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With the gate/disc on, and the queen excluder slots over the entrance I’m losing some pollen at the entrance due to the size of the slots. But don’t want to leave the big hole opened in winter with mice about. Is there a mouse guard option I could buy for the nuc, with bigger holes to enable...

I fed mine 2:1 syrup, and they were taking down. The last week or so though, they haven’t taken as much. Probably getting too cold for taking in syrup But I usually put on fondant at Halloween , so I’ll be doing that this weekend

So, I’ve just done my final inspections before winter. I know that laying slows down as winter draws nearer. But I just wondered about the amount of frames the colony will need between now and spring. How much more honey will they bring in from now on? I don’t want to put in empty frames to...

Yeah that’s why I don’t use a vaporiser. I stick to the trickling.

———BROOD BOX——— FRAMES FRAMES FRAMES FOLLOWER BOARD INSULATION [SPACE] ———BROOD BOX——— That’s the order when looking at brood box from the back. Just wondered whether to add another 50mm insulation between the brood box front wall and the first frame. (Might actually close the space at the...

My Brood box is 6 frames. I placed a follower board at the back of that, then 50mm insulation behind that. Would I need to fill the excess space behind that? And would I need to put a 50mm insulation sheet at the front of the hive as well?

Recently kept an old Queen in a poly nuc (3 framed half nuc) as backup. Just wondered would a colony of this size survive the winter?

Opened tab yesterday on cage so should know in a day or so, how the introduction went. If they don’t accept/take to her when she gets out of the cage, how long would the bees tolerate her for? Might she be killed straightaway? Or within hours? Days?

Never knew that. I thought the latest they could start making a Queen from, was a 3 day old egg (before the first moult).

They can start Queen cells on 6 day old Brood???

4 charged QC’s today (which I tore down). Still bees around the cage. Colony less cranky today. The youngest Brood will now be 4 days old, so surely that means they can’t try to make any more QC’s... because QC’s can’t be started on 4 day old Brood? And if I’ve got that right... will that...

Checked today. Quite a number on the cage. Around the holes at front/rear, a few bees sat still, either feeding or trying to taste her. A number of others moving around too. The colony did seem a little more cranky than usual though. Although maybe that’s to do with more of them being indoors...

I see. If they are aggressive towards her, will more time in the cage help them get used to her being there? And therefore, accept her? I read somewhere that sometimes a Queen might be better left in the cage for up to a week, if the bees seem aggressive towards her.... leaving her inside...

Yes, put her in today. Safety tab still on. Will have a peek tomorrow. What signs should I look for that they’re happy/mad with her?

Mated Queen arriving tomorrow. I removed Queen from hive today. Put her in a nuc, for backup. Will introduce new Queen tomorrow. Thought the hive being Queenless for 24 hours, might help colony more likely to accept her. Keep plug on cage for a couple of days. Release plug, allow workers to...

Just on the issue of sugar roll - any time I’ve done it, I rarely ever find any varroa.

Would that be deemed enough to treat?

So just shake the bees from another hive/nuc into the hive... And a quick blast of air freshener over the frames, and that’s them combined?

Yeah, I didn’t want to just guess and take away the laying one, and the mayhem that might ensue from that. Plus, the hassle of actually removing one. But as long as the bees will sort it out themselves, I’ll be happy enough with that.