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Fixed my dual fuel last September for 2 years, got lucky! Might be running extension leads to the neighbours soon with the way things are going :laughing-smiley-004 4kWp solar install ordered along with 8kWh battery and immersion heater wotsit, just waiting for it to be installed now - long...

Clear skies maybe, but full moon (or near as damn it) which isn't ideal. The brighter ones will still be visible though.

When did you have the propolis screen in previously? Through the spring and summer they don't gather as much propolis, now though, as they're battening down the hatches for winter, everything's turning into a sticky gummed up mess in my hives. It also depends on the colony/genetics - some are...

Began my "woodwork bleaching" routine. Vaped all 4 colonies with the gasvap. 2 colonies have got a drawn but empty super on still for space, which I left in place. 1 still has a super I'm waiting for them to finish off - removed it while vaping and then put back in place. Last colony is small...

Don't forget to use BEECRAFT10 I think it might be a single use code, but nothing a new account can't sort :sneaky:

It was more for my own sanity, I didn't think I'd told you to go buy a queen but was beginning to doubt myself. It's a bit late to start rearing a queen (though they can and do supersede this time and later), so if a test frame indicated they were queenless I'd tear the cells down and buy one in.

The nuc was making swarm preps, we knocked it down to 1 chosen open queen cell. The dates on the nuc were to remind you to check for additional queen cells after the 6th (so they don't/didn't cast swarm), 15th was emergence date - quick check to make sure the qcell had emerged then close back up...

No records? What about the estimated emergence date we scribbled on the roof? What more do you need! I think we wrote the 15th July, in which case there's still plenty of time for eggs to appear if there is a virgin in there. But I also know you've told me various things about the hive since...

Used MAQs this time last year on my (at the time only) colony - decent pile of dead bees and thrown out larvae and pupae outside the hive the following couple of days, and it rusted all the nails in the boxes, but the colony seemed none the worse for wear following treatment. Mid-October the...

For shrubby, various mahonia but particularly Winter Sun. Flowers when not much else is and will help your bees pollinators. Also berries to help other birds and animals.

Ah, a 6-sided triangle.

Finally filled and posted my national honey monitoring scheme samples - I've had the sample kit for a couple of weeks now but kept forgetting to take the tubes with me when inspecting. Seemed a shame to damage a good chunk of a frame to get the samples when I could have used extracted honey, but...

It adds a lovely saltiness to the jam though.

I think it's safe to say the bramble's over. There's the odd late flower still around on it but it's mostly jam time. Bees are now foraging for whatever's in gardens I think. Caryopteris is just out in my garden and the bees love that, and the Coralberry/Indian Currant is alive with bees and...

It's a bit late to be getting bees, nearing the end of the season and all that would be left for you to do is get them ready for winter. Better to start in spring. In the meantime there's a wealth of resources to learn from but you need to be a bit careful about sources on the internet as...

What a load of scaremongering... All my kit is seconds, I've had a few frames beyond salvaging but the boxes have all been fine. At worst I've had to glue in some loose knots. If you do have to make any repairs the glue will be stronger than the wood it's bonded to - just make sure it's a...

Meanwhile I've eaten my first handful of blackberries today, next weekend I might be making jam! Saw some sedums pinking up the other day and there are (tiny) buds on the ivy - it's far too early!

Why price lower as a beginner? Perhaps you've made mistakes that have set the bees back and reduced their potential, but what you do harvest is honey like any other. Don't drag the pricing down for everyone. You can pack immediately after extracting (providing the water content is ok, see next...

To the letter of the law, yes. In reality there's nothing wrong with re-using jars though, it's highly unlikely that anyone's going to come after you providing they're undamaged and clean. Lids are another matter as the seal does deteriorate with use. If I get jars returned I'll probably run...

Avery label designer on their website: https://app.avery.co.uk/dpo8/appeu/target;name=GB_en;ep=EUP/ Got the wife to do the design as I have no artistic capabilities, I just made sure it met the regulations (Talking With Bees) L7173 labels, as they fit 3 sides of an 8oz hex jar perfectly, though...