Recent content by peteinwilts

A water source and a well insulated hive is good enough. The comb is designed to act as a cooling tower. Bees may build brace comb to shape the air inside the hive, particularly if there is space where they want less or need to create extra ventilation by creating cooling channels. Many...

Maybe I was just unlucky... will try again.

I looked at a handful on Amazon, and after drilling down, the suppliers do not hold stock, or contain additives.

Hi Guys I have been using Lecithin granules for years and works really well. However, I understand there is a Lecithin shortage this year, and the health food shops have none. Online, there are a number of suppliers that are willing to sell it, despite not having stock. Also, other retailers...

A couple of my apiaries are hammered by wasps 6-8 weeks before I generally feed. I also do not use swarm traps to attract them. More likely to be conditional on wasp population density and lack of easy to get to adult wasp forage. The wasps are usually desperate and bee+wasp battles are frequent...

As do I. It helps when you are inspecting many apiaries with a drive in between. I also have a long lighter in the glove compartment and a jet lighter in the centre column. Covers any eventuality. I also use a small handful of the shredded cardboard as it is really good for getting the smoker...

I have had an issue for a few years. Once it was in an apiary, it was difficult to get out. Tried the vertical shook swarm method early on. It seemed to help, but the same bees would suffer the following year. I quarenteened the affected apiaries and tested different treatments. I tried varroa...

Sometimes there is no June gap as the weather plays a curveball. We definately had a May gap this year in these parts!

I use corkscrew ground anchors for temporary placement in summer. In rich soil, they pull out during strong winds when the ground gets wet. For permanent fixtures, every hive has a large paving slab. I drill a hole in the center and put an 8mm bolt/hook through (with washers etc). I then use a...

Many new beekeepers are tempted to look as soon as the sun comes out. If the queen is damaged or squished, it is likely the hive will not survive. It is not worth the risk. You can also ask, other than a food check (heft), what would be the purpose of the inspection at this time of year? It is...

An even carpet of dead bees may suggest an unclustered hive. This may suggest a failed queen. The bees become demoralised, break the cluster and the cold gets them. If the queen was alive (and one of the last to die), she may have been seen on the frame with a pocket full of bees. This was not...

consider what causes naughty hives... Elderly queen - can be replaced (at a more suitable time of year) Grumpy queen - AKA bad genes. can also be replaced. Chances are, the offspring will also be grumpy and will need a few weeks to replace the bees. Extra large hive - some big hives can be...

Most days indeed! Being a rural beekeeper, I need to contend with barbed wire fences, hedgerows, and humping mucho supers of honey which takes its toll. I try and avoid moving paving slabs in my better suits...but it happens now and again

I would persist with the supplier. I personally have gone to BBWear. I buy the premium suit, and is they supplied the first suit that has lasted more than a year. I have just had two years out of it, and would last longer, but is looking a bit threadbare in places and has had a barbed wire...

I certainly feel the same. After tripping over the site in 2008 and asking some dumb questions, I was made to feel welcome with a 'do it' vibe. I approached the local beekeeping association, and was treated with a frosty 'members of the public should not keep bees'. I got my first bees from...