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1. If a Queen is a Drone Layer, and the colony produce new Queen cells, will some bees leave the hive with her if she swarms? I mean, what would be the point in leaving, as the swarm won’t exactly thrive if she isn’t laying many, if any, workers? Also: 2. If she was superseded, will the...

What are your thoughts on dusting colonies regularly with icing sugar to try and keep varroa numbers down? I don’t vape. I’ve only used apiguard (and api-bioxal trickling at new year). I know it’s impossible to get through the beekeeping year without some sort of chemical use. But might...

Yeah you’re right. I should have done.

One of my colonies is thronged with bees and is dropping next to no mites. Whereas the hive dropping significant numbers of mites isn’t near as big in bee numbers. I’d have thought it would be the other way around.

Yeah, that’s just natural drop.

Had fairly low numbers up until lately. Today in one hive, I calculated 63 mites over 4 days. Roughly 16 a day. I’m thinking I should treat?

Ah right, I see. I only have a few frames (possibly as little as 2 or 3) to do , and it will just be for our own personal use. Maybe in future I might consider selling.

Thanks for that. So would you have to store your jarred honey in a warming cabinet until it’s used? And if you heat your honey bucket for a day or two, then jar it, would the honey not still crystallise when you put the jars in say, your kitchen cupboard? Or once initially heated (in the...

So, here’s a silly question If I jar my honey immediately after extraction, what’s the outcome? .....compared to keeping it in a warming cabinet for a time, before jarring it?

She’s a great layer and they are a productive colony. They’re just mad! :ROFLMAO:

I thought you could jar it immediately after extraction o_O

Can someone explain the honey warming cabinet procedure? When and why is it needed?

I have one Queen from a buckfast strain and that colony are always agitated! My other hives are Irish black bee and the difference in temperament is night and day. I always inspect the buckfast hive last. Close it up and run like frig to the shed and hide. Buck mental, so they are!

So, with nadiring... How long would it take the bees to move up stores from the super to the B.B.? And when the frames in super are cleared, should the super be removed? I assume it would go mouldy during winter?

Oh, so the bees will take the stores from below (the half-full frame), and take it up and store it in the Brood box above? Then the super will be free of stores before winter (or, in a week)? Have I got that right?

Yeah, that’s what I was thinking Must check out my kitchen sieve. That might do as well as the fine sieve!

Ideally, how many strainers is needed when extracting? I only have a fine strainer (400 microns), which I believe is 0.4mm.................Could I get away with using only that one? Or would I need a larger strainer (eg. 1mm to 1.5mm) as well? I only have 3 or 4 frames to do.

I thought that was it. Wasn’t sure of the term.

Can you explain nadir?

How much space would colonies need for autumn/winter foraging? Will their stores increase much (if at all) from now until spring? Not sure whether to leave relatively empty supers on over winter. Excessive space in the hive, and all that... (One super has 4 frames of stores. The other has...