Recent content by Briar

Our BKA had a talk on non-honeybees a while back. The speaker's recomendations for bee hotels were to supply various different sized holes so as to suit different sized bees, and also to be aware that predatory wasps can drill through the sides to lay eggs in the larvae, so he didn't like the...

I've heard that alfalfa horse feed pellets are good, but as they come in 20kg bags I've never wanted to buy that amount as a trial. If you've got mains electricity then a hot air paint stripper directed into the top, or even into the nozzle of a closed smoker makes a good tool to persuade it to...

I only put escapes in boards when I'm clearing, so there'd just be the big oval holes when it's being a cover board.

Thanks, was that an 8 to 9 mm hole ? I'll try an 8 as my drill bit set goes 6,8,10. I thought I might need the cone to stop them returning to the super as that was the way they'd left the hive.

I leave my hives with a super over winter, and don't like to disturb them too much too early in the year (lost a queen and so then a whole colony soon after an early inspection once), meaning that I very often end up with drones and drone brood above the QE when I replace it. I try and...

I got my 50kg stainless tank from box-bees.co.uk for a reasonable price (£35), but I think he's collection only, and is in Suffolk, so a long way from you.

Mobility scooter or golf cart batteries are designed for deep discharge, not too big, and widely used enough to be reasonably cheap. Lithium versions are quite a bit more expensive, but significantly lighter than lead acid

I have Queen Hazel, in the hive under the hazel tree, Queen Cherry lives in the hive near the cherry tree, and Queen Victoria in the hive under the plum tree (even though it's not actually a Victoria Plum tree ). As far as future generations go I'm planning to take a leaf out of human royalty's...

I use one of these, which works well https://www.screwfix.com/p/bahco-wttpi-insulation-insulation-saw-22-560mm-/7498K?tc=QT9&ds_kid=92700055262507126&ds_rl=1244066&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI2oWE8_ma7QIVmOFRCh0l5gKqEAQYASABEgKaMfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

1/ Thanks 2/ It's not usually completely full, and some of it is from syrup, not from nectar. 3/ I've only left them wet once and two supers-full of frames went mouldy and had to be scrapped, so I haven't done it since

I know Apiguard shouldn't be on hives at the same time as a honey crop, but how pervasive and long lived is it ? I leave a super on as extra winter stores for the bees, so if that super has been on at the same time as Apiguard does it mean the wax will be tainted and that frames that are empty...

I believe you can save the comb by putting the frames in water for a while, so that the crystalised honey dissolves but the wax is left undamaged