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Thank you again :)

Bingo. Thank you! I went round in circles last night overthinking this. I knew they'd clobber a Buckie as they were. I do so love this forum. That's a plan then. Fingers crossed that I source a decent queen.

Thank you. I totally agree. I made up nucs last August and bought a number of queens. 100% awful. Same supplier as I always use. Just cannot understand why they were suddenly bad. I'm nervous to throw more money away but I need to get my colony numbers up.

Well, after commenting recently here that I couldn't find the black queen in my very defensive colony, praise be I finally came across her today and took the opportunity to dispatch her. They are nuts so glad she's gone. I'd love some advice please on what my options are now given that it's the...

Nah they're too mental. This lot are exceptionally fiesty so a winter shrink or snuff will work for me given thst they're well away from habitation. My pens are fine generally - I think it's just this lot are rather "vigorous" and have given her a polish lol.

I'm in the same boat. Had a surreal experience of a nutter double brood box yesterday. Thankfully they're in an out of the way spot.. The queen's paint is off I suspect so as finding her would be another "experience", I'm hoping to leave it, start shutting them down and if they're still with us...

Me too - I find the papery skins don't "seal" the potatoes to allow storage even if I try to harden them off on the surface a bit before lifting. I'm hit quite early with blight each year. Well it is Ireland! So as soon as it appears I remove every bit of foliage, lopping the stems off about...

They would so have loved you. I have a feeling that, although the funds are tight, someone in the family would come to their rescue but it's finding competent workers and getting them to come out any time soon. There are very few takers for this kind of job around here it seems. Thank you for...

That definitely hadn't occurred to me OR them! Thank you - I'll pass it on. I literally treat it as "if the house were to burn down" but otherwise just suck up the price of anything else. I agree. Peace of mind for a premium. Sort of.

Hmm that's an idea. Thank you. I love this forum - let's one explore lots of possibilities that would never have occurred otherwise.

It would hence my reply to wsrsaw_hive above :)

I've actually cobbled something last year yes but never have had the opportunity to use it. I'm just very wary when they don't seem to want to break into any structures themselves and don't have the cash to get someone. Tens of thousands of rotting bees may well mean they have to in the future...

Absolutely and from the state of the outside vents, who knows what the score is internally. Thanks again to you and everyone for all these solutions. I have enough DIY that I could try a trap out but the volume of bees just overhead at their back door today really says that's not on simply for...

Thank you - I'd have been up for that. That's a good compromise. Going to pass that on to them tomorrow. They can make the holes if they want to. I'll not be cutting into anything

Thank you so much - having been back to the property with torch etc it's a pretty bodged job so there's essentially a gap for most of the length of the roof but it's under a very narrow vent with direly ill-fitted bits of rusting mesh inside it. I tried to photograph but it was against the...

Thank you Sutty. It's feels like a horribly long shot. They're dreading the expense but I feel I have to help try mean time. Much appreciated.

I've just visited a young couple who watched a swarm (2 days ago) enter their flat roof above the kitchen extension. The narrow soffit type space does have a wire mesh fitted presumably to stop insects entering but it's a terrible job and has left a bee width slit stretching almost the length of...

Lucky you. I still resent being made to do "Domestic Science" whilst the lads learnt useful stuff. Thank goodness my dad taught me a bit of basic carpentry but I look back at all that making rockbuns and learning cross stitch and ask why NONE of us questioned anything. I'll take that screw v...

Now that's a top tip.

Yes, tart would be the word but reading up on it suggests a great jam. Thanks for the pie idea. I will try it.