the all aussie dribble thread!

[MCW]

just before Neil goes and puts these little buggers to sleep, we are talking Honey bees right? It would be a damn shame to kill a hive of native bees, especially since they could be the saviour of the human race...

I'd hope so Serg. Native Bees are cool and no way would I want to knock them over. I used to work for a company where part of the business was breeding beneficial insects/mites (Home - Biological Services) and the business owner had a polyhouse where for a few years he was growing truss hydroponic tomatoes as a side income.
Someone from Adelaide University decided to run trials on native Blue Banded Bees for pollination (they pollinate the same way as Bumble Bees) so the polyhouse had these little mud hut type hives. Turns out that they were a bit too lazy to pollinate well and also excellent escape artists (reminds me of other native Australians!).
The girl from Adelaide Uni was none too happy when every single one of them bailed out a slight tear on the top of the polyhouse over the space of a few days.

 

[KiwiBro]

Any suggestions chaps?

Hi guys,

I bought some router bits off aussie ebay yesterday and paypal won't let me pay because I'm in NZ yet want them sent to my sis in Sydney b/c she's coming over and I hate endorsing ausPost's crazy charges.
So, I have sent the seller a few contacts but no news yet. I got the bits real cheap (only bidder) so am anxious about if they will get in touch.
How long do I leave it before considering they aren't going to make contact?

Any suggestions how I can pull this off if they won't even get back to me? I did send them a message via ebay advising paypal wouldn't let me pay and that I can just pay it through paypal if I knew their addy. they have 100% feedback rating so maybe I'm just being paranoid?

Anything else I can do apart from just sit back and wait?

 

[Rudolf73]

Hi guys,

I bought some router bits off aussie ebay yesterday and paypal won't let me pay because I'm in NZ yet want them sent to my sis in Sydney b/c she's coming over and I hate endorsing ausPost's crazy charges.
So, I have sent the seller a few contacts but no news yet. I got the bits real cheap (only bidder) so am anxious about if they will get in touch.
How long do I leave it before considering they aren't going to make contact?

Any suggestions how I can pull this off if they won't even get back to me? I did send them a message via ebay advising paypal wouldn't let me pay and that I can just pay it through paypal if I knew their addy. they have 100% feedback rating so maybe I'm just being paranoid?

Anything else I can do apart from just sit back and wait?

Hmmm that's a tricky one Tony, all you can do for now is wait. Hopefully he will get back to you, it is in his best interest that he does with that perfect feedback score. Just make sure all your communication goes through ebay so that you can refer back to it later if need be. Also maybe mention that you have bought it for family in Australia, that way he can't play the "I don't ship to overseas buyers" card. He should be able to send his paypal address (pay for item) to you through ebay so its all about board. I'm pretty sure I have managed to do that in the past with overseas sellers.

 

[ausneil 1]

Coopex Residual Insecticide. You can buy it in little sachets (cheap) so just sprinkle it around the hive entrance (probably best at night when they're less active). Otherwise and granules containing Bifenthrin as an active stuffs 'em.
Pest controllers around here use the Coopex gear to knock them out of Telstra exchanges etc. It's safe too so you won't end up growing a 3rd testicle which you may or may not appreciate.

Thanks Matt, where do I buy some from please, and yes these are just the stinging kind (the ones that make man so scared of something so small). I know what native bees look like and I have been hit by these buggers several times now so its time to even up the score.

edit,,,
Done a bit of checking up, I have had a talk with a pest guy from round home and he suggests its too big a hive for me to try (over 5 years old and in a big cabinet) so he suggested he comes with me and use the right tools to pump the dust right into and fill up the cabinet using his 240 volt blower.
For very large hives he said 2 pairs of overalls, head net, cloves are standard equipment.
He also said, its a case of get ready then walk straight up and get it done full blast, so I think I will take him down to the farm, let him do it and bring him home again and save all the hassle.
Matt, the stuff you mentioned is what he uses.

 

[husq2100]

Caroll Smith's book on fasteners more than likely covers rivets.

The little I know is that normal blind/pop rivets aren't for structural use.

For structural use you need a rivet that retains it's shank/stem that breaks off (or use a solid rivet) so it has some strength in shear.

I used to use Avdel rivets for critical stuff, ie racecars.

They make rivets that rupture at the workface and then pull the stem in, rather than at the end then compress towards the sheet/plate/whatever, it just made things more secure.

If you want water/vapour proof, use a sealed rivet, this is what i always used in coolroom construction.

I picked up a BNIB "Cherry" hyd rivet gun of Ebay. Just need to sort a nose for it. They dont show the gun I got on their website, its an older gun (hand operated) but I'm pretty sure the nose piece is still available. Here is a link to some of their rivets.....me thinks they might be the goods

http://www.cherryaerospace.com/product/blindrivets.html

 

[tdi-rick]

Depends on what you're doing mate.

Cherry have always made good stuff, have a big box of Cherry 3/16" x, um, something aluminium rivets in the shed that I still use occasionally.
My 'big' rivet gun is a Gesipa lazy tongs and the small one is from Ajax Fasteners. I used to like the 'Klick Fast' brand but destroyed a lot of them blowing the barrels apart.
Apparently small, hand held rivet guns aren't designed for pulling up 3/16" steel mandrel rivets :monkey:

BTW, if it's just panel work you won't need a structural rivet, a standard blind rivet is fine.

What size are you using ?
Not 100% sure with the areospace spec stuff, but we always used (and I still do) a number drill just above the rivet size for clearance. eg #30 for 1/8", #20 for 5/32", #11 for 3/16".

 

[tdi-rick]

I used 5/32" Avdel steel rivets with the aluminium undertray and bulkheads/firewall on these chassis.
We rebuilt three in '92/'93, all the aluminium was bonded and riveted to the tube frame. Can't recall the rivet spacing now but it was close.
The aluminium was aircraft certified alclad 2024 T4.
I think I used .100" for stiffness as the original was 7075 T6 which I just couldn't get in Oz and 2024 is roughly 15-20% lower in UTS so I went up in thickness to compensate.
Total overkill.
Adhesive was 3M Scotchweld 2216BA which holds F18's together. The prep was to full aircraft spec, the boys were ready to lynch me by the end of the day, I can be a little OCD/anal in my approach sometimes :monkey:

 

[tdi-rick]

Thanks Matt, where do I buy some from please, and yes these are just the stinging kind (the ones that make man so scared of something so small). I know what native bees look like and I have been hit by these buggers several times now so its time to even up the score.

edit,,,
Done a bit of checking up, I have had a talk with a pest guy from round home and he suggests its too big a hive for me to try (over 5 years old and in a big cabinet) so he suggested he comes with me and use the right tools to pump the dust right into and fill up the cabinet using his 240 volt blower.
For very large hives he said 2 pairs of overalls, head net, cloves are standard equipment.
He also said, its a case of get ready then walk straight up and get it done full blast, so I think I will take him down to the farm, let him do it and bring him home again and save all the hassle.
Matt, the stuff you mentioned is what he uses.

No bee/honey blokes nearby Neil ?

They'll cry if they hear about this and you didn't give them first dibs.

 

[ausneil 1]

No bee/honey blokes nearby Neil ?

They'll cry if they hear about this and you didn't give them first dibs.

True Rick, and anyone who wants it can have it, my brother has had 2 blokes come and try and rob it and were driven off both times.

We had a hive start in our chimney at home last year and our pest man sorted them quick smart, but he said these ones I want removed are dug in and not to happy about being disturbed.

 

[MCW]

They'll cry if they hear about this and you didn't give them first dibs.

Beekeepers whinge about everything even when it's all going well. Ever since the almond industry started paying up to $75 a hive for pollination during flowering I've sort of stopped listening to their crap. I've heard beekeepers whining over the last season that are now making a few hundred grand over a 6 week flowering period. 10 years ago they couldn't even afford to put diesel in their old rickety truck. Now they are running around in new Hinos etc and making more money than some of the almond growers.

 

[sun64]

True Rick, and anyone who wants it can have it, my brother has had 2 blokes come and try and rob it and were driven off both times.

We had a hive start in our chimney at home last year and our pest man sorted them quick smart, but he said these ones I want removed are dug in and not to happy about being disturbed.

The bee hive is in a cabinet , isn't it.
If its an old cabinet then get a trolley and put it out the back away from everything, that way you haven't killed them off and they are away from your personal space
We had a cyclone a few years ago and trees were down everywhere.
There was a hive in one gum, the wife got a guy out to take the hive but it was too hard as the tree forked and they were in both bits.
Kerry was worried with the kids going past to feed the chooks, so the guy wiped them out.
I was away and not that happy, especially when you have a mango orchard and I had heard how the bee hives were dying out in other countries.
But if you gotta nuke them and there is no other alternative, then you gotta do what you have to do old mate.

 

[ausneil 1]

The bee hive is in a cabinet , isn't it.
If its an old cabinet then get a trolley and put it out the back away from everything, that way you haven't killed them off and they are away from your personal space
We had a cyclone a few years ago and trees were down everywhere.
There was a hive in one gum, the wife got a guy out to take the hive but it was too hard as the tree forked and they were in both bits.
Kerry was worried with the kids going past to feed the chooks, so the guy wiped them out.
I was away and not that happy, especially when you have a mango orchard and I had heard how the bee hives were dying out in other countries.
But if you gotta nuke them and there is no other alternative, then you gotta do what you have to do old mate.

Not so simple mate, the old cabinet is chip board and has collapsed more or less(been wet many times) and has wood lathe tools in it (my fathers) and lord knows what else.
The other issue is the fact bee hives are not scarce on the east coast, natural hives are all over the bush.
Even native bees are a common sight around our part of this country.
I have robbed many hives with the harvester, they are the ticket for cutting out and breaking open a nest, come back the next day and anyone can easily collect the cone for extraction.

Weather forecast here,
yesterday started cold with high W winds, then warmed up a little (sunny) after lunch got very cold again then ice fell (sago snow) for a bit, then drizzle and on dark drizzle / sleet / snow an hour later clear skies.

today isn't so cold, heavy fog, no sun, looks like a dreary cold rainy day, wind has dropped so anything could happen today except a warm sunny day.
Been getting sago snow and sleet in patches for a week now so expecting something more white to come soon.

 

[tdi-rick]

Beekeepers whinge about everything even when it's all going well.

So they're like farmers, only worse ? :msp_ohmy:


(Before anyone gets upset, SWMBO and I ran her families cattle property, so I was one of them )

 

[husq2100]

Neil, cant you just set the whole shed on fire?, I mean, who doesnt love a good fire.....hmmm where did I leave my matches

 

[MCW]

So they're like farmers, only worse ? :msp_ohmy:

Sadly, um, yes they certainly can be. You've got guys with two teeth and single digit IQ's that became near millionaires overnight when the now defunct Timbercorp planted 10's of 1000's of hectares of almonds as part of MIS schemes. When all of these young trees came into production about 6-8 years ago a lot of beekeepers gave up on honey production and simply entered the very lucrative pollination business (honey produced from Almond pollen is bitter and only suitable for use in manufacturing). Some very average beekeepers suddenly made a LOT of money whereas previously their hive management was that poor that they couldn't get a gig in the almond industry. I did a lot of work with the almond industry and was doing beehive assessments for major almond growers 5-10 years ago. We would rate the beekeeper's hives based on bee numbers, brood numbers, plus overall activity and then the almond growers would pay them accordingly. Guys with poorly performing hives would exit the industry quick smart but now due to all the extra almond production the dodgey blokes are all back in again.

There is a massive difference between an Apiarist and just some bloke who owns a few hives. You can tell the guys that are in it for the love of it and those that are in it to make a few bucks. The ones in it solely for the money are absolute cowboys.

Bee suits kick arse and to be in the middle of an angry swarm of bees after you've cracked open their hives scares the crap out of you to start with. Even though you know you are pretty well bulletproof they still start emitting this completely different "angry buzz" when they are going all out to kill you. I used to wear Rigger leather gloves taped around the wrists and I've had my gloves looking like a Porcupine at the end of a day with literally 100's of stings hanging out of them. It also pays to tape your ankles too as they'll crawl straight up the leg of your jeans.
I've also been stung through bee suits as well especially around the shoulders and neck where you'll get a bee stuck in a fold in the suit then you'll lift your shoulder up and jam them between your shoulder and neck - it gives them a little bit of extra penetration! The sting comes out straight away. On another note the darker the bee the more aggressive they are as a rule.

To start with I was wearing Mosquito nets until my previous employer bought a few extra bee suits. One day I copped a heap of stings in the chin where I'd left a gap and all in the space of a few seconds. I looked like the Elephant Man after a trip to the dentist and had uncontrollable dribble running out one corner of my mouth 10 minutes later. The beekeepers laughed their heads off. Bloody hurt like hell too and I ended up coming up in a few small blisters where I was stung.

 

[Rudolf73]

To start with I was wearing Mosquito nets until my previous employer bought a few extra bee suits. One day I copped a heap of stings in the chin where I'd left a gap and all in the space of a few seconds. I looked like the Elephant Man after a trip to the dentist and had uncontrollable dribble running out one corner of my mouth 10 minutes later. The beekeepers laughed their heads off. Bloody hurt like hell too and I ended up coming up in a few small blisters where I was stung.

I had an elephant man chin too! lol. I found a bee hive in a tree once and decided to extract some honey, ended up making a bee suit out of a chemical suit and some fly screen. All went well, I think the 2-stroke smoke may have helped calm them down and I got the honey. My mistake was going back later to close up the hole in the tree and fix up their hive. Well, lets just say they remembered who I was the second time round and let me have it. Even the buzzing intensity was noticeably more aggressive and I knew I was in for it, but I survived... just. Overall the Australian/European bees aren't to bad though, African bees on the other hand only have one objective - killing you. They are just angry 24/7 and without a professional bee suit you will know all about it and probably end up in hospital. Honey tasted good though :biggrin:

 

[tdi-rick]

Sadly it appears I'm allergic to bee stings these days after probably dozens of stings over the years.

The last two stings have generated progressively worse reactions, the first on my sternum saw me stopped on the side of the road for fifteen minutes thinking my heart was about to explode through my chest, the next, six weeks later on my hand had my entire arm blow up like a balloon unable to use my hand at all.
When I asked the doc on duty whether the results were cumulative he said no, while the trauma nurse behind him is vigorously shaking her head "yes !"
She's become a mate and is very switched on whereas the docs nickname was "Doctor Death" so guess who I believed

 

[husq2100]

Sadly it appears I'm allergic to bee stings these days after probably dozens of stings over the years.

The last two stings have generated progressively worse reactions, the first on my sternum saw me stopped on the side of the road for fifteen minutes thinking my heart was about to explode through my chest, the next, six weeks later on my hand had my entire arm blow up like a balloon unable to use my hand at all.
When I asked the doc on duty whether the results were cumulative he said no, while the trauma nurse behind him is vigorously shaking her head "yes !"
She's become a mate and is very switched on whereas the docs nickname was "Doctor Death" so guess who I believed

Its funny, we still have to take a step back and question the wisdom of others. I had a nurse at the blood bank tell me to drink a cup of water as I was giving plasma (the needle already in and withdrawing) I asked why? she said I must be a little dehidrated and this would help. I asked if she thought the water would get into my system and help in the next 25min.........she said yes but I could tell she was now thinking about what I said. I drank it anyway to make her happy

 

[splitpost]

led

any of you fellas tried the led spotlights that you mount under the eves of your house,just wondering what they're like and all seeing as the power bill will be going up shortly,thanks to our gov

 

[derwoodii]

any of you fellas tried the led spotlights that you mount under the eves of your house,just wondering what they're like and all seeing as the power bill will be going up shortly,thanks to our gov

yes good I got a few solar powered jobs ebay and bunnings etc all good enough 2 lamps solar collector a few AA battery's auto sensor about $30 to 45 a unit the 1st models say 4 years ago were crap the new one much better water proof good lite

I walk out and let there be lite plus I can tell around the house were the cat dog possum or fox is prowling

Motion Sensor Security Solar Flood Light 22 Leds Black | eBay