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Are swing-cafe extractors a game-changer if your main crop is heather and most buyers prefer liquid over comb? Not quite grasping why thixotropic doesn't shift with radial but does with tangential, and tangential is a faff. Cheers

Merry Xmas everyone - I've the opportunity of buying both some poly hives with colonies, some without, and other equipment - I appreciate these things are changeable, but I've read a few places (perhaps over-optimistically now, and I fear it may have been in two BBKA books that I read it, so..)...

I know! V surreal, read it several times before I could comprehend it and then felt v guilty and undeserving but hopefully people will share it with me - I'd been saving for one in the new year so it feels doubly lucky. It's an incredibly generous prize - he could easily have sold it on, I'll...

HAS to be *******

It's interesting, and perhaps goes to prove the adage that 'all beekeeping is local', but I've been keeping bees only 9yrs this winter, and only 100 colonies and reasonable numbers for perhaps the past 6yrs, but here in Northumberland, the difference in spring build up between my poly hives...

Ah, no then - mine was the cheapo one with black legs. Frightfully expensive now too I don't doubt. I've got most of my receipts for kit in a cupboard I know I'll never have reason to go in.

If yours is the minima line, I have the same. Excellent extractor, just contemplating something with swing cages as my main crop is heather and the swing cages seem to be a better option than the tangential converter screens Abelo sell. Swing basket extractors seem to take far fewer frames though 🤔

It depends where you get them from, in my experience anyway. I tried some ones that slid onto the lugs but they, as you rightly say, threw everything else out. Now I have U-shaped ones that I nail over the top od the side-bar - obviously preferable to get Hoffman in the first place, but my mam...

I've only got Honey Farming so far, it's a little flowery even for me which is saying something, but it's enjoyable nonetheless. Thanks, I'll give Sims a go!

They swing a lot more if you're moving hives too, I'm like you, bought Hoffman converter clips for my dn1s

I don't like them and am uncomfortable with the use of single-use plastic, and they're pricier than glass jars, but 6oz squeeze bears from bee-equipment sell like hotcakes with kids for me.

He hated OMF's too, I'm not disinclined to agree with him at present - in Northumberland they're frequently not drawing or at least not laying in the bottom 4th or 5th of the bb, despite them being well baffled from wind by 5' deep wooden lats. Any new bee books to recommend? I'm running short...

Hi, I've got one of the 180cm Abelo honey warmers and had put a large bucket of heather honey and wax in (having opted for the crush and strain), but it's granulated badly, and 4 days at 38.5*c has proved fruitless. I'm reluctant to up it to 50*c per Dave Cushman, as I obviously want to keep it...

You misunderstand, I know all of this. I explained that some of the colonies had constantly used brood frames that looked barely used, whilst other colonies had year old frames that were black. It varied across my 100 colonies, perhaps if id studied it, id gave noticed a correlation between the...

Its weird, I've some frames in colonies 1yr old, black, and others heavily used in the centre of tge broodnest, still good as new. Bees eh?

Thanks Dani, I need to watch more of them

I know it's premature... but any chance you'll be there next year? I'd have loved to come but am "financially and geographically inconvenienced" this year. Cheers

I'm (v slowly) reading Manley, 1948 or so, so obviously dated in parts - but he reckons the bees tear down bits where the cells get too narrow, has a real truck with people changing combs unless diseased. I'm planning on using acetic to sterilise my surplus this winter

Just don't think you're being clever by using unwired in deeps like I did - bought a load of it in my last bulk from maisemore and loads of it's collapsed in the hive - do as Emyr says

At Harrogate show, my cousin saw some 'silage' honey for sale. The bees take the molasses added to the silage material - it happens. Ofc we've all seen bees prefer 'dirty' water too, mine will drink where my dog's pissed - presumably cow waste is rich in minerals too