Recent content by Hackney

Below that temp, I suppose the cluster can move up, and along the comb length, but can it move sideways between combs? If not, does that mean they only use stores on combs to the side of the cluster when it's warm enough to break out? I do read books but sometimes they don't tidy up the loose...

Sugar water spray was suggested to me recently - supposedly gets them indoors out of the rain, and / or interested in the sugar, without triggering the forest fire evacuation response, which they must take a while to recover from.

Pleasure. Have you asked on the natural beekeeping forum? Plenty of friendly TBHers there.

Louise, Ted Hooper's Guide to Bees and Honey has a garden plant list, at the end of ch.10 in the 4th edn. Berberis, cotoneaster, crocus, heathers, hebe, holly, hypericum, lavatera, shrub lonicera, mahonia, michaelmas daisies and other compositae, ribes, snowdrop, thyme, willow; his wild plant...

Phil Chandler touches on this in The Barefoot Beekeeper, point 10 under 'Hive Rotation method for artificial swarming'. Tim

Thanks again, I think that covers my worries.

Thanks. As I said it's the upper of 2 brood boxes so should I worry about the effect of temporarily snatching half their space? Is it worth sticking a super beneath while the upper box is off, just to give them room? Or will the colony already be shrinking for winter & needing less space...

Does thymol spoil sealed honey (as opposed to unsealed)? Why I'm asking. I’m approaching winter with double brood, by accident not policy. I’m not bothered about how much honey I get (I’ve had most of a super) so I’m leaving double brood for the winter, & maybe harvesting the upper brood box...