I use one of these. Have a boiler tank part full of hot water (the big tea making ones for meetings so it keeps hot). Prop it in the water between scrapes and no problem with clogging. After a shake it dries quick and is clean ready to go again.
Massive queen outside hive. Same thing happened to me earlier in the year and it was a supercedure. Hive in question seems to be going great guns now (it did not look like a great outlook at the time) but it is sad when they don’t let her back in.
Plastic Quilts on all my hives. Godsend. I use the Plastic People in Leeds who will do any size with a feeder hole if required. I use the 4mm thickness.
I think I am experiencing virgin queen initial drone laying situation then. Their stores were good last week but I have given them some thin syrup this morning as a boost. I actually picked up the new queen when she got back from a mating flight. It is a long hive, so no supers and she landed...
One of my hives already chucking out the boys. Seems very early but there were a lot of drones in hive last week as I think new queen was late laying worker brood which now seems to be rectified. Is this normal at this time?
Thanks James. After arrival this week of a nail gun and compressor hubby may start his hard stare routine. Hoover on my list though. Don’t want to bother the swarm guys and girls. I have done ok even if they go.
It’s a very stubby old tree i am afraid and the bees are in the middle of some old coppiced branches with no give. I managed to shake one half into box when they were lower down yesterday luckily but my attempted shaking and swinging from the branches this morning just got them flying like...
Managed to get about half a new swarm that emanated from my long hive in poly box yesterday and despite some girls fanning at entrance the other half won’t come down. I had made the misguided mistake as was a new queen last year would be ok so lax on last quick inspection. My bad. Lots of in and...
Thanks so much. Comforting and helpful. What stage brood donation best at this stage do you think? Sealed or open or a bit of both. I have left them to it today so far. Just to complicate matters new QC is on an MD super that I left on over winter with stores and I was waiting for them to go...