Recent content by BeeMoustashe

Same issue. If like me you bought seconds,, they dont fit. The 'top of the range' ones have a little groove cut in and they fit perfectly. Bit cheeky if you ask me!

As I understand it, and prepared to be robustly corrected here, a similar effect is achieved from shook swarming. The hive temp increases to such a level during fervent wax production that the mites can't tolerate the heat and die. Cheaper than 2k lol

smoker, two hive tools (in case disease found in one hive, can swap), rubber gloves, suit and matches. Stuffed under the seat of a moped.

Personally, found the knife hard going. Much easier to go over and almost 'pick' cappings off with the fork.

I had very similar ambitions to you when I started. On the face of it, it seems like a nice way to make a living. A couple of years in, I found it a hair raising prospect! When you consider losing some hives over winter, queens not getting mated, poor weather giving no honey to sell... I...

Hello and welcome! Langstroth's a good choice, nice big brood chamber which is handy. I personally went for commercial because national supers, roofs and floors also fit it and are more readily available second hand. Flat packs are fairly straightforward, i did it and I'm not that handy. Again...

I had them last year around this sort of time

agree. Planted half my allotment up with it, not a honeybee on it. The borage however...

:D Will GM bees make GM honey?

Had a similar thing in one of my hives, a fairly weak one. They were the casualties from a robbing session that they thankfully won.

nope, i run commercials ;) Guess I just don't pay enough attention to the marketing of nationals!

all seems a bit cheeky to me, and a mistake i could see myself making! A national brood is a national brood to me, so a deep brood would necessarily be a 14x12! If it wasn't a deep brood, it would be a super! Think it's a tad misleading by the supplier.

Where to start. I'd agree with their practices wholeheartedly if it weren't for disease control. You can keep yourself fit, eat right, exercise, live happily, but it won't stop you getting flu. And neither will it stop them getting and spreading foul brood

Strictly speaking, the plate is illegal (speaking as an ex-copper myself), as the plate needs to have the manufacturer's name on it and has to comply with specific measurements. However... personally I'd never have pulled you over for it- the font is standard and readable and you haven't messed...

I have long puzzled over the TBH as being so 'natural' for the bees. From the way I see it, bees in nature tend to build their nests vertically, building down for brood and honey stores on top. The TBH makes them build sideways; surely this in itself is not working with the bees' instincts and...