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I think though if it's just queen cups you're seeing, rather than queen cells with eggs or larvae in them, then you don't need to panic yet. I waited until I found eggs in the cups before doing an artificial swarm on my brood-&-a-half hive last weekend (admittedly far earlier than I'd expected...

Thank you 😊

I get my frames from C Wynne Jones. They sell seconds ☺

Guilty as charged. I joined the forum years ago, and started going along to my local association, with the intention of getting bees at that time. Lack of funds stopped me getting anywhere with it at that point, and then life took a different turn. One degree, two job moves, and four house...

Put out one of my spare hives in position ready to do an artificial swarm whenever needed. Today was the first reasonable temp day in ages, but was starting to get a bit chilly by the time I made it to the apiary, so I'll be back tomorrow to inspect the queen-right colony. They're really, really...

Over the years I seem to have developed an increasingly thin skin when it comes to online negativity. I left Facebook and Twitter for that reason. I absolutely detest the sarcasm and groupthink that goes on on those platforms, and now just have a very low tolerance for people commenting without...

I overwintered my two hives on a brood and a super. One of the shallow boxes was a poly Swienty, and they were building brace comb between it and the wooden brood box even though both are bottom bee space. Last week I swapped the poly for a wooden box, hopefully that sorts it! It would make...

I was hoping to do inspections today, but it's only forecasting a high of 9 :confused:. A cold easterly is keeping temps down for a good few days yet. I put a frame of eggs in a queenless hive last Saturday that I want to check on, and another hive that's so busy I'm worried I might miss swarm...

Made two hive stands out of old scrap wood. Going to put the spare hives out with some old comb and lemongrass in the hope of attracting a swarm. Also put together a load of frames. What about pine cones? I saw someone mention they use them, but my mentor advised against it.

When I started last year I used nitriles under marigolds, but quickly ditched the nitriles. I'm still using the same pair of sweaty marigolds I used last year. I've only had one little half-sting through them. I hadn't considered the possibility that venom pheromone might be durable enough to...

Oh good, thanks 😁

As last visit, no brood at all. Loads of stores - I had a super on over winter which is still pretty full (of syrup, I know now that I overfed them). Around 8 frames of bees. Other than now knowing they're queenless, and the poo, on the surface they look like a strong colony still (to my...

What do you think of the below picture? Is this enough poo/dysentry to worry about? I went to do my first full inspection of the year today, after briefly going into the hives a couple of weeks ago to check they had room to lay, as they were both quite heavy still. This hive had no sign of the...

Putting together all the supers, frames and roof for a spare hive I enthusiastically bought last weekend when I thought all was well with both my colonies. Ah well, don't count your chickens etc...

I don't fear disease, there was no sign of anything untoward. When you said 'as a precaution', I was wondering against what.

Why would it be best to shake them out rather than just leave them to dwindle naturally? As a precaution against disease?

I'm in the same position. I went for a quick check this afternoon, just to look at the stores and see if they had space to expand. Both hives were really busy from the outside, lots of pollen going in. In fact, the hive in question was the busier of the two. But I found no brood or eggs, so I...

I reluctantly re-joined facebook last month to post an ad on a couple of the local groups. I got quite a few offers, and my bees are now happily situated on a nice little croft, far closer to me than their old site 20 miles away! I deleted my profile as soon as I found somewhere. I still hate...

Yesterday I went to look at a new apiary site on someone's croft nearby. It's totally perfect, much better than where they are now... and to top it off they've said I'm welcome to grow veg, or anything I want! I'm currently at the bottom of a very long allotment waiting list, so the season is...

Sorry, can I ask a quick question - it seems necessary to vape several times, but from what I've read people only seem to trickle once. Is that right?