Search results

I would put money on it being laying worker(s). Multiple eggs, lots of drone brood, no sign of queen after so much trying to find her. Put a test frame in and see what happens then you'll have your answer.

Yes as long as there are eggs the bees will make queen cells especially if they become queenless.

It's the mortuary bees removing dead ones out of the hive. It's normal unless there's hundreds of dead bees then something's not right.

Personally, I'd keep hold of the old queen until I was sure the new one was mated and laying, you never know if she might go on a mating flight and not make it back due to birds or the weather. You could keep her in a mini nuc with a cup full of young bees, then when you are sure your big hive...

What's the rush? Get a nuc, let it build up over the season, if everything's goes in your favour you may get some honey, if not , you'll at least have a strong colony going through next winter, then hopefully get a good honey crop next year.

beekeeping for dummies is pretty good and the haynes manual

Mine are bearding during Apiguard treatment, usually round 7-8pm ish, but by morning everything back to normal. It's because the hive has no proper ventilation during treatment ( it may get a bit stuffy) and they don't really like the stuff.

Do we know for sure that geography is/isn't a factor? Could colder parts of the country suffer less than warm parts or coastal areas differ to in land or urban to rural? Has any research actually been done? While I agree with your points, I do believe geography is a factor and would like to see...

As all beekeepers battle Varroa, I thought it might be worthwhile getting a rough idea of Varroa "hot spots" in the UK. I have noticed on the forum that many people are experiencing less than anticipated Varroa infestation. Could this be due to the lack of decent Spring time earlier this year? I...

I inspected my hive today which was a nucleus and is now thriving with plenty of stores, capped brood, larvae, eggs and cover all frames except one. Is it usual for a colony to prepare to swarm at this time of year? I think I saw an uncapped queen cell at the bottom of a frame. It didn't look...

Put the legs of the hive stand in cans of oil. They will not be able to crawl up and then drown in the oil. Better than pesticide which could harm the bees.

I don't think you need a huge space, just somewhere the bees will be out of the way. You need to consider neighbours and when siting the hive the direction of the flight path ( will this lead directly into next door's barbecue area for example). I have the entrance to my hive pointing towards a...

i was watching the entrance to my hive last week and witnessed a drone being ejected, but he kept trying to get back in, this went on for a good 20 minutes. i found it quite amusing then went and had a cup of tea.

so without sounding stupid, you put fondant on the top bars, then cover with a super? Would the crown board go on top of the super? Will this create unwanted space? Guide me through it. :cheers2:

thanks itma, for your input. Finman, I don't understand your comment.

Hi everyone, I am a new beekeeper and require tips on over wintering bees. It's all well and good reading books and being told by a teacher but does anyone have any little nuggets to share other than the usual strong queen, plenty of feed, ventilation etc? :thanks: