Recent content by JamezF

It's an Instantvap oxalic acid sublimator. I guess it's the same in terms of operation as many of the others that exist, but this one has the advantage (at least for me) of using one of a number of common workshop/garden tool batteries as a power source rather than mains power or a heavy...

Had a bit of a tidy up in the bee shed, and found a load of forgotten drawn brood comb that will surely come in handy at some point. I might have put some super frames "somewhere safe", too. I don't seem to have anywhere near as many as I thought I did. They'll turn up at some point. I've...

Finally got around to ordering my birthday present at the weekend. And here it is... James

There have been a few people who have said they didn't receive them. Turns out they're available online. Here. James

You do no swarm control and don't concern yourself with any impact it has on your neighbours? Is it your garden in the photo? James

Amongst some beekeepers there does appear to be a certain amount of machismo about being stung. Don't understand it myself. James

Might be possible that they want the process to be as short as possible and therefore desire an egg that is about to hatch, rather than one that they have to hang around a couple of days waiting for? (I'm guessing here.) If you like, a three day old egg is not the same as a two day old egg...

I think giving the mesh barrier a try would be a good start. It may help with the bees (which sound to me as though they're a bit on the defensive side -- perhaps understandable under the circumstances) coming into the garden directly. It may even help with the swarms by encouraging them to...

I would have thought that members of the local BKA would be concerned about the risk of spreading disease represented by that. Perhaps someone should call the local inspector on his behalf :D As mitigation, I might be tempted to have a friendly beekeeper install a bait hive somewhere in the...

I'm not sure that there's a single clear definition of what a "scrub queen" is that everyone shares. Even if you said "a queen raised due to the emergency requeening response", would that be one grafted into a Nicot cup, say, or raised from an egg laid in relatively fresh worker comb, or...

A few scouts were sniffing around the entrance to my home bait hive this afternoon. They're all well tucked up now though -- we just had a hefty thunderstorm go over. I wonder if it's the hive I have with a supersedure cell that's thinking of swarming... James

Is the "something else" garlic mustard? Looks like it might be. James.

Perhaps it's a new Eco-Dalek, to be introduced in the next series starting this coming weekend. James

Hmmm. Electronic person, much? I've been out in the veg plot weeding this morning and have a nice little collection of new potatoes from volunteer plants that I have removed. Around 1pm the Sun came out and I had to go to check I didn't have a swarm leaving one of my hives. The volume of...

Quite. I've moved a swarm a little further than that before now when it turned up where it wasn't wanted. I had to leave a box on the site to catch the bees that came back and each evening for four or five days I emptied them back into the moved hive until they got the idea or, presumably...