Recent content by birdsandbees

My experiences are that it's the veil material that makes the biggest difference, having gone through a few cheaper suits including three from STBK and one from Maisemore the plastic mesh does eventually split, usually only discovered when dealing with an abnormally aggressive colony as they...

I'm currently working on some slip over covers made from pond liner, my hives are all Poly and easily damaged by Professor Yaffle. Having stabbed the crap out of it with a sharp screwdriver and not broken through it and only dented the poly slightly I'm confident they will do the job and will be...

:yeahthat:

I've been looking into these recently, though hadn't seen the revamped design, most of mine are Maisemore Poly hives but as they keep creeping up the prices they are now comparable to other manufacturers prices whos designs seem more robust. the down side being I'll have two lots of kit :(

Interesting, I warm and liquefy my hard set OSR type honey, seed it, then as it sets slowly, I get a mixing paddle in it and gently mix it to produce a very soft 'creamy' texture.. The definition of creaming - blending ingredients together to obtain a creamy texture. I get that it's still soft...

:icon_204-2::icon_204-2::icon_204-2: surely you can't copyright a general description of something naturally occurring ;)

I frickin detest that comment 'Bees heat the cluster not the hive' its like saying I heat my body not my clothes! as you point out above, yes they heat the cluster but don't have to work as hard to do so in an insulated hive :banghead:

:yeahthat: You never know, a decent spell of weather and you could still get a flow from it.

:yeahthat: if the Super is full and the colony strong then you could leave it where it is and add some insulation above to help retain warmth/reduce condensation, the other option is to 'nadir' the honey and stick it under the brood box, but make sure that they don't get robbed if you do.

Dude! your'e in Cornwall, good luck to any mice trying to get into the hive while they are still active. Mice shouldn't be an issue until the bees are clustered up when it gets really cold, I don't use them myself all my hives are Poly and elevated off the floor. The only time I have had a...

Walrus;690151]I'm puzzled by this issue. Beekeepers seem to love to form into polarised groups and slag off the other side (like politics). Maybe both parties are right for their own locations/conditions, I have no idea. Partially - in my own experience it's often the unwillingness to accept...

Exactly - watch Michael Palmers video 'the importance of getting stung' https://youtu.be/P0QB96RrGdM

I often let logic guide me in many things, allowing an air gap for any warm air to rise and leave the hive in the depths of winter to is not logical, you wouldn't poke holes in the roof of your house to alleviate a bit of condensation on the windows in winter would you?

Same could be said for any of the treatments, this one is for MAQS, how many wear full P.P.E as is expected for O.A when handling this sh*t! Harmful if swallowed. Category 4 H332 Harmful if inhaled. Category 4 H290 May be corrosive to metals. Category 1 H314 Causes severe skin burns and eye...

I was told by a well know queen breeder that leaving attendants would result in 100% rejection, I used to but now I don't and have introduced quite a few queens with them present with no ill effect. I can't see why it would induce aggression any more than any other bee that picks up her...