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Both colonies swarmed within a couple weeks of having them last year - an event apparently referred to by the neighbours as Beegate.

I had a rummage through the indoor hive yesterday, discovered to my surprise that the bees must have got dissatisfied with the their queen in the autumn and replaced her. These bees are on double brood - they needed it early last summer so I left them with it. I'm quite surprised that I've...

366 days ago a green, angry sounding box turned up on my doorstep. I've managed to not kill my bees for a whole year. :)

Hello there, another Brum resident here

Just wondering, will bees in a hive with good stores go for the oldest crop first or do they just go for whatever is closest to the brood?

I'd be careful warming it up - tepid water is fine but if it's too warm it'll stink the place out and is also very flammable. I once stupidly used hot water to clean it up in the lab...

Please tell me bubbles are just from my rough handling - I have a vague paranoia that my bees are secretly brewing hooch :)

I glue and screw just because it's quicker. If I had a nail gun I'd probably use that

Eewwww, I totally agree and I'll normally shove any old bit of wax in my mouth. They are nicer containers than the standard tubs though. For upping the value, I'm looking at cut comb - I don't get why it sells for such a high price when I find it so much less hassle to produce.

It usually means they think your name is unusual and want proof ( Though Jenny Taylier slipped through unchallenged ) When you set up an account FB now insists on texting a code to the mobile number you provide that has to be copied over. 'course you just have to have physical access to a phone...

I bleedin' hate FB, I've several abandoned accounts on there and I object to their insistance on providing them with a mobile number. There are a couple of local groups ( one bee related, one Sci communication ) that don't send out their social meet details any other way so I've had set up yet...

My better perfoming hive are just mongrel bees from the local stock - it's what most of the keepers at our local branch keep. They're doing well for me so far and I don't see the need to change.

There's a few reasons - By buying in I'd be missing out on seeing half of the honey bees life cycle, and a side of it I'd like to see and film/photograph in detail. It's also an aspect of beekeeping I want to get to grips with. Hive 2 was headed by a queen from the local area and did...

I've got two hives at the moment and I'm very keen to not have any more. Hive 1 lives down the allotment and has bees that are basically a bit crap - they're reluctant to draw out comb and very keen to start consuming stores at the slightest hint of bad weather. Hive 2 lives in the workshop...

Both at the same time? I'm not sure I'm up to that....

I feel like I've been in hibernation. Broke my foot at work in Nov, three months in a cast ( damned glad it wasn't swarming season! ) unable to heft my hives :( . Then surgery on my throat in January - on my birthday - thanks for that surgeon! Then emergency surgery on my throat four weeks ago...

So I'm resisting temptation to open the hives and I think they're ok for stores judging by the weight but I'm wondering what - assuming the colonies survive - the state of a hive tends to be in the spring? My bees are little so and sos for building brace comb and propolising everything down (...

Just a few from the blog - Hope you enjoy the last pic :) http://thenakedapiarist.com/2015/10/30/eye-candy/

For reference I used 3g propolis in 15ml of 80% alcohol and used 9ml of that in the final mix - there was quite a lot of sediment ( if you can call bee body parts sediment ) in the tincture.

Yeh it stays in solution and doesn't coat your teeth :) Even dropped into straight tonic water it works. There was a little precipitation on first mixing them up - I suspect some of that was the honey being none too happy in strong alcohol. The poppies were just sort of feral around the edge of...