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Thanks @Little_bees , I very much like the idea of syrup to prevent robbing either hive for supers in June but the nuc was/is basically a large plywood ‘shoebox’ with some gauze or fine wire mess in the lid. I’m not sure how I could feed them through that. I’m also unsure about ventilation vs...

Quick update after checking yesterday and removing all the new and emerging queen cells. The little nuc is okay, queen still there, but was low on stores so swapped in a fresh half and half capped frame from one of the suppers on the big hives to keep it going. I took that from the 'nice hive'...

That's a a relief @Sutty , wasn't looking forward to the idea of going back in to rummage about anytime soon. Happy to leave them an extra couple of days and then 'clean-up' any unwanted cells. As for the nuc, I assume I must locate it in a permanent location when I open it up in a couple of...

Thanks everyone, I got up this morning and accompanied by some really angry bees I went all in. I realise having reread the various posts I did make a mistake, I'm sure I made loads but at least one for sure. I started with the calm colony who were so docile it was a pleasure as usual. The...

ADVICE REQUIRED... HELP please! I inspected both hives today and whilst all 'normal' I need to be sure I'm about to do the right thing. The calm hive was deliciously calm and welcoming, unsurprisingly the angry mob were horrible. Whilst I found and caged the angry queen quickly on the third...

Hi @hairywill , my angry mob is quite a small colony so I’m hoping the queen centrally located will be adequate but when done I shall report back…. cheers, CP.

Thanks, I read this in parallel and concluded the same: - “It is possible for all female larvae under three days old to become a queen, though larger, more vigorous queens are produced with the youngest larvae, less than one day old.” So I shall cage the angry cow for 3 days and on the 4th day...

Thanks everyone, I shall certainly switch queen and given the temperament of this colony I’d like to try caging her for a few days first; if it all goes wrong and I kill her then nothing lost whilst I get to learn something extra. @Sutty, or anyone else for that matter, how long do you suggest...

Hi @Little_bees , I think the idea was to reduce the time the hive is without a queen by caging her, the eggs and larvae could then grow beyond eligibility to be queens and then dispatch her and swap a frame in from the other hive. It sounded like a nice addition to the process given the hive is...

Evening @Sutty, I inspected both my hives today and I think I've a few things going on. I did the docile one first to avoid having to endure the angry buggers the whole time. It was an absolute pleasure and the tone of the hive never changed. I did see something I've not seen before which was a...

Work stopped play so not been outside enough to be bothered by my bees the last couple of days. I’m really hoping they settle down but if not then re-queen I shall. I must say I like the suggestion from @Little_bees about swapping in a frame from my chilled bees. Life was like @Ian123 described...

Hello all, in summary this thread does read consistently since the original post from @Beedogg; a rare treat getting bee keepers to agree from what I’ve experienced in my first year 😜 I shall give them some time to settle and a wide berth, but if they insist on playing sting-chase after that...

Hi, as bee keeping is a hobby for me I’m inclined to agree. From what I’m reading/learning, I should allow a little time in case it does settle down but the recent followers coming into the house won’t be tolerated. If it continues then ‘she’ will have to go! Cheers, CP.

Hi, I honestly don’t know because it’s flat here so no elevation to get a ‘3 mile view’ of neighbours fields. It’s mostly grazing but possible someone is rotating a crop or has some other reason for growing it. A neighbour has a fancy drone (not a man-bee) with video, I never understood why...

Hi, the inspections are ‘okay’. I’m a bit of a jessy I suspect but even then it’s usually little more than 5 or 6 angry bees when I’m inspecting. I think it’s also the contrast with the other hive, much much larger colony but a lower tone and zero nuisance bees when I inspect it. Ideally I’d...

Thanks @Murox , whilst this second hive was always livelier than my original which is blissfully chilled, it’s the randomness of the recent attacks with no visibility or specific proximity to the hive that’s a problem. I inspected it yesterday and Queeny was there and all looked well so not...

Thanks @jenkinsbrynmair , I think the frames plim after a time so it only gets tighter. I'll invest in or make a couple of dummy boards I think and then servicing the hive will be easier... and marginally quicker as well. Cheers, CP.

Hello, I have the same issue with my second smaller hive with some angry bees attacking passers by and I really would appreciate some HELP. When it happens they chase us into the house and we just had an incident now when I went out to take another photo for a different thread. The hive is out...

Hi @Do224 , on reflection I have rescued the frame from the bin. My original colony is doing so well I fear I shall struggle to avoid swarm control this year despite my best novice efforts at swarm prevention. Another brood frame with some drawn comb, after I remove the worse of the mould and...

Hello @jenkinsbrynmair , I missed your post until now in the sea of replies which I'm still reading through. As a novice I assumed suppliers would bundle ‘matching components’. I bought two complete WBC kits with broad box, 3x supers and all the frames and gubbins that goes with them. These...