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Finally got around to inspecting the second of the poly hives I was given last Friday Only eight fames in brood box. A lump of loose comb flopping around (no frame), a 20cm long branch intersecting three combs, No Q, LOTs of QCs.. must have swarmed before I got them,,Cut them down to one and put...

My experience of would be beekeepers is the worst are well off highly educated (degree + level), who are in their late 50s+ , have read all about it, think it's easy and resist asking for advice - and refuse to follow it. It is clearly insulting to think they need help.

In I was quoting Internal Diameters,

Further to my prior post above Inspected the "horrible " colony. Found unmarked Q on first frame so marked her.. Tops of frames covered in black wax/dirt, QE broken, damp, worms and slugs. I would be grumpy if I lived in that. Stole 4 frames capped brood for a new nuc and replaced with new...

I have a plastic QE cut down and bent (using a hot air gun ) to fit. Secured with high tech rubber bands, As for persuading a Q to lay, I can only ask nicely :cool: I placed the Q in the cage today: she is laying like mad so fingers crossed,

Wednesday night ad a panic phone call from a very part time beekeeper whose results were minimal over past 3 years. Needed to get rid of everything PDQ.. He HAD to get rid. Would I take two colonies - one horrible - and all his equipment. next day. Free. Slight delay. So I received two...

Ply Laminated sheet Formica covered sheet boards made from compressed wood pulp (wood stained). Perspex. ie. anything free/cheap

Nice to meet you too. Glad to see it going to a good home.. PS does the Telford Show do caviar and champagne? :alien:

:welcome: from a very wet North Staffs.

Inspected my first attempt to get Q to lay in 9/10mm dia holes. No action yet. Found queen and marked her in a nuc of dark bees - she is dark as well. (third attempt!) Strengthened nuc from a double nuc: frame of capped brood plus bees plus air freshener.. Q in above double nuc laying like...

Good thing I did not set up the starter/finisher today Just acquiring two more colonies free from someone giving up - a long story - so plans have changed.. Anyone near me want a few used free National brood boxes in wood. Good condition.

You are braver than me.....

I have had four colonies: (brood plus 2 super,no roof) in a Honda Jazz.. Edit: entrance and exit required a degree of tilting - all gaffer taped together.

Based on my reading, they can overwinter as far North as Scotland. (I gave up on the last long discussion where quite clearly a position was taken that was frankly indefensibly illogical) If we are finding overwintered queens, there will be others unfound in the countryside where few live.

This is based on a couple of papers by the Apiarist Parts 1 and 2 https://theapiarist.org/bigger-queens-better-queens-part-1/ I am not going to repeat his words: just outline my success or otherwise, in doing so, Set up Queen in my home made Nicot cage using 9 and 10 mm internal diameter cell...

Never done a shook swarm in my life.. And yet my bees produce double the BBKA quoted average hive honey yields. (despite our weather ) I must be doing something wrong.

:welcome:

Last year I had a colony on two home made boxes made of insulation board. Bees did not like the under floor entrance and dug a new one at the meeting point of both boxes , Overwintered with a md entrance successfully with Q and brood in lower box. Now rehived in a full hive and performing very...

One of my four bait hives collected a swarm from one of my double nucs..all of 5 meters away.

Err Err.. It could be saved with a Queen in a double min nuc (Kieler) but it requires some skill and experience.. No beginner has a hope pf doing hat successfully in my view- took me years to overwinter them successfully.