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Hi @Swarm, I’m confident I’m doing most things incorrectly as I muddle along but mould and these plastic spacer frames are the only difference between the hives with one hosting 11 whilst this one only 10. I hope that cycling them out will get me back up to 11, and I accept it could be the...

Indeed they are an “abomination” 😁 The spacing is slightly different so I only get 10 frames in the brood box which is somewhat unsatisfactory. They are all the original nuc frames like the mouldy one which I suspect came off The Arc. I’ll google how to cycle in new ones or perhaps demonstrate...

Thanks everyone for your replies, I obviously leaned in the direction of binning It having already removed it. I did so on the basis that it looked like hard work for a small colony, so whilst at risk of not ‘toughening them up’ I thought I was lending a hand. Good to learn mould is not a...

Hello, I am delighted that both my hives look like they survived the winter, my first hive is looking very well indeed. The second hive was a rather week nuc late summer last year, it only had 3 busy frames so I'm pleased it made it through winter at all. However, I think all that extra space...

Thanks @Sutty , although I actually forgot which forum I was on when I sent the post!! Shall try that on a chicken forum as opposed to bees 😂😂. Cheers, CP.

Has anyone ever tried making a homemade chicken feeder, like those you see made with plastic pipes that claim to prevent spillage? If so did it work, as I’m sure starving the chubby rats out without starving my ladies would help massively?

Hi @jenkinsbrynmair, appreciate you confirming it’s a human concern and not so much for the bees. My source for the warehouse contamination was actually a health and safety risk assessor but decades ago. At that time the suggestion was people did get ill this way but he quoted 6-7 cases a year...

You’ll never get rid of rodents, not if you have bird feeders, chickens, horses etc all spilling feed and dogs making the use of poison risky; they pick up and chew poisoned rodents. Going right the way back to the original question… why not just clean the gear and reuse it? I saw one post...

Lol, I might be a country bumpkin but that is entirely possible 😂 I had a quick google again and comically found this: Wasp experts needed - strange behaviour! By all accounts I might have witnessed one of the largest and longest lasting orgies in nature. To be fair if that explains it then...

Thanks @ericbeaumont, I have been vigilant with my defences after learning a lesson taught by tiny wasps; they can get in through the smallest of gaps. The willow tree was something else to behold. I’m new to beekeeping but a country bumpkin most of my life and never seen anything like it, got...

I got the answer on another thread from @Erichalfbee : - Still significant mite drop after OA The suggestion is that the Apivar strips should be okay and not need anything further despite me allowing the mites to get a good hold over the last few weeks. A subsequent post from @Swarm was also...

@Erichalfbee , I understand the reluctance to use chemicals and as I learn it's one of the things I'll reconsider given I only produce honey for the family to consume. Whilst the strips are effective and stay in the hive for some 6-10 weeks, I wondered if they are slow to start working so when...

In this thread there are references to various treatments and then in two separate cases it reads as if keepers 'resorted' to Apivar. I have just put a couple of Apivar strips in my two hives but was wondering if that would be enough, should I be vaping as well in one hive which is currently...

Thanks @Erichalfbee and @Ian123, I guess it's just another of those weird things you might never know until you see it, and yes, lots of ivy around here. The bees had a good go at it when the sun came back out the other week albeit I didn't see any orange on it myself (probably because it was...

Hello again, I was wondering if anyone can tell me what's so exciting about the underside of one of my two hives, exciting because it had the bees, wasps and even some scary fat hornets all wanting in on the action: Sorry about the rubbish photo but it's tricky taking photos with thick...

Hello, I'm nearing the end of my first season, started with one hive in June but because opportunity presented itself I acquired a second in August. I did regular checks and the first hive in particular did really well with lovely calm bees who kindly 'gave' me 9 litres of honey. the second...

Thanks @Ian123. I did a lot of reading about insulation and moisture which appears to favour tight seals above and openings below; preventing cool spots for moisture above the hive. There was a cracking article link in another thread. Obviously it hits the mid thirties only a few weeks after...

Hello, I need a little help please as my bees appear to be trying to cool the hive by hanging around the entrance which I’ve narrowed considerably: The problem is there are wasps all around the place so I narrowed the entrance a while back to make defending easier. I was just out plugging...

@Hebeegeebee , that sounds a whole lot easier thank you... although not so keen on the leaves idea 🤫 ... I'll stick with the neat fitting insultation above and let the WBC earn it's keep I think. Cheers!

Snug fit Celotex for me on top I reckon, as I've always got DIY materials knocking about, but straw would be brilliant as it holds the air still whilst also providing good insulation; hence why some people still build houses from straw bails I guess! However, I reckon moisture would eventually...