Recent content by Fraise

Could it be that the typical UK bait hive (National) does not offer sufficient room for colony expansion whereas a chimney does?

I always leave spare hives out throughout the season so that any swarms can move in. I consider this a service to the local community because I hope a swarm will move into a bait hive in preference to someones chimney. For the past 4 years swarms have arrived in my apiary which have not come...

I have a £35 vaporizer and it works well. It takes 2 to 3 minutes per hive using a well charged battery. Seems to be quite well made.

How often is too often ? Sorry .... but every time I read the heading I smile: How often is too often? Once a king, always a king Once a knight is enough or perhaps if you are a on the wrong side of retirement: Once a king, always a king once a week is enough :ohthedrama:

Stinging nettles thrashing was used by the Romans to keep warm and aid blood circulation so cannot be all bad. If anyone wants to try it then PM me We have a good crop in the garden.

I always thought getting stung was much over rated until I also suffered very itchy palms and soles of feet after taking multiple stings from the hive from hell. Since then I have kept Piriton close by but worry that I might be becoming allergic to bee venom.

I moved a hive just as it was getting dark last night. The distance moved was slightly less than the suggested 3 miles. There was no activity at the entrance until I started to block them in but I know one curious bee escaped as I filled the entrance with foam. I placed a spare hive as a bait...

LYE is sodium hydroxide, commonly known as caustic soda.

Wicked !

I lost a swarm last month (on 19th April). They only stayed a short time in a nearby tree before flying off, I know not where. Loosing a swarm like this seems to have been unavoidable if we follow advised practice. We are told not to open hives when the temperature is below 15 degrees to avoid...

Got stung on wrist while removing queen excluder. She got down past the glove cuff & it hurt far more than any previous sting. Trouble was I could not take glove off until I had put roof on and gotten away from all the other bees. Have never had such a bad reaction, within half an hour my feet...

On BBC Breakfast at 7.20 this morning there was an item about obesity and sugars. They said honey is among the worst type of sugars to eat. I have always believed that it is better to consume natural products like honey rather than factory produced alternatives like refined sugar. Am I wrong?

I set the STC1000 to 45C, it takes half an hour to get up to that temperature. The light bulb is near the bottom with a piece of metal to shield the lining of the freezer. Anything I am warming is on a 'shelf' above so not getting direct heat from bulb. Thermometer for STC is same level.

I use a small chest freezer I use for both. For warming I have a Stc1000 and a single 40w light bulb. When I need freezer I just remove light bulb and thermometer and plug it in to mains.

A bait hive made of brand new components is unlikely to attract a swarm. Bees seem to prefer old comb.