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That kind of idea by stealth was beginning to grow in my mind - though l had visions of quickly brushing them off into a cardboard box (as if a swarm) with a swan feather first, then dumping them into a super replaced on top and quickly adding the crown board. What do you think of adding a QX in...

They have an OMF to ventilate the hive - but they are rather blocking that at the moment. I’ll try pulling out the entrance blocks tomorrow, already opened up wasp defences - they’ll need a big doorway to avoid a crush! Got two days to solve this problem before rains set in………and l thought it...

They’ve been out for 48hrs now and it seems the clusters under the OMF are growing!…close to 7” deep in place. Concluded the same - heat regulation, so pulled out the mite inspection boards and allowed more space above. They don’t seem to be budging! Have got the same with three hives next to...

Glad to hear that they went back in, though intrigued, you have added insulation for what purpose? Mine are still outside! More correctly, clustered underneath the floors on three hives overnight.Though forecast to be 12 degrees last night, it went down to 6 degrees just before dawn. Nice and...

Yes, l suppose you’re right, bees do work ‘in’ the comb doing their stuff a lot of the time before stores and brood are capped. For now l’ve increased ventilation and allowed them free use of the attic. We’ll see what they make of it in the morning. THANKS EVERYONE………l’ll let you know.

Ok. Just let me get my head round this. Certainly the hives are heavy with stores, but how will taking some out and replacing with foundation ease the situation with bees camping out for the night? There might be a temporary increase in space around the foundation but very soon it will become...

Too late now, l’ll have a look tomorrow. You say in the middle - is it ok to divide the brood in that way or put foundation at the side of the brood. Having said that l guess the nest is contracting anyway.

”l’m lost ‘ere!”……..Just been to see them again and it seems they are ALL at it - even the nuc! The smell of Ivy is overpowering and it’s clearly driving them crazy. I’m pretty sure they’ll not go home after this party and it’ll be another all-nighter! Forecasted to be about 12 degrees at night...

They are sitting on top of another hive and although there is no direct airway, it’s probable that some heat rising from below could add to being overheated. I’m in process of making a ventilated eke to go under the split board tonight. The split board has 100mm x 100mm mesh in the centre and...

Temperature should peak early afternoon, it’s almost calm here and showing 16 degrees C already but forecast to cloud over later. I’ll look again after lunch to see where they are. If they are stranded, as you say, what’s the best way to get them back in?

It’s a crown board. I was using the super to accommodate a feeder and planned to remove both last night. Do you think l need more room or more ventilation or both?

I think you may be right IndiBee. A combination of all of those things. The bees are still in tight clusters outside the hive in the same positions and have been there all through a chilly night…..apparently no worse for wear, no dead bees and just waiting for it to warm up a bit more. From the...

They all have good store weight and no current/feeding/additive or treatment. In the light of day it can only be temperature regulation l think, despite being ‘Autumn’. It was a vertical split with a lovely queen and has become a strong colony - but unlike my other vertical splits that were...

An early evening visit to my apiary today thinking ‘they’ll have had a good day on the ivy’. As l approached closer across the field l could hear fanning and thought ‘blimey that’s loud’, it must have been really good! What l saw next took my breath away. There were several large clumps of bees...

Thanks, this was my instinct in the OP but have to consider that of the bees too. So, would you reorganise the brood frames so that all are below in the polynuc brood base and move all stores above in the second brood storey with most capped to the sides or in the middle.......currently there...

When l added the second polynuc brood box, they had two outside frames of mostly fully capped honey on both sides and four frames of 'rectangular' brood in the original polynuc base. l moved one frame of brood upstairs to encourage the queen up there to lay more eggs in the added comb. Now they...

l used one of my Maisemore polynucs for a split in late June which then expanded so fast that l needed to add a second poly brood chamber and as you describe, eventually hiving them on. Currently l have a later split that soon coincided with the summer flow and they filled out the polynuc with a...

So in that respect, individual queen pheromone doesn’t play a part? So what is the particular reason for using that special board in the photo in place of a standard queen excluder? Naturally l’ll need something to keep the two queens apart and also put a QE under the supers too.

Thanks for the photos of the QE slot board. Back to my vertical split and what to do for the best......options!! No increase in apiary numbers! Keeping both queens productive for the time being seems logical, but with supers in between is pretty well what l have at the moment with the stack. I...

Well, l’m thinking this would happen after harvest or the main flow period as bee numbers naturally reduce. I imagine l would insert a QE between the two brood boxes with the queen under and as brood hatches remove/re-arrange frames as they become free/ hopefully before any stores get deposited...