Recent content by london_flower_guy

what forage are your bees bringing in now? After the recent heat wave allot of plants where I am in West London dried up. Bramble flowered earlier than normal this year, most wild flowers have keeled over in the recent heat and all the shrubs and trees are over also. Interested to know what...

Brings new meaning to the phrase 'dine and dash'

I'm noticing lots of bumble bees on my perennial cornflower...many though are not on the actual open flowers but appear to be collecting sticky resins from the flower buds before they open. I notice honey bees doing this to horse chestnut buds aswell

Could well be yes.

If you speak to your regional bee inspector they will likely tell you that cut outs are high risk for brood disease and through experience of several cut outs myself I would have to agree with them. All the ones I have cut out in the past were badly infested with Varroa, DWV, Nosema and or...

I'd imagine all of those would be factors. I'm thinking that the apparent increased popularity of pyracantha this season could be weather related. Late spring means bees may have missed out on other sources of forage so are going after fire thorn as an alternative?

My bees are bringing in blue-green pollen at moment ... Think its allium pollen, probably from onions on nearby allotments

I know of 3 feral colonies, 2 of which are known to have died, the other unsure about as haven't passed it recently. I tested the 2 that died for nosema last year by waving a plastic bag infronn t of the nest to catch a sample and was able to see some of the brood nest on one of them (in a tree...

Thanks for the explanation. Now back to Pyracantha....

you can always try uploading the picture to ispot.org website where an expert will verify or identify for you

Btw why the cold hatred towards LBKA? There is a reoccurring theme going on here on this site. It's quite obvious, even to new arrivals such as myself. One aspect I enjoy about bee keeping is the social aspect, meeting like minded people with which to share your interest. I am sensing little...

correct me if I am wrong but i'm pretty sure that Beekeepers liability insurance is void once the keeper is a certain height off the ground - i think its step ladder height or maybe even less. I doubt insurance would also cover you for the breaking into the roof part either. You'd have to make...

having been on the receiving end of a bike theft in the past, despite investing in substantial security measures, I cant think of anything that would stop a really determined hive thief. I feel very sorry for the victim here, Keeping bees is hard work at times and a real labor of love it must...

also never said I was new to keeping, ive been a bee keeper for a few seasons now, I am just new to this forum. You people sure know how to make new comers feel welcome

not an LBKA committee member and this is the only account I have here, I am a keen and experienced horticulturalist hence the user name. this forum really is full of insecure, quite bitchy and paranoid people.....just my initial observations having been here less than a day