Search results

Hi Ken I've seen a couple of your posts on here and strongly recommend the following: When starting beekeeping I would suggest you start with a brand new hive, hygiene is paramount in keeping healthy bees and you never really can be sure with second hand. If you get stuff off a member of a...

Absolute nonsense! Firstly it's nothing at all to do with gears. If you lift each side just off the stand as shown in Ericha's pictures and add the two readings together it gives the exact weight of the hive. It's a very simple application of the principle of moments. Admittedly if you tilt...

There can't be that many blue tits left that still remember milk bottles!

Ah! I see what you mean, reinforcing mesh for concrete. Thank you

I'm intrigued to know what concrete wire net looks like

Definitely get new frames, as already stated T,s seconds in their sale are a good buy. Other advice: Join your local association, source local bees through your association, go on a course, read some books, avoid most of what's on Utube,etc, etc This is not a venture to blunder into blindly.

Oh comb all ye faithful....

To answer OP, foundation does not usually feature in the winter sales.

Loads of my bees flying yesterday! Probably raising brood, very little forage around; definitely need to keep a close eye on stores.

Was thinking Veronica before I saw all the replies. It self seeds very readily so you will have plenty without your collected seeds!

For those looking at stocking up for next season, T's online sale is another option. Usually starts in Jan and is similar price I think to seconds pre-ordered. You may have to wait in the queue for delivery, and I think quite a bit of it is made up from seconds timber rather than post...

Lovely sunny day here, bit cool mind. Don't know what all the fuss is about!

Wouldn't worry too much, natural wastage. There are always bees dying, but usually away from the hive when they are flying.

I always add a drop or two of lemongrass oil to the syrup. Seems to work.

I would put them at the front of the brood box with a dummy board behind them, then put a similar number of commercial frames above. Once they have drawn the commercial frames you can move the queen up and add an excluder as a Bailey change. If you have joined your local association it might...

Ditto Mine have all been busy,busy today.

Yes pretty much, although I have 14x12 boxes and deep roof on most of mine.

Why open them up at this time of year? The simple way to see if they are taking syrup is to see if the feeder is empty! What varroa treatment are you doing, bit late for thymol based ones, and anyway you shouldn't need to open the hive. Although it is sunny the air is very cold so I wouldn't...

I weigh a variety of hives for beginners at our club apiary. Although there is obviously a difference in the hive types I aim to get them up to 35-40kg, which is 75-85lbs. So I think you need to feed a bit more. As MBK says, after a few years you have a pretty good idea just by feel.

You can transfer them in the day. Move the old box to one side (if it can move without falling apart) Put the new box on the old site and move the frames across. They will find the way back in. To move them back home you will need to wait until they have stopped flying to shut them up, i.e...