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Alternatively, you could remove the need to see the larvae by simply cutting alternate cells

The cell punch method still requires fairly good eye-sight and the ability to identify which larvae to use. One method you might try is the Nicot queen cage. I haven't had much luck with it myself but you may succeed where I have failed. This method gives you much more control over the age of...

When you say they are "putting up queen cells", do you mean they have eggs in? If so, you have a queen in your hive that you may not have spotted. That would explain the aggression to any queen you attempt to introduce. If they are building cups but they don't have eggs in, there may be a virgin...

I put a dozen newly emerged virgins into full-frame Langtroth nucs (Paynes polynucs) on 29th May and I noticed eggs/larvae on the 13th June so I'd say Mike is pretty close, if not spot on. I'm in no hurry to move them on though. I prefer to see a good sealed worker brood pattern so I know she's...

It was exhausting but fun. I hadn't realised just how heavy those boxes were - there is so much fresh nectar coming in at the moment that the brood area was pretty full of fresh stuff too. I think everyone got what they wanted out of it although there are definite lessons to be learned about how...

I was joined by some members of Bucks BKA for a grafting day in my test apiary yesterday. Hopefully, they'll make some good queens from the larvae

Thank you for clarifying that. I'd been told that it was better to phrase it as "advice" than as a warning. Is there a better way to do it?

It's always the older foragers who may have a close bond with the old queen that causes the problems. If you can move the hive, or change the direction it faces, this can help

I have a laminated sign saying "Caution - bees working" - but dog-walkers ignore it. My bees are very docile though so people hardly even notice. There is a right of way across the field to a village that hasn't existed since the plague (so much for historic rights) but not around the field -...

Either way, he's the responsible adult so he's responsible for his safety .....and don't call him Shirley ;-)

If, as his mentor, you don't believe he is competent to "go solo", none of us should disagree with you: 1. You know the person. None of us do. 2. He is a child, therefore, he is in your care 3. The beginners course covers the absolute minimum necessary to manage a colony but falls far short of...

Joe May has a YouTube video on how he modifies the Chinese grafting tool if it isn't flexible enough. I keep meaning to try it but I have a bag of these so just keep pulling a different one out until I find one I like.

I agree. Most of what we do works most of the time. Nothing works all of the time. Tricks like dunking in water or honey do slow the virgins movements down but nothing is ever perfect. I've had virgins covered in honey wait until they were licked clean, then walk out the entrance - I mean, why...

I didn't find their bodies - workers throw anything they don't want out of the hive. However, since I mark all my virgin queens with numbered plastic disks, they're fairly easy to find. One, or two, still lose their disks but I can usually see where the glue was on their thorax. Those that lose...

I had 12 virgins emerge in my incubator on Wednesday. I introduced them to nucs containing sealed brood (no open brood) by allowing the queen to walk down between the top bars. When I checked them yesterday, I had lost 3 of the 12 (25% loss) - so, it isn't always completely reliable. I think it...

Good. There are some very strange views expressed on this forum from time to time. Sometimes, it's difficult to read between the lines and understand what people really mean (non-verbals missing, etc)

I wouldn't agree with this at all. To me, if a colony swarms, it's a disaster. Not only will my time have been wasted but all of her full-sisters, aunts, nieces, etc will be marked down and they will all be less desirable breeding material. I expect the colony to be healthy. I don't expect it...

Yes. It is drone brood

Yes. He does. I'm not sure how many herds rely on "the old fashioned way" anymore. A prize-bull, selected for desirable traits can impregnate many, many cows (thus, improving the offspring via genetics) in managed herds. In the traditional manner, he might "service" relatively few. The same is...

The argument that we only have bees because they reproduce by swarming is a spurious one. Many domesticated animals are "guided" in their reproduction by farmers/vets/etc. The same is possible with bees, although the scale of reproduction necessary would require investment and effort on behalf...