Recent content by LeoP

Beekeeping & Apiculture Forum

Help Support Beekeeping & Apiculture Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
  1. LeoP

    Bees in Cumbria or North East ...

    I ended up buying some from the-beeman (just google it). I got an overwintered 6f nuc at the end of April. Excellent quality, the calmest bees I've ever had. Within a week it was on 9 frames and last week I did a walkaway split (at his recommendation).
  2. LeoP

    Bees in Cumbria or North East ...

    My captured swarms re-swarmed to the point that they were too weak to survive the winter ... well, they did, but broke the cluster in a warm spell, laid up some cells and got frosted. I'm looking for replacement bees in the North of England - I'm near Carlisle and can get to anywhere in...
  3. LeoP

    Bees near Carlisle (or A69 anywhere)

    My bees swarmed to nothing last year leaving weak non-viable colonies that almost made it through the winter. As they were swarms I suppose it's not really surprising. Can anybody supply a nuc or two soon? I can pick up from Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne & Wear, Durham or Dumfries and Galloway.
  4. LeoP

    What did you do in the Apiary today?

    Made a box jig to try and keep them a bit more square than usual. Assembled one brood and three supers. They were a bit more square. Cleaned up some Manley frames I bought in an auction. Dug through a box of frame bits I bought at the same auction and put together another nine Manleys...
  5. mosscarderbee

    mosscarderbee

  6. Bumblebees

    Bumblebees

    Pictures of..er...bumblebees
  7. LeoP

    What did you do in the Apiary today?

    Late evening inspection to avoid the neighbours - it's getting difficult to spot eggs in the twilight. Both hives doing well. One has a preference for making cups, the other for storing nectar (and has started filling a few cells in the super). I'll be keeping a close eye on the former - they...
  8. LeoP

    What did you do in the Apiary today?

    Does it actually work on the bees or does it just tranquilize the bk to the point that he doesn't care?
  9. LeoP

    What did you do in the Apiary today?

    Nothing yet... Despite the forecast sunshine and 15C, it has rained heavily and been misty all weekend. The bees are working hard at the moment and I'm tempted to leave them to it. I may lift the roofs later to have a peek once they've settled down for the evening. Depends on the weather really.
  10. LeoP

    At what rate are supers going on

    nope.
  11. LeoP

    What did you do in the Apiary today?

    Visited a potential out apiary site. Looks good and not too far away. Too cold wet and windy to do the planned inspections this evening, so I'm hoping it'll be better tomorrow. I need to check as one colony had a play cup in the middle of a frame. The colony was pretty feisty - poured out the...
  12. LeoP

    Another 14x12 nuc??

    It's an interesting idea, but I expect it might be difficult to remove - you'd have to lift it perfectly and if the wood moves or swells it might jam. The cavities would make ideal winter homes for wasp queens and possibly homes for wasps and bumble bees at other times of the year.
  13. LeoP

    Another 14x12 nuc??

    Like redwood says, seal all of the cut ends of the plywood. Also run some glue into any voids or knot holes. I prefer to glue and screw together. Use exterior (or weatherproof) PVA. I have used PU glue in the past but it's more expensive. I use decking screws and drywall screws. Pilot drill the...
  14. LeoP

    Another 14x12 nuc??

    The difference in weight between 18mm and 15mm ply is negligible for a nuc - 20%. I used 18mm because I used the rest of the sheet for hives and because it's more durable. (18-15) / 15 x 100, i.e. 100 / 5 For a full hive and supers that would be significant, but this isn't that. If you...
  15. LeoP

    Nuc Plans

    I suppose it depends on the store. I asked the chap and he said fifteen. I suppose it depends on the chap as well. Fourteen cuts would get most of it chopped up, just leaving the shorter bits off the end to cut by hand.
Back
Top