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Any chance these bees have been foraging on Oil Seed Rape John? I have one stock that went cranky last year as the OSR was going out of bloom and on cue, they did the same this year - same Queen (2015). Moved them away from the OSR to allow maintenance work on an adjacent building and they are...

Bait hives are also a useful indicator of the need to look more closely at the colonies in a given apiary and of the potential need to undertake some additional form of swarm management. My position is that I watch scout activity around strategically placed bait hives. I agree that older queens...

From a genetic perspective, a species is considered "pure" where (if I have recalled the figures correctly) it possesses 92% of the genetic markers for that species. Someone with greater knowledge of the science will correct me if I am "out" on that percentage. Again, from memory, this is a...

Colony/apiary management has a lot to do with swarming in your stocks. I am of the view that where a beekeeper harvests young bees and occasional frames of Brood to make up mating Nucs/Nucs, it helps to hold the colonies back from swarming. Over the past four years over 50% of my stocks have not...

Something like this: http://www.fanevalleystores.com/product/3250803/febra-lc-long-cuff-nitrile-milking-gloves-pack-of-50 My local Fane Valley outlet has a different variety of long cuff milking gloves but in boxes of 100. They do not seem to be shown in their online store. Go for the long cuff...

Hello and welcome! Good luck with your bees when they arrive. I'm guessing that you are a member of Cavan BKA or possibly, Armagh and Monaghan. They are pretty active associations and will keep you right.

Just quoting from their current magazine... EDIT - voted on at their AGM

Perhaps an accurate reflection of the state of polictics in our wee corner of the world....

My advice is to stock up in advance and avoid the Spring/Summer rush for foundation... I pay for my wax to be processed into foundation by Thornes and collect it at the UBKA Conference at Greenmount each Spring. I get more wax than i expect to use. I previously organised a bulk order of...

BFA membership is £200-00 per annum. They have lifted the requirement to have 40+ stocks of honey bees, instead asking (and this is not an exact quote) that you can demonstrate that you are generating some sort of income from beekeeping on a organised, formal basis.

Added supers (foundation only) to my stocks on OSR on Saturday. A quick check of the brood area indicated that the colonies were about to see an emergence of a lot of new bees. Went back last night when I got home from work and added extra supers - they were needed! 14x12s now on 5 supers...

Starting to see numbers of drones on the wing and have had some reports of swarming locally. That usually a good indicator that grafting can commence. I "plan" to create a Q- cell starter on Saturday and graft on Monday/possibly Tuesday evening depending on other commitments.....

I have been doing this over the past few years. Has been mentioned on this forum before now. I make up a nuc in one apiary for movement to another. Open the hives from which you want to harvest the bees, find and cage the queens and then go back and lift one or more frames of bees and emerging...

Thanks for posting so much of what you work with and towards B+. It helps others who are improving their stocks also.

May your bees bring you honey and a smile each time you see them or taste their honey.

You persistently try to stir. Since you have been quite clear that you had an "informant" at the NIHBS conference you know exactly what the position is with regard to sampling, results and publication. Stop trying to be provocative and wait for formal publication like everyone else.

Selection gives you bees that are nice to work with, productive and long lived. You can get nice bees by selecting from amongst your own stocks and by working with other beekeepers. I took this picture on Saturday morning:

First quick look into a stock in 2017: double brood overwintered on their own stores. Frame pulled from top box. My father is posing with the frame whilst I was on camera duties. From looking down between the frames there are at least another four frames like this one in the top box. If the...

Not again! Despite your statement that you had an informant attend the NIHBS conference, you persist with this nonsensical waffle about failure to publish research. Anyone who attended the NIHBS conference will have explained to you the expected timeframe for formal publication so please stop...

Good afternoon Nubian, Being based in County Down, I am going to guess that you are a member of or at least near to either Dromore BKA, Killinchy or possibly Rostrevor & Warrenpoint BKA. I would encourage you to source bees through one of those associations. There is quite a bit of work going on...