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Checked a brood box which is full of brood and honey. Hardly any space for the Queen to lay as any empty cells have been backfilled with honey, as I was late adding a super. I intend to add another BB today (mix of foundation & drawn comb), should I add below or above existing BB or spread the...

Farmer replied said spraying at 6.00am

Very technical, I suppose my question is should I close my hives onnsaturday being the day bee connected is due to spray. Presumably most other bee keepers with apiaries near OSR will have similar spraying with the same chemical.

I received the following message from the Bee Connected web site, anyone any experience of this spray? Distance from Hive 1 km Crop being sprayed Oilseed Rape Flowering margin No Pesticide(s) being sprayed tau-fluvalinate

Next time I will put the Q in a nuc, reduce all QC’s to one and maybe combine later.

Yep, happened to me this week... lesson learnt!

If QC’s discovered is it normally too late to demaree. Thought I would be ok, went ahead and did demaree , now 6 days afterwards the Q gone ☹️. Big error, as I gave the Q in the bottom box just two drawn black brood frames and the rest foundation, no brood either. Silly mistake, won’t repeat...

I have quite a few nearly full supers (rape fields abound & adjoining here in East York’s) with quite a few demareed hives with top BB’s also back filled with honey. Checked water % all around 19/20% and all pass the non- drip test. Am needing to extract to give space to BB’s & replace filled...

I have a couple of 14x12's I'm wanting to demaree (with no spare 14x12 boxes), and anyway it would be quite a heavy task with supers on too. How do others do it with 14x12's ?

Good point... thanks for the advice. Demareed one hive yesterday before the foul weather, it had charged queen cells. I destroyed all and left the Q on just drawn foundation in the bottom BB. Will the swarming instinct still likely to be there as I know demaree is only meant for swarm prevention?

Does it matter which direction it points... same as bottom opening? Will a newly mated queen normally find the top opening, if building a new colony in the top BB?

Used all on demarees!!

Why... I'm nervous about leaving unseen eggs or young larvae in the bottom BB which then develop into QC's?

Looking through two shallow boxes maybe a bit of a pain, but as no spare BB's thought I might give it a try. Anyone tried this (I have spare 'super' frames from previously brood & a half hives.) Gives more space than a national BB and easier lifting.

I'm not out to build another colony just to grow the hive and prevent swarming. I've not created a top opening, am using a jbm board, but thinking I need to have a top opening to allow the drones to escape. What do others do?

Me too! Slightly worried though, as even if by putting on the supers when its still cold the brood could get chilled with heat rising into the super but also if not flying could they move any remaining (syrup) stores up into the super.

Thanks for all the advice. Moved them the 2 miles today. Still in lockdown will release them tomorrow, but judging by the weather they will want to stay locked up!

Thoughts on my moving hives 2 miles. Max temp 5c today, 7c tomorrow & 11c next day. Could close up for today & tomorrow and use the twigs (whether or not they help) . It’s less than the 3 miles but they end up in 2 fields of rape which is now flowering. Is it with the risk?

Did the shake out today onto a white sheet and found the queen...and she is no more! Queen unmarked yet in the autumn she was, and not worn away. Interesting to watch all the bees easily gaining entry to the other hives. I smoked them first thinking this may encourage them to take honey in...