Recent content by Nic Rhodes

Beekeeping & Apiculture Forum

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  1. N

    Great method of dealing with agressive bees

    I did the second suit back in the early 80s with the nastiest colony I ever had to deal with, I still ended up in hospital with over 400 stings. I like the idea at the time but fell you need to 'deal' with nasty bees by working out why. It wasn't fun...
  2. N

    Rose method with poly hives?

    I use Langstroth Mediums like this which works vey well and kit wise is far simpler than any of the other systems I have tried. Just stick to wooden frames!
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    Converter Hive

    I have a load of MBS Langstoth nucleus hives (medium, standard deep and jumbo) and have wooden inserts to convert the satndard deep into BS deep and a jumbo into 14 x 12s. It gives me that flexibility to supply bees on the format people want and to not run out of kit. I can also run the nucs a...
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    Quality Control slipping at Solway?

    Solway were decent sorting out issues after I posted a thread here, the problem was the quaity of their kit not communication.
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    Quality Control slipping at Solway?

    I had some very iffy frames and brood boxes from these people. See an earlier thread.
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    Poly nuc

    I lost seveal Paynespoly nucs to mice last winter. They did not naw the poly, just came through the front door! The nucs (mk2) with the dial entrance were fine so I am in the process of closing the original entrance on the Mk1s and fitting the entrance wheels over a new entrance.
  7. N

    BAIT HIVES - what's your success rate?

    four in bait hives so far this year. Not always as good!
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    Choice of Bee Suit

    Don't forget many of the major suit suppliers do so in different materials. I have used light weight suits for years as I find the thicker cotton ones too warm for beekeeping. My Sherrif is on the way out after 15+ years, I bought BB Wear as a back up last year. I suspect I will buy a new...
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    Overwintering Queens in mating/mini nucs

    The mini plus hives are great, I have one on four brood boxes I over wintered! It is my favoutite mating hive. Re Keilers, there are two sizes of second brood box available, one takes the feeder.....one does not. One box Apidea / Keilers are fine in the summer but 2 or more boxes do make a...
  10. N

    Cambridgeshire hive called the "Cottages"

    As a hive, they were nothing special and not very compatible with stuff. I ditched mine over 30 years ago.
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    Mouse Guards

    Found four nests on 1st doing oxalic, one nuc dead, the rest was in roofs, or spare kit. Will need to be a bit more careful next year wrt mouse guards on spare kit.
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    What did you do in the Apiary today?

    Oxalic acid demo at the teaching apiary today. Some bees flying.
  13. N

    Oxalic time........on its way

    cold snap here atm, +5oC atm (10.30 pm) :( role on summer
  14. N

    Why use pollen patties?

    luckily many here are not too concerned about yield, for me it well down the list of things I worry about, if fact it is pretty close to the bottom. When I kept bees in africa, yields were huge, but beekeeping was poor. Hives were taller than men and the yields would make yours look tiny. Each...
  15. N

    Why use pollen patties?

    never come across a pollen shortage over here, you may want to boost it but there always seems to be plenty.
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