Recent content by Deaner666

Thanks for the posts. Seems like my situation isn't too out of the blue, although I still don't know if destroying cells is the right thing to do. It certainly doesn't feel right to do it!

Hi all, I went through my big hive yesterday and found four sealed queen cells. They seemed like classic supersedure cells to me - there were only 4, they were in the middle of the frame (2 each on 2 frames) and the hive has three supers on, the top one of which is only half full with honey...

Update! Slightly late with this, but I was struck down with a viral infection and am only just recovering... Last Tuesday (31st July), I got a call at work from my mum saying there was a swarm of bees in the garden (the apiary is in my mum's garden). I had a horrible feeling it was our big...

Ah - that's exactly what it looked like!

I'm not saying there aren't eggs in there, just that I haven't seen them specifically. But I can never see eggs in either of the two hives in our apiary! A combination of wearing glasses, looking through a veil, the dappled blinding light we get playing through the bushes above the hive and me...

They were a swarm that we attracted into a bait hive - do you mean you think they've swarmed again since we caught them? What's the idea behind leaving only one cell? As I mentioned in the OP, somebody else said the same thing.

Hmm... it's a possibility. We do have himalayan balsam in the valley where the apiary is situated, although I've not seen it in flower yet. The white on her thorax was a perfect circle though and she was 'slightly' bigger than the workers around her. Thanks for the nod though, I'm feeling a bit...

No. This is what surprised me. From the very first inspection they were full length (but unsealed) full-on queen cells. I've not seen the queen and not seen the eggs themselves, but lots of larvae and brood - all in really good condition. The laying pattern is perfect. They've not expanded...

Hello all, two posts in as many minutes! Quick question: I'm in my second year of beekeeping and have two hives - one I've had since the beginning of last summer and a hived swarm I caught about 6 weeks ago (see the other thread I just posted!). On inspecting our more established hive last...

Hi all - just looking for some reassurance / guidance here. I'm in my second year of beekeeping (but the first in which I should get some honey!). Me and my beekeeping buddy (me mum!), caught a swarm in a bait box about 6 weeks ago. On our first inspection after moving them into the apiary...

Ah... It's all crystal clear now! Again, thanks for all the advice. The consensus here really makes sense to me and notes have been made!

It certainly does. That sounds like a great rule of thumb system. I'll have to make a note! I've got eyelet hooks for the hive, strap and fishing style suspension weight so I could easily work to a similar system next winter. Thanks for the advice.

drstitson: I'm confused, I was basing my comment on the above quote, which you posted and others had agreed with...

Worker foundation. It had never dawned on me that technically I was a running a brood and a half (something everyone seems to advise against and definitely not something I wanted to do) since the queen doesn't lay over winter and I assumed we'd be putting the QX back on before she started...

Matchsticks? This is the 21st century. I'm using lighters. :p