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How disappointing for you! I think a good number of us have had an odd year too. My most robust colony resisted every effort of mine to give them a queen and is now defunct. Three supers were going well but ended up uncapped. One split from a qc gave me a dud queen, which has been superseded...

I can see why you’re a “Super” Moderator and not just a Moderator Jenks👍👍

Oops I just”Liked” your post in error. It’s unusual for capped honey to be at 20%. Check the calibration of your refractometer first, then if it is at 20% you can choose to keep it and use it yourself as it won’t ferment immediately. Or you could give it back to the bees. Or you could sell it to...

You mean you don’t pre cook the veg? Anyway, what is excess honey this year?

Reading Professor David Evans reasons for going the fondant route, it does make eminent sense, especially if you use polycarbonate crown boards as well. Hardly need to disturb the bees at all through the cold months. That is unless you decide to undo everything and douse them in OA solution in...

You mean you had super with honey in it?? Rock on!👏

Hi Enrico, I’ve got tunnels fitted - it was wasps flying around me trying to get into the hive when the roof was off that was the issue. Just SOO many of them this year. Just invested in two Waspbanes but don’t tell Karol😕

Thanks Hemo and Dani for your comments. I’ll brave the wasps, relieve them of Cheryl (!) and make a smaller hole if it stops raining.

Thank goodness for that🐝🐝🐝

You’re right there. Mine seem most frisky during the Winter when out collecting water. They really resent me getting in their way.

Very nice too! It’s all just grass around me.

I use rhombus too and find it excellent

I agree that fondant is all that’s required. Hive Alive, snake oil, thymol and aftershave are adopting a belt and braces approach. Naturally, the additives are only any good for liquid feed, whereas The Apiarist, David Evans, uses fondant, partly because he doesn’t have very regular access to...

Thanks Enrico, I did this on one hive yesterday and wondered if I’d done right. Dani made reference to using a cd to provide the hole. I hope my lot like Cheryl Crow because that’s what they got! The operation was made very unpleasant by the number of wasps trying to get into the hive. It’s a...

Hi Mark Like all things bee related it was very localised and you got the short straw! Good pic - looks like the children had some fun at least. Was this the 2019 - 2020 winter or the year before?

I have used Hive Alive and I have not lost a colony yet over winter. That may be totally unrelated but may not be. The product was recommended by a bee farmer who I bought my first nuc from.

Yes is the short answer. My (small) stack of wet and uncapped supers is in my garage and I have killed scores of wasps investigating things. They all eventually fly into the window at the same spot - bottom left and there they are squished.

Thanks E I’ll add this to my list. I need some new crown boards anyway.

Yep. Like our severe Winter last year🥶

Nadired a uncapped super for a colony still building up - supercedure queen last month. Added wet super to another colony for cleaning. Gave up at that point as I was yellow with wasps..