Yes, that's what I did- lots of struggling with gaffer tape in the darkness. It's when I did this that I discovered that one of my hives had a gap in the floor that the bees poured out of in response to having the entrance sealed up. It was this gang of hooligans that have been hanging around...
I have packed up my beekeeping and sold all of my kit which was collected yesterday. I have around 200 very angry and confused bees hanging around the empty apiary site. Any thoughts on how long it will take them to disperse?
All sold now- thanks to everyone who showed an interest.
That's me done. Good luck to you all. May the weather be kind, the honey flow and your queens be plentiful.
I am in my third season of beekeeping and have decided that I have given it a fair go, but it isn’t for me. It has become more of a chore than I hoped for, I think I am just not very good and my family need the garden back. As a result I am going to sell up. My colonies are in a bit of a state...
Another swarm just heading out- that's it for me. I'm really not enjoying it anymore... Neighbours running for cover, garden out of bounds for the 4th weekend running; sting on my neck has come up like a goitre.
I don't know any other beekeepers and don't have a mentor, so I really struggle through on my own. Right now I am feeling quite low and confused about what's happening.
Mind you- your point about the honey is spot on...
I am seriously thinking about giving up. I'm in my third season and I really don't feel I am any good at this. 2 swarms today even though I've been trying to keep on top of inspections and now my collection has gone up to 6 colonies. Getting fed up with being stung... and I want to be able to go...
My hives are all named after their queens. My queens are named from A-Z using body parts and diseases as the source material. The two newest queens are Nipple and Orifice...
Just done my second artificial swarm of the week, couldn't see the queen in the hive that was swarming, but that is most likely because none of my queens are marked and I am really terrible at spotting them. I do have a nagging suspicion that she may have already gone though. So now have 3 hives...