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I spent Sunday morning removing wax from over 100 brood and super frames preparing them for boiling. Yesterday I spent a peaceful morning repairing and replacing foundation in 39 14x12 brood frames and 20 super frames.

Mid March I could not see any sign of life when all the other hives had flyers out and were consuming quantities of fondant as stores were low. They were on double 14x12 brood and I did not want to break down the complete hive. (Sometimes I am a Lazy b****r!!!)

I stopped by an out-apiary yesterday to see if my cut out of a nest had been successful. The bees were flying strongly and carrying pollen. The real surprise was another hive that I thought I had lost in the winter had a large number of flyers going in and out. I will have to suit up and check...

Did as you suggest and it worked for me

The important thing with the general public is to make them think and make their own decision. All my apiaires have a sign saying 'Caution Honey Bees Hard At Work'. This is the wording that seems most acceptable. If you say danger of being stung, you are feeding people the information for...

Yes, I used to spend 10 mins before work each morning reading the posts and comments. I have learned a great deal from the forum over the years about beekeeping and human nature. The beekeeping bit has generally been good the human nature bits often not so good.

I was called to the first swarm I have received this year on 14/04/22. The bees are in a disused chimney of a local farm house and the usual swarm cloud was milling about. As we watched they returned to their abode. Yesterday was obviously just the practice run. The householders are on alert for...

I plane it to limit the chances of splinters and to make the finished product look uniform. Some of the used timber had deep treatments. some surface treatments and some none at all. After planing they can be given a coat of cuprinol and then painted easily with a matching colour.

Well done Dani It is a pity that no-one at the BBKA has ever read and understood this book.

I have been asked by association memebrs to build five double hive stands. I was given some surplus timber by a neighbour and spent the afternoon trimming it down with the table saw to match the size of the fence rails I will be using for a couple of stands. Tomorrow it is a session with the...

On Inspection yesterday I found a 14x12 polyhive absolutely overflowing with bees and 11 frames of brood. Today I took a mixture of drawn frames and new foundation and switched frames around and made the hive a double brood 14x12. I have never seen a hive this full of bees and brood this early...

This looks like the work of a pygmy shrew. Our association manager had a similar problem a few years ago and it took some time to get to the bottom of the dilemma. Pygmy shrews are territorial and only the one whose territory the hive is siuated in will feed on the bees. Sometimes a mouse trap...

Our thoughts and prayers are with you and all who believe in their country.

Strimming around hives I wear my beesuit. I used to use a 2 stroke Japanese strimmer and found the bees attacked the engine. I now use a Honda 4 stroke strimmer and they ignore it. Similarly using a Briggs and Stratton powered mower used to upset them more than my current old Honda.

Steady on Ian. Two day passes needed from SWMBO and the opportunity to spend money twice in a season? I am going into shock!!!!

My old beekeeping friend is a carpenter by trade. Now in his eighties he has reduced is number of hives following a fall in his out apiary. A few years ago he dabbled in 14x12 brood boxes but found them too heavy and has been using double brood since. He is now experimenting with a national...

That's a better explanation JBM

Toured the apiaries yesterday. Active bees bringing in pollen. Pleased that 6 out of 7 overwintered NUCs have come through and very active. Delighted to find one hive colony very active as I thought had lost them before Christmas. There was no sign of life when I treated with OA and they had...

I put up a new fence due to the holes in the old one and hedge caused by the mayhem of storm Eunice. I bought the fence posts from a farmer, landlord of another apiary who loaned me the tools. The landlord of this apiary had the sheep fencing and barbed wire. My friend and I did the hard work. I...

My feeling was it is B****y expensive