Recent content by Darryl

Big thanks to all who advised. Option 2 taken. Cold day so bees were happy to stay indoors. Similarly, no overheating probems on the journey. Siting the hive was simple as only I was daft enough to struggle in the hailstorms. Bees knew better and ate lunch inside.

Hang in there and keep checking for eggs etc. I have an identical scenario with one of my hives. My queen's are notoriously sneaky and accomplished "hiders". If you are queenless and don't want to invest in a new nuc, why not bait your hive and hope for a swarm?

I have to move a hive a distance of approx 25 mins drive along tarmac roads to the new home. The plan is to seal the entrance just before dark when the field bees are inside, strap and load into my Defender and transport. Hive has OMF for ventilation and the Defender is as draughty as hell...

No, not harsh, just common sense. No wish to risk the viability of other colonies but hoping beyond reason that I can rescue this "lost cause". Realistically a no hoper but .........

Thanks. Adding brood could be ideal, but at this time of year, I can only estimate how strong the other colonies are as to whether any could safely donate. Weather here (NWUK) is still single figures with a cold snap on the way next week. At a guess I would say 2-3 weeks before 1st inspection...

Just opened up a "dead" hive in the apiary. Sodden wet inside and out from recent rains. Mould on frame tops. Loads of dead bees On checking the frames I discovered around 30 workers and a queen, all moving around slowly - but alive! Plenty of food, no brood. First feeling is that the colony is...

Thanks all. I'll browse the options and prise open the wallet.

My plan is to make OMFs with a solid, removeable varroa board. Additionally I've made some removeable UFE's which reduce the amount of open mesh by around 25%. Hopefully I can have the best of three worlds. OMF, UFE and solid floor. I'll trial all variiations this season.

I'm planning to make my own OMF. Woodwork is sorted but I'm looking for a source of varroa mesh either in sheets or on roll. Can anyone recommend a supplier who doesn't charge a fortune for it?

One might suggest he saw his GP or an eye specialist but since he is stuffing manuka honey into his eyes by the jugful, it's doubtful he could see past the end of his nose to get there. Honey might have many medicinal properties but poking it into the eyes could be asking for trouble.

You could write a sit-com script from some of the posts - brilliant!

I agree totally. Facebook is the perfect platform for sad keyboard warriors to spread their venom anonymously. Facebook famously fails to police them making it attractive to them to smear reputations. The quiet chat approach invariably works with these cowards once identified.

Did try that approach to no avail, together with explaining the difference between local honey and a mysterious liquid from the Far East.

There is always a percentage of the buying population who will purchase on price alone. A friend and I tried a comparison. I provided a jar from my hives and she provided one from a supermarket (Aldi I think). The sm "honey" had the consistency of 2:1 and tasted the same (just a little darker)...

Nope. Just keen to have assurance that everything is OK. Coming from Yorkshire, I am far too tight to shell out for syrup when there's nectar to be had.