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Judging by the photos, I'd guess that your advice on gloves was ignored as well ...

There's a couple of major misapprehensions there!

Absolutely. Frames (and foundation) make it easier for a beginner to start beekeeping. Lack of frames adds extra difficulties. Best is to keep things as simple as possible at the beginning. The bees will provide plenty of puzzles - extra ones aren't needed!

The two bits of advice on the same page are from DIFFERENT beekeepers - Cushman and Patterson. Different beekeepers' advice will frequently differ ... :)

The OP would appear to be heading for his winter as a beekeeper. Judging the behaviour and needs of your particular bees, requires prior experience - and a 'stable' Q-rearing regime. Roger Patterson believes in selecting for bees that can successfully overwinter in a single National brood...

A piece of (aluminium) kitchen foil formed into a 'dish' shape is the usual 'container' for the Apilfe Var pieces. Just keep the treatment away from the poly!

Whereas my association sells those things for £18 (for the same 72, with lids), but for local collection (or at meetings).

Sorry, but I suspect that you are referring to the Yates' notes, as I don't believe the BBKA have offered any. If you search the forum for Yates, you'll discover that the Yates's are considered a bit opinionated and quirky, not 100% factually accurate or up-to-date, but useful for the Modules...

I think it is pretty unlikely that a colony would abscond from an Apidea during the second or third week after Q emergence - which I understand to be the specific concern here. During that time it would be a rather bad idea to close the entrance QX - you could be preventing mating! Sometime...

But for a beginner, having extra space available beneath does provide a worthwhile margin of safety, so that things never need to be finely judged.

I'd like to know what you mean by the boxes being "pretty much filled". Are all the combs fully drawn out with wax? Are almost all the combs in the bigger box in use for brood and stores? Are any of the frames in your "super" full of capped honey? Then there's the question of how you...

All Patteson's non-wholesale (less than 500 units) prices include vat AND delivery. AND lids. Their special offer pricing, including delivery, is VERY special for hobby beekeeper quantities. Just for comparison, what would Compaq's "about the same" price end up at per jar, for 100 and 500...

The March 2015 Patteson's offer (discussed on this forum) on 8oz hex was £17.30 for 100 inc lids, VAT and delivery. Pro rata the price per jar fell slightly (a penny or two) if you ordered 2, 3 or 500. /// ADDED - Turns out it was me that spotted that offer and posted it here...

Returning to this because in the Beecraft magazine that arrived today, there is a very relevant article. Beecraft September 2015 (Vol 97 No 9) on page 23 "Anaphylaxis" As well as describing a beekeeper's successful desensitisation, the article leads towards - But of particular relevance...

Sadly, compared to much of the countryside in the South East, suburbia is indeed "Bee Heaven". No great gluts of forage, but pretty much always something worthwhile. Down here, raspberry and bramble are long past, however the bees are still working hard on the Fuchsia and some types of...

Master class ... ? From the man that advises using an "extractor designed not to damage the cells" on combs from a Warré hive? I note no mention of ordinary TBHs ... wonder what extractor he advises for those to avoid damaging the cells? Sorry, but "Waffle, - or worse?" :winner1st:

Its important that you come to distinguish between a "Play Cup" (dry and empty, a normal part of the scenery inside a hive) and a real "Queen Cell" where they have set about creating a new Q - ie it has a larva and Royal Jelly within (beekeepers will speak of it being "wet"). You can pretty...

Welcome, Sam. Although the site is predominantly British, there are a few on here from the US of A (and elsewhere). Some beekeeping practices and equipment are different on the other side of the ocean - and the seasons can be VERY different - but the bees are (mostly!) pretty similar ... so...

There is an important distinction to be made between - frames that still HAVE brood in them and - frames that HAD brood in them previously. No problem whatsoever with the latter case (just don't use for cut comb!) Rose, Warré, TBH and no-QX beekeepers routinely take honey from comb that has...

As with so much in beekeeping, a bit of planning ahead is very helpful! :) Extraction season is definitely NOT the best time to go looking for good deals on jars. Buying jars ahead of time, perhaps even when on half-price offer, is a much better 'investment' than leaving money in a bank...