# General beekeeping > Bee blether >  Bees and volcanoes.

## Jon

I am taking advantage of the strapline of this section - 'For those less-focussed discussions where keeping on-topic doesn't matter' and I am generally attracted to anything involving blether.

Trog seems to be worried about the west coast of Scotland becoming the new Pompeii complete with ash-entombed bees and beekeepers.
There has also been speculation as to whether volcanic ash might be more effective than sugar dusting in terms of inducing a mite drop!

I came across these hives in February of this year about 15 miles from Popocatépetl.
I was hoping to have a chat with Ardelio, the owner but he wasn't about the day I visited the ranch.

And just to show how volcanoes are old hat, In February we set up a scale model complete with baking soda and vinegar eruption long before Iceland was in the news!

I took the  picture of the volcano erupting in December 2000 and the one with the fumarole is from around 1995. It used to put out a big ash cloud about a dozen times in the average day.

bees-volcano..jpg 

vinegar-volcano1..jpg vinegar-volcano2..jpg

eruption-popo..jpg popo-fumarole..jpg

----------


## Trog

Happy memories of the baking soda and vinegar volcano in our own kitchen years ago.  Almost as good as the citric acid 'n' bicarb film canisters!

----------


## gavin

Lovely pictures.  I've been fascinated by Popocatépetl since hearing of it in Primary School in short trousers.

However Iceland and Popocatépetl have nothing on Mull if you go back 60 my.  It has a giant caldera in the middle and sent lava flows and dykes and sills all over the W of Scotland and N Ireland too.  There must have been some pile of baking soda in the heap of earth then.

----------


## Jon

> It has a giant caldera in the middle and sent lava flows and dykes and sills all over the W of Scotland and N Ireland too.


I have dim memories of that from an 'O' Level in Geology. Is that the Antrim Plateau, Giant's Causeway or both?  Ailsa Craig island is something to do with it as well.

----------


## gavin

I think that there is a tale of two Celtic warrior-giants in some kind of face-off between Antrim and Staffa.  One was supposed to have ripped out a piece of the earth and thrown it away in a huff, simultaneously creating Lough Neagh and the Isle of Man ... thus linking the great reserves of Amm, Scotland, Ireland and the Isle of Man (see how I brought it back to beekeeping?!).

Mull seemed to be a major centre of volcanic activity, but whether or not it contributed the lava flows of NI I'm not too sure.

----------


## POPZ

> Lovely pictures.  I've been fascinated by Popocatépetl since hearing of it in Primary School in short trousers.
> 
> However Iceland and Popocatépetl have nothing on Mull if you go back 60 my.  It has a giant caldera in the middle and sent lava flows and dykes and sills all over the W of Scotland and N Ireland too.  There must have been some pile of baking soda in the heap of earth then.


At last back in the land of the living after journey down to deep south and thankfully back again to find a brand new grand daughter here!! Yep, I know that is absolutely off topic  but I want to mention something.

Gavin, the main volcano(s) were on Ardnamurchan peninsula. A series of small ones that one day decided to show off and they all turned into one of those super volacanos - the only one in europe I believe.  If you put Ardnamuchan into google you will see an amazing 6 mile crater - I think the ones you talk about followed on afterwards in the vain hope of competing!!

Regarding the Icelandic tiddly outflow, I was fortunate in arriving there the day after it erupted/flowed so was able to go and see it. Now all roads are closed to it. But it was just a crack in the ground about a kilometer long with larva flowing out into a gorge - that was a dramatic picture. If a small upheaval like that can cause such disruption, imagine what a real volcano would do.

----------


## gavin

Welcome back!

Do you have pictures?  (Iceland I was thinking!)  Apparently there are a few beekeepers there, something between Orkney and Shetland in terms of numbers.

G.

----------


## POPZ

No piccies I am afraid - left my camera behind and my phone had filled up with coffee in rough weather trying to find a lost diver - that's another story!! Yes there are beekeepers on Iceland and I am to meet some of them when I next visit.

----------


## gavin

Excellent.  We'll expect a pictorial report and magazine article next time!

----------


## Stromnessbees

Here's a documentary that shows the volcanic rocks created by Mull's vulcano. It also mentions hexagonal shaped rock, like honeycomb (just to stay on topic...):

Scoll to 19:20 if you are not interested in Bass Rock etc.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode...Rocky_Islands/

Doris

----------


## POPZ

Doris, That is going full circle. Took Chris Packham out to Staffa and Treshnish Isles when he first started many years ago now. A wonderful spot, especially Lunga, a place that is impossible to tire of. It is where I learnt what wildlife skills I have and in fact, where I saw my first whale.  The basalt columns at Staffa are in fact a continuation of the Giants Causeway and rise again on the east side of Mull where there is a sea eagle nest, under a fish farm and then rises again on Ardnamurchan.  

Enough of all this 'guides/skippers' talk! Thanks Doris - POPZ

----------


## gavin

Happy memories of taking the kids on a boat trip landing on Staffa (quite some place) and Iona.  Basking sharks on the trip over to Iona.  Maybe even Popz was at the wheel.  Thanks Doris.

----------


## Neils

I can see I'll have to refresh my marine biologist degree, I specialised in LBFs (little blue fish) and their prevalence in every dive site in the world...

Who am I kidding I can't compete with whales  :Wink:

----------


## Jon

This seems to be the main whale thread.
Obviously every bee forum needs one.
I came across this place which has whale bones as an attraction.

A restaurant called 'La Ballena' The Whale Restaurant. In reality it is a shack at the bar mouth of a river.
It is beside a mangrove swamp where the water level rises several feet when the river is blocked from exiting to the sea by a sand bar so they have to dismantle the 'restaurant' and move the whale bones to higher ground.

whale-bones.jpg whale-bones2.jpg whale-sign.jpg

----------


## gavin

Every forum does indeed.  It also needs its whale-watching skipper!  Come back Popz ....

That amount of whale flesh rotting on a Mexican playa must have made quite a pong.  Surprising that they wanted to name a restaurant after it.

----------


## Trog

Is this the thread to start singing 'Whale meat again ...'?

----------


## gavin

Groan!  I'd ask if that was the Faeroese National Anthem, but I really would like to see Popz back and have no wish to upset him ...    :Wink:

----------


## Jon

I cant think of any better bait than a whale skeleton.
Surely he will bite soon!

Just checked his profile and interests include: bees, whales, and dining out.

Come back Popz. There is a table set out at 'La Ballena' in full view of the earthly remains of an ex cetacean, not pining for a fjord, rather the balmy waters of the Pacific coast.

----------


## POPZ

> Groan!  I'd ask if that was the Faeroese National Anthem, but I really would like to see Popz back and have no wish to upset him ...


Upset me? Scrivens guys, I don't do stuff like that - upset????. Anyway, here I am not far away watching all you lot and good to see you all alive and kicking.

----------


## Jon

LOL Popz.
That whale bait is irresistible!
How are your bees doing this winter?

We need to get Doris back from Orkney.
Any suggestions re. a suitable bait?

----------


## gavin

> We need to get Doris back from Orkney.
> Any suggestions re. a suitable bait?


I think that I saw a Kenyan Top Bar Hive washed up on the beach the other day .....

(naw, that wasn't convincing, was it?!)

*Lovely* to see you posting Popz.  Brings a smile to the face and gladdens the heart.

----------


## gavin

Or a Cumbrian cafe that specialises not in cetacean skeletons but TBHs and bikes?  Something for Jon as well as Doris.

http://www.greystokecyclecafe.co.uk

G.

----------


## Jon

Well both of us would need to pay an additional ferry crossing and Doris would have a hell of a trek before encountering the delights of Cumbrian cupcake and a decent cycle rack.

----------


## marion.orca

Popz - would you by chance be the one and same Popz from the Sea Life Surveys ? or am I totally wrong ?

----------


## gavin

One and the same Popz, Marion.  You've outed him!  Not that he's been shy about coming forward with his interests on here.

----------


## marion.orca

Took a while for me to put 2 and 2 together but the penny finally dropped ! So if you're reading this Popz we have met before whilst you were up here in Mallaig. We spoke at the top of the linkspan about the  recent sightings around here [ hubby works for Calmac - he's the pleasant one - not the rude one ! ] but I didn't know you were a beekeeper at that time - and I hadn' t started then anyway. Regularly send sightings to HWDT myself during the summer months. Seems I may have blown your cover - good luck with this years trips [ and bees of course ] and I'll look you up when we're next on Mull.

----------


## Jon

Well they do say you learn something new every day!




> "A very ancient statute gave the head of the Crown the right to all the cetaceans stranded around the UK.
> 
> "The king had the right to the head and the queen had the right to the tail."


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-17285112

----------


## Trog

I believe that Sturgeon also belong to the crown.  One Sam Small had to take one he caught to t' king.

----------


## Stromnessbees

> We need to get Doris back from Orkney.
> Any suggestions re. a suitable bait?


Hi Jon - you called?

I have come back to have a look around and to see if the air is clear of pesticides again.

I have spent a lot of time researching, and maybe I have developed too  much of a sting in my tail to be very good company on here... You want me  to come back - but don't they say 'Be careful what you wish for?'

Let's see, I'll try to catch up on the latest news and gossip and on the who's-who.

I'll also have to get myself a new link for my signature line, the current one is maybe too controversial.
I have always liked the _Flight of the Bumblebee_ by Nikolai  Rimsky-Korsakov and found an interesting version - for all you music and  bumblebee fans, here's one you haven't seen/heard before:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7m401_-tjg

- Unfortunately it's not complete, so I'll probably keep looking for something better.


Actually, I think we could have quite a lot of fun on here again, 

Doris  :Cool:

----------


## Stromnessbees

> I think that I saw a Kenyan Top Bar Hive washed up on the beach the other day .....
> 
> (naw, that wasn't convincing, was it?!)


Hi Gavin, thanks for thinking of me but that KTB couldn't have been mine. 

My KTB is safely in my garden with a good size nucleus in it, and I'm looking forward to harvesting some lovely comb honey from it later this year.

D

----------


## Stromnessbees

> I believe that Sturgeon also belong to the crown.  One Sam Small had to take one he caught to t' king.


Hi Trog 

As far as I know the thing with the crown owning certain fish and birds doesn't apply in Orkney due to our ancient Udal law. 

Swan is supposedly off the menu throughout the UK, but in Orkney we can eat them -and they've got a very fine flavour if you have a pot big enough to fit one in.  :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic): 

D

----------


## Jon

Hi Doris. Good to see you back. Have you been hibernating somewhere?

Trog. Who is the king of Scotland? is it Alex Salmond!

----------


## Neils

I thought it was Idi Amin!

----------


## Jon

He was the last one but hardly a contender any more.

----------

