Search results

Been away in Portugal so bees last inspected on 18th June. When I checked all 28 colonies yesterday I expected one or two problems but not one has swarmed while I was away and there is no evidence indicating any trying to swarm in the near future as I didn't find a single swarm cell. Perhaps...

The sap of buttercups contains the toxic compound protoanemonin and some of this is found in the pollen. Maybe the bees detect this and avoid collecting it.

There are honey recipes for cakes, biscuits and other confectionary plus loads of other foods eg chutneys, lemon curd that taste truly amazing. I am surprised that more beekeepers don't cook using their own honey instead of sugar. Before sugar came to this country honey was the main sweetener...

Entering honeyshows can be addictive. Started at 12 yrs old winning the wax class at Kidderminster and began entering at least 3 or 4 sometimes more shows a year and didn't manage to kick the addiction until I was 70. Over the years I managed to get my name on lots of trophies and collect...

Five swarms have taken up residence in bait hives in my garden over the last three weeks, the last one, a caste, arriving at lunch time today. Not unexpected as bees have been checking out a bait hive ( a maisemore nucleus hive with a frame of old comb inside ) over the last three days . Of...

Can often get another year or so out of an older (breeder?) queen at risk of supersedure by moving her (+ frames + bees) into 5 frame nuclei as her pheromone output is sufficient with less workers in the colony to inhibit the supersedure impulse. Unless you want her for queen rearing the only...

Last week I requeened a colony or rather thought I had. I removed the white marked queen and united a 5 frame nucleus with a 2022 yellow marked queen to it using excluder over newspaper. Yesterday I went down to the apiary to consolidate the hive down to one BC and found eggs in both BCs. Found...

I have 20 Apideas and 14 days after predicted queen emergence I do a brief check for eggs and usually find them although it can sometimes be a few days more. If found the small piece of excluder is pinned across the entrance to prevent absconding and left on until I see satisfactory sealed...

While broodless mininucs accept introduced virgins quite readily those with brood (ie being used a subsequent time after moving on the laying previous queen to requeen a full colony , sell etc|) can reject them.

Nectar and pollen still coming in from field containing Phacelia, Very characteristic blusih pollen

Pulled V queen run into one of my colonies at the out-apairy last week seems to have been accepted OK. Yesterday while I reducing the number of queen cells in Demaree tops from an average of three to one (probably not necessary but I do like to choose the largest cell) I heard the noise of an...

Weekly check. About half of of my colonies have produced a few largsih queen cells in their Demaree tops. Kept some, destroyed others and also transferred cells from the best colonies to replace those in the tops from the not so worthy. One colony not doing so well with poor brood pattern so...

Yesterday checked through 26 double brood colonies. Had to add third super to several but others not started on their first one. Bees going in two main directions to a field of Oil seed **** to the south about 100 yds away and to a large field to the north about 30 yds away sown with a flower...

Inspected a strong ( 15 frames of brood) double BC colony in my garden a week ago and found three queen cells (two recently sealed and the other one more or less ready to be sealed) . Most likely supersedure but taking no chances I artificialy swarmed it and also formed a fairly strong nucleus...

Have you tried using a thin smear of petroleum jelly (eg vaseline) on the top edges of the bottom BC and bottom edges of top BC and also on the lugs of the frames (having scraped them clear of existing propolis ? ) Less likely to stick together and easier to free with hive tool.

Been a few decades since I studied Chemistry (as my Ancillary subject to Zoology at University) but looking at the chemical content of Apibioxal it is unlikely to chemically deteriorate (if kept dry) for years. and years.

I found just heads on the mesh floor in march 2014 (drone heads)

Honey from most (f not all) crucifers has highish glucose content relative to fructose so granulates very fast/hard so I think Kale honey will be no different

Saw a bee-fly (Bombylius major) working some grape hyacinths in my bee garden today. Enormous proboscis for such a small insect. Rushed into house to get camera but too late as it had flown off by time I got back. Will keep the camera handy and hopefuly it will come back and will post pic if I...

If these mites are pink then they are Carpoglyphus lactis. This pollen mite was first found on the surface of prunes and is known as the prune or dried fruit mite but commonly is also found in beehives. For further information go to Carpoglyphus | Bee Mite ID (idtools.org)