Recent content by bellsbees

Please can you tell me where I can get one of these entrance floors? Thanks

Apidea have solid floors and the only ventilation is the front red plastic grill and small entrance, should I keep the red plastic grill section open and free for fresh air? I have made a cellotex cover as suggested but modified as I did not have much 2 inch, so I have used 2 inch cellotex for...

derekm, I will try and make what you suggest and if it works will post a photo. Thank you for your suggestion, I am going to have to rummage in the workshop for aluminium tape, pretty sure I have some somewhere.

Thank you itma. I will do as you say and weight empty apidea/supers/frames and weight full stock and then work out stores. I have actually filled the feeder super with fondant and dribbled a little syrup over fondant. Last time I looked inside apidea I thought pollen stores were low, so might...

I have 2 good strong apidea with mated queens and I am now wondering if they will over winter ok in the apidea. What's the best way to do this? I was going to sell the queens but some of my hives had EFB , the seasonal bee inspector did not have time to come back and give my home apiary the all...

What do you do with the ivy honey? Can't the bees use ivy honey?

That's just what I needed to hear, I will remove stores of supers tomorrow and put on supers with foundation. Thank you for the advice really appreciated.

Super are above brood box.

Some bees starved last year, which really upset me, cos it was totally my fault, so I went a bit crazy this time. Brood boxes have 4 frames stores in brood boxes, 4 frames brood, at least 6 frames of bees, possible 8 frames of bees. (Inspected 9th march) Supers still on hives.

I just love this sight and sound of happy busy bees.

I think I made a big mistake. I left my 14x12 hives with 1 and a half supers of stores for winter. I am always so worried my bees will starve. Fairly good size colonies. Is a 14x12 brood box big enough to over winter bees and food? Should I have left any supers on? Supers are now granulated so...

Count dead varroa on inspection boards, after oxalic acid treatment. I can report huge numbers of dead varroa. My poor bees were smothered in the blood sucking mites.

Happy new year to you all from a very wet Sussex. I hope you and your bees have a happy healthy 2014.

Finman you are brilliant. I only add insulation(cellotex) above crownboard when I want to help bees to maintain temperature for brood production, so I add cellotex in February. Depending on weather I often add pollen substitute.