Recent content by lindsay s

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  1. L

    What did you do in the Apiary today?

    I went to add fondant to 4 poly nucs I’m over wintering at a friend’s apiary. I got a shock on arrival because the willows behind my nucs have been given quite a radical haircut! They used to be as tall as the ones at the back. My nucs are the 4 to the right. You’ll notice how dark my bees are...
  2. L

    Caster sugar... does it matter?

    I know all about freight charges at this end of the country. When the appliance dealer’s say “spend X amount and get free carriage” we are always excluded. The freight for jars is even worse and adds a significant amount to their cost! Sorry if you thought I was after free sugar and I wasn’t...
  3. L

    Caster sugar... does it matter?

    I’m interested to know how you have access to so much free sugar. Would you be willing to tell us. Stored properly it should keep indefinitely. I would be working out where to store the 750kg bags 😉
  4. L

    What did you do in the Apiary today?

    Today -3c at 15:00 at my most sheltered apiary in the middle of town. Milder at +6c by Sunday. Despite our location we don’t often get prolonged snow or extreme cold due to the moderating sea around us. Shetland just a bit to the north of us always seems to be worse. Our winters tend to be very...
  5. L

    infrared photos through mesh floor?

    We are now at the stage where we can supply local bees to anyone wanting to start up here. We did struggle a few years back when there was an explosion in interest here. Also it looks like a record number of nucs will be overwintered for next year. Definitely no queen imports. So far when we’ve...
  6. L

    infrared photos through mesh floor?

    Thanks Little bees This should be for a different thread, but varroa has been in Caithness at the very top of the Scottish mainland since 2014. With only a 10 mile stretch of water between its closest point and here. Maps like the above are a help but it will only take someone who doesn’t know...
  7. L

    infrared photos through mesh floor?

    WRONG!!! https://www.nationalbeeunit.com/assets/PDFs/5_Beekeeping_in_Scotland/Map-showing-the-current-distribution-of-Varroa-in-Scotland.pdf
  8. L

    Jars query

    An update on the price of honey here. Why I hate shops aimed at visitors Orkney Honey 227g A local grocery store is selling the same jars for £7:50! I know the supplier and I know what they ask the sellers for.
  9. L

    AUS….Given up on Varroa Removal

    You are right Ian it was picked up in “biosecurity surveillance hives at the Port of Newcastle” last June which which was in their winter time. I’ve been following the story on and off since then. Here’s the latest article on the abc site. At the end of it if you click on the more on beekeeping...
  10. L

    What did you do in the Apiary today?

    This photo was taken about a week ago and extracting is now well underway. I am using my Thomas 6 frame manual extractor and a 100kg bottling tank. My extractor is more than 25 years old now and I spent £45 last year on replacing the lids and a little welding on the cage. It’s good to go for...
  11. L

    Unusual smell / after taste - any ideas?

    You might laugh Spike but the carriage charge for the pallet of jars I recently got home was £159:35 !!! At this rate it won’t be long till we’ll be charging £6:00 for the jar 😭
  12. L

    Unusual smell / after taste - any ideas?

    I spoke to the farmer who owns the land where my hives were today and he said there was a couple of uncultivated fields full of ragwort less than half a mile from my hives. ( It wasn’t his land by the way) It looks like my bees took advantage of the easy pickings. I have put hives there for the...
  13. L

    Unusual smell / after taste - any ideas?

    You are probably right although the farmers mostly keep on top of it. I have found a thread about it on this forum. A search on the web says it’s not poisonous so I’m going to blend it in with the rest of my honey. I hope no one says “ you’re charging £6:00 for a jar that smells of pee!
  14. L

    Unusual smell / after taste - any ideas?

    Another any ideas? Only getting round to extracting now this year. Partly due to leaving the supers on for an extra two weeks due to the good weather and also waiting for our kitchen to be completed. No better way to christen it then to cover everything in honey and beeswax! All of my honey gets...
  15. L

    Jars query

    First of all I’ve just passed on 7 trays (196 jars) to another beekeeper and then I had a quick peep into the top supers of five hives. All full of bees working the combs, mild and humid here today and just right for the nectar to be coming in. Who’s buying the honey, both residents and tourists...
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