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  1. oxnatbees

    Using Sheep’s Wool As Insulation

    Were the sheep ever treated with insecticides? (Sheep dip etc)
  2. oxnatbees

    I lost a hive and am wondering what caused it

    There's a thing called Amoeba Disease which has symptoms similar to nosema, but the amoeba are larger than nosema's rice shaped bodies. It's rare, but becoming more common. Check that out on e.g. the national bee unit's website and other good info sources.
  3. oxnatbees

    'Eco' Tree Hives or disease-bombs in waiting?

    I know him. He's not in it for the money.
  4. oxnatbees

    Hive survival over winter

    On the contrary - pretty much no one in our group feeds. As far as I know, the local BKA doesn't do any such analysis, which is a shame as it would give an interesting contrasting dataset to compare the results of the approaches.
  5. oxnatbees

    Hive survival over winter

    I lost one of 7 over winter, but winter losses vary amazingly between one location and another 5 miles away. Our group looks at our losses each year, about a hundred colonies in all kinds of hives scattered across, approximately, one county. This was the latest results (haven't surveyed this...
  6. oxnatbees

    Questions about poly hives

    Very useful, thank you. I think I know where some are, a bee farmer put about 40 hives 2 miles away a year ago. I think some were poly. About 7 made it through winter (terrible location), I'll see if any of the deadouts whose roofs blew off were poly, if so I can examine them without causing...
  7. oxnatbees

    Questions about poly hives

    I'm trying to get my head round poly hives. The term seems a bit ambiguous. Am I right in thinking the term can refer both to simple, soft hives and also a more sophisticated type with foamed insulation sandwiched between hard plastic walls? Also, are the simple soft type mainly used for small...
  8. oxnatbees

    Cyrenaican bees: nocturnal foraging?

    An African beekeeper told me one species there forages by moonlight to reduce predation by wasps. I've heard one or two reports even in the UK, when the moon is near full. Very rare.
  9. oxnatbees

    Entombed Pollen

    Thanks for the clarification. Yes, we have pollen mites - I think there are various species worldwide - but they're so small you don't usually see them unless you think to look.
  10. oxnatbees

    Entombed Pollen

    Do you mean the grey cells? My understanding is (please correct me if I'm wrong, I respect your vast experience) that bee bread is sealed with a layer of honey - so it glistens. One also often sees dull cells, which are pollen not yet processed into bee bread, which tends to fall out as a...
  11. oxnatbees

    Hybrids & defensive/aggressive behaviour

    Sounds like the local stock is mating with your imports around you, and you are making them defensive, whilst 5 miles from you, the local stock is essentially a pure landrace.
  12. oxnatbees

    How much can you read without opening up the hive?

    I've never had one of my swarms go in a chimney, but I've seen a few. Last year I got called to 2 such swarms. The trick is to use the smell of Dettol - not the weak hand pump surface spray, but the bottle. I have one permanently in my swarm kit now. Put it on a rag or something which you stuff...
  13. oxnatbees

    How much can you read without opening up the hive?

    Good indication if it is queen-right Disease Hygiene level Vigour level can indicate starvation Drone layers It's not just looking at entrance. Examine floor debris and ejecta. Flying patterns. Heft the hive. Bodies. Listen to the noises. And it's not about never opening the hive - it's about...
  14. oxnatbees

    Swarm catching devices and extendable poles.

    Yes. I used one once, swarm up very high tree. The property owners offered it ("we don'tceven have a pool, the previous occupants left it behind"). I noticed the aluminium pole was marvellosly light. It wasn't ideal as the top of the net wasn't closed, so it took a few attempts to get them, but...
  15. oxnatbees

    Skeptics

    Just to clarify a few points - - you don't need to kill the bees, you drum them out. This was always the case, but some skeppists, especially in Britain, just assumed you sulfured them because that was their local tradition, and swarms were so plentiful I guess they didn't care. Like Canadians...
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