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Thank you all for the comments on how to fill the jars! I’ve been supplying the campsite with small jars for the past three years, and I’ve done it with a jug, but a ketchup dispenser sounds ideal. I don’t label them, the campsite does that, and wonders how I get mine on straight when I did it -...

I’ve never heard of this “rule”. And have quite often waited until 6ish when my apiary gets some shade, it’s much cooler then.

I did have some oil beetles around my apiary a few years ago, but I haven’t seen them recently. Shame, they’re quite striking. Also means there are solitary bees around.

He’s correct. The foundation I made by pouring was more brittle than that I made and rolled.

The three observation hives at a show had marked drones (for the children to find the “kings” as they called them) and they were found to be well mixed across the three within a couple of days. those drones have white thoraxes, not eyes, so I’d reckon someone’s been practising marking.

That’s what I thought you’d say….!

I’ve found they let them in, as well as out. Those going in do not belong to that colony. I leave my crownboard holes open all the time so don’t need escapes in the roof.

Those cone bits for the roof are useless as well, wasps can certainly get through them, and so could bees in one of mine! Use a bit of mesh across the hole instead.

I’ve been eyeing my bee shed and wondering if it’s too hot to keep a couple of hives in. I’d like some back in my garden, but they would need to be inspected indoors as the neighbour is allergic to anything that bites or stings.

There’s rumours of ‘some’ seen in Dorset, report on fb, but it is being checked that it’s not an old post.

i did this, primed it nicely, then marked the queen, and a huge blob fell on her. The bees have cleaned off most of it, but she does have a shadow of green all over her. Doesn’t seem to have put her off laying. Never happened before, but I now do another check of the pen - and hasn’t happened since.

I do it for a camping site where I keep my bees. They made the labels but put my details on it for the producer. I bottle, they label.

but they’re still extra plastic in the hive……

I work on the basis that if I wouldn’t like to live in a house with that much mould, then neither will the bees, so like others, I remove them. It seems to be asking them a lot to remove that much mould. Having said that, I’ve got a colony that I thought was unlikely to survive the week that was...

I nadir mine, put the super under the brood box over winter, and only rarely has the Q laid in it. (And yes, I know it’s said 14x12s don’t need a super of stores, but sometimes they do, and all my supers are empty now). She usually stays in the warmer, top, box. I’m also on 14x12s. I swap them...

I have drones in one colony, they could swarm anytime from now if they want to.

I nadir mine over winter, so turned them all over yesterday. Lovely sunny warm day. 6 out of the seven had small amounts of brood, all laying well. The 7th is wall to wall brood, drones, and queen cups. I’m on 14x12s, so that was slightly unexpected for the time of year. I will be keeping a...

Not in my apiary!:) But only in the supers. Hoffmans in the brood box.

I do, as JBM says, the same way, but as soon as the queen is laying in the top box, I put that on the bottom, put QE in place, and move the old brood box to above the super(s). Then remove that as soon as the brood has mostly emerged, about 2.5/3 weeks later. There always seems to be the odd...

I’ve also never had any honey or wax from spinning it, might be a few drips from putting the frames in.