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Thanks - appreciate the advice

:LOL: ... It will look less chimney-like once I have back-filled and there are grasses and wildflowers growing around it ....... I hope !

Interesting, and unequivocal. With my 'standard' colonies, it's not quite that I see feeding as an admission of failure, but I do see it as a conscious human intervention to deal with: The fact that I've quite possibly harvested more than I should have A level of risk aversion (i.e. making as...

Well... Not so much a dilemma; more me entering squeaky bum territory, and curious as to what others think/would do. I am entering season 3 with this colony (of lovely black bees from a swarm capture). They fly at insanely low temperatures, and have been by far the busiest of my 20ish colonies...

Interesting article. Thanks for sharing. In countries (Slovenia and neighbours - including Southern Austria) where the Carniolan bee is the prevailing local subspecies, I understand the desire not to 'pollute' the gene pool. Nonetheless, those state laws make me uneasy, I guess they're only...

The romantic in me is liking the thought behind these dispensers.... However, if they are airtight (looks like the lid of that Fritz unit clamps well shut) then is air pressure not going to be a problem (which anyone having tried to fill from the gate on a large airtight bucket will have...

You say that, Garry, and I'd not be first in the queue to defend this, or any other government's position... ... But I think the response is good, and the solid points it makes are almost inarguable. It is correct of them to say that (whatever we might want to infer/assume) that 1) country of...

Wow !

Are you suggesting I am a village idot ?

Take the hypothetical situation that a beekeeper had decided over the previous weekend (it being v. cold) to move some hives between locations to help configure apiaries for the spring. This being, say, a complete village idiot, he then tries to manhandle a well provisioned hive (>30kg) off a...

Indeed, I think so. I've had a lot more of these 'mysteries' in the last year. ... Just when you think your levels of experience and competence are such that you can understand "why" things are as they are ... Mother Nature just ups the ante, and gently reminds that, well...as per this clip

Actually, there is the odd cell with what appears to be capped, ostensibly drone brood (? .... so potentially a queenless colony with laying workers ?? - maybe the MAQS did for her ???)

Hi all. So: all (20 or so) colonies I run went into winter with extremely generous stores, and having had an Autumn treatment (either MAQS or Apilife VAR). They are a mix of poly and cedar hives. On Jan 2nd, all were flying, and all were hefted. Though a couple were light-ish (to the extent that...

10 year beekeeping anniversary this year, and have thus far been on a well trodden path of conventional learning and expansion (~20 hives now). Bees did exceptionally well last year, which, coupled with one of my main customers retiring has meant I actually start this season with stocks of...

In lieu of a proper, built, stand, I have my Warre hive on a blue Chep pallet in the back garden. For me, as somebody who worked for Chep, when it was part of GKN, it's a little nostalgic. Super, super pallets - and won't let you down. I could leave it sitting on the ground for years and it...

Also - and apologies if I have misread the pictures / OP..... But there is a(n albeit sad-looking, >1yr old) Queen in there, so what are the chances of laying workers?

For real ??? In the colonies I have had/experienced with laying workers, it would have been very unusual to have seen such consistent laying at the base of the cells as in that photo. Maybe I just have short-arsed bees.... but I think that is a sweeping statement, if not downright...

Question.... Whilst I agree with much of the analysis above (dwindling, probably as a result of one part being sickly... try feeding thymolated syrup etc...), I personally think that the ragged/partially uncapped brood might simply as there are not (currently) enough bees to cover the brood...

Sorry to disagree vehemently, but IMHO any venture with a test frame at this time of year is a fool's errand. Even if the OP has ready access to a mated queen (unlikely), the balance of probability is that that goes t*ts p ... more than likely as on the other side of the same balance of...

Interesting philosophy. Whilst I want strong and healthy colonies to be going into the winter, I don't think providing laying space is high on my own list of priorities at the moment. In terms of winter bees, the die must be largely cast. Indeed, I have the opposite concern; I have a number of...