Recent content by RayN

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  1. R

    night time behavior

    My bees do the same. Seems to be connected with humidity rather than temperature per se.
  2. R

    when to move to brood and a half?

    JezD, HBGB, and everyone else, Thanks for the advice, very useful. However due to incompetent beekeeping and hesitation on my part, they swarmed. I caught the swarm and hived them as per the book, now it's just a waiting game and hope they don't abscond. Next time I'll be more vigilant and...
  3. R

    when to move to brood and a half?

    Rosti, WW, thanks for the replies. I find the suggestion to move to 14x12 interesting. I've heard this from a variety of sources. My main intention isn't to make increase as such but to prevent the colony form running out of space and perhaps swarming because of it. I don't particularly want to...
  4. R

    when to move to brood and a half?

    Are there any rules of thumb regrding if or when to move from a single brood to a brood and a half or a double brood? I've currently got a colony on a single national that has eight frames of densely packed, capped brood ( plus two uncapped frames and a dummy board. I coudln't see if there were...
  5. R

    Swarm leaves a hive...and then returns

    I heard of something similar in an apiary I attend. A hive swarmed but eventually went back into the hive! Further investigation showed that accidently someone had placed a QE between the Q and the exit. The effect being hte Q couldn't leave.
  6. R

    Mould in the brood box

    Thanks for the help and reassurance everyone. For the record, it was a small colony - in effect a nuc in a divided brood box. No supers. No top ventilation. Insulation only for about 4 weeks during the coldest spell. the insulation didn't cover the vents in the roof, the entrance or the varroa...
  7. R

    Mould in the brood box

    The hive has a mesh floor on top of a solid floor. I use the gap between the mesh and the solid floor for a varroa board. It's located in a shaded part of my garden so in retrospcet I don't think this has helped. The bees are flying when warm and gathering bright yellow pollen. ...and I...
  8. R

    Mould in the brood box

    Hi, I'm a new beek and this is my first winter. I very briefly opened my hive today and found a couple of the frames in the brood box had mould - a few patches of 2 -3 inches across. Is this something I should worry about? Do I need to do anything to get rid of it - if so, what? Thanks in advance.
  9. R

    eggs on varroa board

    This is my first year keeping bees. I have noticed eggs amongst the debris on the varroa board. I don't think this is a good thing. Can the more experienced beeks comment please? I may have a had a supercedure or a failing queen. I'm wondering now if I've got a laying worker(s)and the other...
  10. R

    Queen gone off lay!

    I had a queen go off lay a couple of weeks ago but I put it down to a side effect of the apiguard treatment.
  11. R

    queen\princess found outside front of hive

    Admin, I'll do that. Thanks.
  12. R

    queen\princess found outside front of hive

    Thanks for the replies. Am I right in thinking that apiguard isn't effective below 15 degrees C? It's been around 13 degrees here for the past week or so, so should I take the apiguard off now and start feeding?
  13. R

    Interesting crackling sound from hive

    I too was told it is the sound of the bees manipulating\drawing wax.
  14. R

    queen\princess found outside front of hive

    Hi Jezd, thanks for the quick reply and reassurance. I'm pretty sure that the queen we found inside the hive is the original in that she looks like the original that I know and love. The one I found in front of the hive was smaller. I'm hoping that it is the effect of the apiguard and I hope...
  15. R

    queen\princess found outside front of hive

    Hi, I'm a new beekeeper this year. I have one small colony which I thought I'd more or less bedded down for the winter. The hive is in its third week of the second apiguard treatment. This afternoon, I found a queen\princess on the ground in front of the hive! It looked a bit emaciated, minus a...
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