Chris Hancock

Of course, if climate change is too fast for bees to adapt , I might have to reconsider which bees will find the conditions bearable....

To be fair, I gave up on the imported bees after the first and her subsequent generations. Obviously, I cannot prove that other bees...

In answer to the question about my reasons for wanting local bees- I started out with an Italian queen, who seemed OK, but after the...

We picked up a tiny cluster of bees locally, and the queen is small and very black, so I did mark her. She is laying and brood looks...

I am still wearing my BB suit after about 16 years, though when I wanted a second one for working in other apiaries, the sizes had got...

Mistakes are the most impressive way to learn, but working alongside an experienced beekeeper will give you more understanding, and then...

It isn't worth rushing, but it is important that those nasty genes don't get spread by her drones, if you can take those drone combs...

Let me explain that I have dealt with defensive colonies and requeened them. A couple of years ago, I went to fetch a swarm, which was a...

Just a few wasps beginning to appear, maybe they are just late. Usually, we get masses because of the soft banks and thicket cover, and...

When moving a box to requeen grumpy bees, I did find it helpful to have a couple of boards to pop on top of them as you do the moving...

Thankyou for your valid points- Normally, I could deal with the feisty few and the enthusiastic young guard bees, but these have been...

If you found a virgin, the previous queen is likely to have swarmed, and often more bees go out with her than should, and they return to...

Sometimes, it takes up to four weeks before they lay, and some queens are small and hard to spot. Give them time, but to stop laying...

If bees are rubbing together a lot in transit, they may have their hairs broken and let any virus in, but it probably has to be in that...

Queens are definitely not living as long or getting mated as well recently. When I started, a queen might be productive up to 4 years...