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As it is under 3 miles, wont they just all end up back in the original location if we do it now

Thanks all. I know it is risky with one hive but I am more concerned about the neighbours at the moment so if we have to do an artificial swarm we will leave just the one cell and keep our fingers crossed.

We need to move our hive and have hopefully found a site. However, it is only just over 2 1/2 miles from home. I know the 3 mile rule but if we have to move, is there any way round this or do we have to leave until winter, which is not really an option. We also don't have the option of moving...

Can someone explain why you leave two queen cells when the book recommends one. Our bees swarmed the day before our first inspection. Our queen is clipped but we couldn't find her but thought she might have walked back inside. The suggestion from the guy who helped us was to set up a nucleus...

Thanks for the replies. I will have a look before I go to work tomorrow morning and if they have eaten all the fondant I will put some more on, to be on the safe side. I thought brood and super would be sufficient, especially as we have been feeding fondant as well but don't want to lose them...

Our bees are in a standard national with a honey super which they had completely filled with sugar syrup/honey by autumn of last year. We are new beekeepers so haven't really got the hang of "hefting" the hive yet, although it does feel lighter. However, we noticed at the weekend that there...

Thanks all for your advice everyone. I wasn't looking for anything fancy. Just hoped that someone would make a frame that would be portable, would slot round the hive easily, hook on to either the super or brood and I could turn a handle that would lift it but obviously there is not much call...

I have just received a response from the company that make Apilift. It is operated by a heavy duty battery which comes with the machine. They are hoping it will be launched in the UK next year. Price in Germany at the moment is just over £2,000 so very nice to have but beyond my budget.

Thanks Hedgerow. I need to be able to lift a full super to check the brood chamber in summer on my weekly inspections and then to lift the brood and/or super to replace the floor in spring when it needs changing/cleaning. The Apilift, as well as allowing you to move the hives around, also...

Thanks everyone. I actually found this on the web yesterday. Looks ideal but I should imagine quite expensive. Have sent an email to ask whether it would be available in the UK and would work on a National. Will let you know if I receive a response

Thanks DulwichGnome. I have just looked on one of the Warre sites and loads of pictures of various models but not sure how to adapt for our National where the hand grabs are inset rather than on the outside. As Queens59 says, maybe one of the members on the forum might be able to come up with a...

I wonder if anyone is aware of a lifting device, other than blood sweat and tears, that I could use when inspecting my hive. This is our first year and we took the opportunity of a warm sunny day yesterday to check that all was right with the brood before autumn sets in. However, the honey...

Thank you for your responses. We expected them outside the hive but assumed that as the week went on, the reaction would die down rather than increase. They seem to have cleared the first week's treatment so will start the second tomorrow and will not worry so much when they start to "beard" again.

We treated our standard National with Api Life Var on Friday. As instructed we broke the strip into four pieces and put on the frames away from the brood. The bees were very active and by Sunday we had a small "beard" of bees on the outside of the hive, although they went back in by late...

Thanks Floss, that is useful to know. I guess if they get hungry they will take it, rather than starve.

We have been recommended to use Apilife Var against Varroa so plan to treat next week. Is it ok to feed at the same time, as we have a very strong colony and I don't think the honey in the brood box will sustain them for four weeks. They have a super of honey half full but I understand we...

Our Inspector thinks it might be paralysis and has sent a sample away for testing. Apparently takes about two weeks to get the results. It is a virus so you cannot treat with medication. You can try requeening but unlikely to find queens at this time of year. Just keeping our fingers...

Thanks all. I will update the post after the Bee Inspector has been tomorrow afternoon.

Thank you all. No, no signs of varroa. Wings are all ok. No fighting and no crawlers. Definitely not starvation as they are filling a super and we fed them for the first two weeks and at the weekend they had plenty of stores. Comb looked ok and new cappings on brood all looked ok. From what...

We have three separate water stations for them in the garden but have never seen them take our water. We have also made sure the earth is damp so they can drink from that if they prefer. We have seen a few bees take water from the ground but not many. We assume they are getting their water...