Search results

I was thinking along the lines of just having a pile of supers. Two at the bottom for brood (approx 1.5 x the size of a standard national brood box) with a QE on top followed by as many more supers for stores. This way I would only need supers and super frames.

What's the advice on using supers for brood and honey due to the lightness? One can add extra supers as the brood grows and use a QE to control where the queen lays. A bit like the Rose hives - one size box and one size frame. I'm attracted by the idea but aware there must be issues or everyone...

When I collected the Correx from the swarm site, the bees had gone in of their own accord so I assume the queen was with them. When I opened the Correx at the permanent site, the bees were clustering on the frames so I assumed she was still with them. I didn't look too closely for her so as not...

I'm not sure how to prevent them from repeatedly absconding back to their original swarm location.

They are on my back garden in a Correx nuc with entrance closed. I plan to put them in a hive tomorrow at their new location with syrup to start them off. I plan to let the fly at the same time. Does this sound good? I put them in their permanent location this morning. By this evening, most of...

Thanks for the help. I was concerned that if I let them fly too son, they would return to the place where I got them from when I got them from given the short distance between there and their new home. I'll borrow a hive and move them into it tomorrow evening.

Panic over - almost. The swarm are not mine. Pole and pillowcase method didn't work as they were 8m up the tree and too far from the ground. They later let the tree and settled on long grass nearby. I left a Correx with a couple of frames and lemongrass and they piled in. As the hive-to-be is...

Didn't look to closely thought it best to leave until tomorrow as the wind is getting up. I'm planning to bring forward the planned weekend full inspection to tomorrow. I can then make a better assessment.

Just checked my hives. Both look to have as many bees as the last inspection. Didn't see any queen cells just a row of drone cells along the top bar of one of the frames. I recently put a super on and they've just started to draw. The other hive still has 4 untouched frames so plenty of room...

I'll give it a go tomorrow if they are still there.

This is sod's law..... A swarm has just landed in a tree in my garden (hopefully not one of mine). It's high in a pine tree; too high for a ladder and I have no cherry picker so I'm left with trying to coax them down. Of course, I have no spare hive (still a newbie) so I've set a Correx nuc as...

Those look cosy! Yes. The outside is feather-edge fencing board off-cuts which will be painted and the roof is to be felted. Is the airgap between the hive and inner wall of the shelter a good idea of best filled?

I read somewhere that it helps bees keep warm if they have a shelter build around the hive so I thought I'd give it a try. Any comments or tips on the final result would be welcome. Wind-chill is the biggest killer around here (1000' above sea level) so I put together a box to place over the...

Thanks. I'll borrow a microscope and give it a go.

Wow! A bit too scientific for my level of newbiness. Hopefully I can grasp more techniques as my experience grows. Good to know that there is something which can be done in the event of nosema appearing in my hives.

Sugar roll planned for next week although no deformed wings spotted. I'll look further into nosema. Thanks.

Thanks. Mini panic over.

I have two hives approx 3m apart. The 5 frame nucs were bought a couple of weeks apart from two different suppliers. Both hives started off as very busy with BIAS and plenty of forage when available. Over the last week or so one hive seems to have almost shut down with very limited foraging...

Thanks. I'll have to rethink my varroa checking method. Meanwhile I'll have a go at a sugar roll.

Not done. Picked up the nucs May. The counted on the board beneath the varroa mesh. 14 days after installing them.