is on a couple of box designs…