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    Compulsory registration?

    Well here’s a reality check. UK bee keeping makes an insignificant financial contribution to the UK economy (last defra figures I saw indicated £10m) - other than indirectly through pollination. Stolen bees pollinate just as well as other bees. There’s no evidence to indicate that bee/bee...
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    Compulsory registration?

    I wonder how big a problem bee-theft really is. It was undoubtedly a shock to some in the bee keeping community when it became widely published (mostly via the on-line social media), but given the thousands of bee keepers in this country I’ve not seen any evidence that they’re experiencing a...
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    Wasp nest removal.

    Morrisons (and I think B&Q) sell cans of 'Wasp Nest Destroyer' (about 3 quid)- will shoot a jet of foam over a distance of about 20 feet if you don't want to get too close. Just wait until dark (so all the wasps are back) then spray the nest. I've done several in my loft over the years. One can...
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    Swarm Collectors Map

    Last year I had 59 swarm calls (so I took myself off the list this year). Almost all came direct via the internet. Only five came via the local council (and it appears that I was the only person on their list). It tended to be older people (post 60) or people in council houses who used the...
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    Swarm Collectors Map

    I missed the link before it was taken down - been googling so that I can decide if it's worth directing people to - is it the one that starts batchgeo.com ??
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    Swarm & colony survival in the wild

    Myxomatosis killed over 95% of the rabbit population in ‘54, now some 60 years later over 65% of the rabbit population is reckoned to be immune. Not sure how many of this forum’s users can wait that long for honey bees to do the same though . . .
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    hive numbers

    I have just the six hives so I number them one to six . . . in my mind. If the hives aren't being moved around then sticking to a simple counting system is cheap, easy and practical.
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    Hives Stolen in Purbrook, Hampshire

    Well - the BBKA swarm collection list provides name, address and telephone number of swarm collectors. If I was stealing bees colonies it'd probably be my first port of call - especially those addresses linked to land (eg farms) which might imply out apiaries in secluded locations.
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    BeeHouse

    He appeared to be using polythene as a crown board. It's a technique I recall noting on a video, from I think Eastern Europe, that used poly hives. It made inspection a bit quicker - just pop off the roof, roll back the plastic. Any idea if it's in common usage in UK commercial honey production...
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    Rotating hive

    there's a good explanation here http://www.apiservices.com/articles/us/rotating_broodnest.htm
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    Compulsory registration?

    The problem with compulsory registration is that unless it's enforceable it will be pointless because there will be no incentive to register - there would be neither a carrot or a stick. To enforce it effectively would probably cost money which would have to come from somewhere - which I suspect...
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    Limited Company

    And a Limited company will mean more cost and paperwork. You'll have to produce annual returns to HMRC (on time or face an automatic £300 fine) and to Companies House and in the correct format - and that might require the services and cost of an accountant unless you already have those skills...
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    intralabs - oxalic acid

    http://www.intralabs.co.uk/oxalic%20acid
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    intralabs - oxalic acid

    Has anyone used these guys for oxalic? (1kg £10 delivered).
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    Free swarms

    To all - the swarms stopped a long time ago . . . maybe next year
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