Recent content by jeff33

Yes. I think there is a consensus that Amm may prefer vicinity mating while carnies and buckies will travel longer distances. Let's be honest though, with 1 hive of each type any virgin from these hives is unlikely to mate with the other drones. Even when you flood an area with selected drones...

I use the back of my Citroen Picasso, bit of a tight space but works well. Frame resting on the table and the cell bars on my knees. I don't do 1000s of graft mind you, just 30 at the time twice in the season.

Agreed, they will have used what you give them. Emergency impulse is sometimes desperation and they use both older larvae and younger larvae. Its not a must do but I like to do it to try and get a better fed queen.

No they won't unless the colony was already in swarm mode and had made swarm cells. There is no mention in the OP that these were about to swarm. @Bluetractorman if you don't remove your old caged queen from the box they will not make any Qcs as they are not Q-. When you add a frame of brood...

The OP is not asking about cross breeding, simply if they get get along living next to each other.....I am ok with my neighbours so long as they don't enter my property🤣

Already done 3 demaree on hives with 10 frames of brood. Got another one which has filled 19 frames with bias. Looks as if I will need to demaree the dble brood in a week or so! I have also finished all the uniting, will check if it worked this weekend.

Sounds good but far too much faff for me. With a F/T job, 30 hives, hobbies, and a missus time is at a premium!

Burning it is!!

I have started doing that with the worst ones and considering doing it with the others. My hourly rate is more than what you pay for 50 DN4 + 50 foundation in the sales. I like the idea of the steamer but it's another piece of kit which will need storage space which is also at a premium here...

Has anyone found a cheap, ingenious, and painless way of removing old wax from frames? I have around 80 frames but can't face the painful task of doing them 1 by 1 by hand. Does a wallpaper steamer produces hot enough steam to melt them? Thanks

If it stinks of dirty socks, it is dandelion.... I secretly love that smell, not dirty socks though 🤣

I measure water content before extraction on open frames only, no point when frames are capped.

That's a customer who sent me that photo. It was a batch from last summer! Seen as nobody else complained, I can only assume they ate theirs quicker 😂

Yes it does! That's a batch of soft set gone wrong.

Thanks Dani