Recent content by Panteg

Couldn't have got this far without you E! ;) As to how far apart they are - not far, a group of 4 back to back in the middle and not more that 30 feet between first and last of the rest. It's a small sloping orchard.

I don’t want to run more than 3 hives. I went away for 10 days at the beginning of June having done 3 artificial swarms as all three hives had Q cells. Felt quite smug! I have been back less than a week in time to catch 2 swarms and a cast and I know I missed at least one. I now have 7...

And Garden Compost Add half rotted garden compost to that list. They don't mind the fully mature variety but turning the heap really annoys my usually very calm bees. Last year I ended up wearing a veil, this year I just did it in the rain!!

Completed Stage One Thanks all. I've gone with Alldigging and the National Bee Unit method. The NBU should know what it's about (!) and it did seem simpler than the other methods. Completed stage one this morning. I have to go back in 7 days for stage two and then I'll let you know how it's...

Is it possible to do an artificial swarm without finding the Q first? She is still in there somewhere! There are lots of new eggs, there are also lots of charged but as yet uncapped Q cells. I have been through the very large brood and half twice in two days and can't find her. I am sure she...

Thanks for all the interesting comments. I think I'll go with Redwood here (my bees are often pretty defiant too!). The patties will stay in the freezer unless we get another endlessly cold wet spring with no pollen to be had.

Save you money! Try just making a hole in an old jam jar lid, add a bit of water and old jam/marmalade to the jar and put it near the base of the hive. (Never honey - the bees will try and take it). I have been emptying full jars of wasps and a few flies over the last few days. It never fails -...

I have acquired two pollen patties as freebies when I bought MAQ strips from a certain company keen to establish themselves this side of the pond. There were no instructions about when or how to use them. I guess they go directly onto the top of the brood frames. But when and why would my...

How wonderfully philanthropic of Bayer Chemicals. I wonder what could have motivated them?

Thanks Hivemaker, Exmoor is a lovely part of the world I'm sure my bees would love it! I have hung up the nest just to see what happens - not a lot yet, still loads of wasps, I'm emptying the full wasp traps every couple of days. We had a frost here on Monday but the cold nights don't seem to...

There is (or certainly was last year) a beekeeping club at one of the secondary schools in Herefordshire run by an enthusiastic teacher/beekeeper. His answer to my question about Elf and Safety was that there weren’t any specific rules because nobody who wrote them had ever thought about...

I have been given a huge old wasp nest by a neighbour who says if I hang it up near my hives it will deter wasps from the area! Anyone heard of this? Does it work? This is my fourth season beekeeping and the first that I have had any real problem with wasps. I have done all the usual...

Welcome What is the forage like over there in Texas when the peach blossom is not in flower? Is there plenty of diversity to keep them going through the season? Best of luck!

Weird results! I have two hives, similar bee numbers in Jan ( approx. 8 - 9 frames). Sited 10 feet apart. Both treated in August with Apilife var and had a couple of hundred drop each. In January after Oxalic Hive one: 27 mites after one week. Hive two: 1,300 after one week. Anyone got any...

They seem to like the moss at the edge of the pond, or sometimes the damp patch in front of the greenhouse door. The compost heap is usually covered so they don't get a chance to drink from it.