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Y Yes, but only this year's had sufficient a spring flow to make a demaree workable - ordinarily I'm just bimbling along until the heather harvest - I should make better use of my OSR out apiary for comb this spring. I find brood frames a bugger to uncap mind, especially ones that have been...

I've never tried to extract brood frames yet, and I stupidly bought a load of wireless foundation when I bought it in bulk a few years ago to save money. I'm also mostly used to heather, which is obviously a scrape back to the foundation job in the main unless you've swing cages which I'm a long...

Is acetic save for fumigation in poly hives? I've looked for an answer and not seen it confirmed, though since it's application is often via plastic bowls I'm hopeful. Thanks everyone

Thus gas me fearing sulphur AND acetic acid may be necessary to sterilise the mountains of drawn comb I've got 😱

Presumably the fumes sink in a similar fashion and require similar quantities per box? Just a shame as I've bought a fume dispenser and acetic acid, according to Dr Google, it sterilises and kills chalkbrood and nosema, does sulphur do as thorough a job? Can appreciate if it's not broke don't...

Interesting, this was my first year with demarees and it was an absolute lifesaver - so presumably you spin the top box with no great blow outs? This was partly why I was contemplating plastic brood frames in a second brood box as demaree/super.

nothing for nosema or chalkbrood? How sure are you? Google (I know), suggests otherwise, the following is just one link of many, I'm unsure what to think.... Safe Use and Handling of Acetic Acid - Bee Craft Ltd.

I can't recall where or who it was that said it tainted the wax green - perhaps another myth busted then. I store all my supers wet too - as much because I find the bees move up into them in the spring more swiftly as for wax moth control. Is there a reason you favour sulphur over acetic acid...

Yeah, I like this idea a lot for my colonies away from heather - I'm a complete David Evans groupie and I like that the bees can take it as and when their brood nest shrinks down - Lawrence at BMH is great, but trickle-feeding is something I'm neither organised enough to do or could really be...

Ha, but what do you REALLY think, Bryn? ;-p Fair enough, they were all people with one or two hives in the back garden whilst I've always seen the wisdom and experience in your advice. No signs of EFB breakouts so far, but I think I'd probably just cull the hive and frames if I had one - don't...

I hear you, you know more than me so I'll listen, cheers. I still like fondant for my winter feed though, it's so much less faff than syrup. Is your IPM/hygiene routine replacing 3 brood frames a year/as and when they're black? That's been my approach thus far tbh, largely assessing by eye and...

Neither have I, which is why I'm keen to try it - and some of the frames I have are so old that the propolis lining is really reducing the diameter of the cell, plus I've colonies with chalkbrood that I'm determined to clean up, with a new queen in the spring and fresh comb was to go alongside...

Not telling ne how to suck eggs at all, thanks for so detailed and thought out a response. I've only been keeping bees since 2015 which isnt v long, though I'm not sure now what I did before! I've lost a bit of confidence this year more than anything, though i hope to always be a beginner and...

I was gonna use acetic acid to kill nosema and chalkbrood etc and then I wondered if the Certan substitute (DiPel?) against waxmoth would still work if sprayed on after a good airing? I've read that sulphur turns the wax greenish too? Got a fume board but now in a quandary about whether acetic...

Granted, shook swarms aren't something I've considered before but a modified version thereof, I thought, may be a halfway house? -Syrup would be ideal and I know Murray replaces combs and feeds syrup around now, but the wasps have been bonkers and I stupidly left the entrances too wide so I've...

Those of you who have been assiduously following this Forum this year better than I, may recall I was in a flither about finding fondant cheaply. Crossed that bridge. Only now the bees, in their infinite wisdom have filled their brood boxes full of stores and seem scarcely in need of the stuff...

Sounds as though it would work wonders tbh - I'm always nervous of crashing my head into the end of the pool though, and the Tyne where I'm at is more rock and rapids than swimmable

When I definitely didn't do it, if I had, I'd have bought the Swedish sponges Randy Oliver uses and just made up a big batch with veg glycerine, with a thermometer in to prevent it turning into formic acid, and then just heat and stir until it's a clear liquid and pour into a bucket with the RO...

I, likewise, wouldn't dream of doing it, but magically know it's effective as of this season - must've just dreamed it ;-p

I've always wanted a donkey...... think I can use this as reasonable excuse to steal more of me parents garden?