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Re smoker gunk - it appears I can clean the gunk off too well - gave mine a good decoking this summer and it burnt fuel too quickly. Now the lid has had chance to coke up again, it works fine! I do make sure the spout is clear - a pencil does the job when nothing else is too hand! #37 - Hi...

Ah, I see, thanks JBM

Thank you for the replies. They are definitely bees, from the photos she has supplied. It wasn't a swarm, but a few dozen bees collecting in the bottom of the flue. No, apparently not just during rain, jbm - but I'm curious as to why rain might be a factor? Their plumber says he has...

I have had bees in a location near my neighbour's house for six years, but in recent weeks, my neighbour advised me that bees were flying in to her boiler flue and causing the boiler to malfunction/shut off... Has anyone else experienced this, or have any suggestions as to why this behaviour...

I remember my granfer cutting the small fields with a scythe - the ones he couldn't get the Massey Ferguson into. He stood upright as he scythed. The people on the video must get terrible back ache....

Hello ericA - nice to see you back :)

Put your containers in freezer bags (i know, more plastic, but they can be reused and reused). I pack bags with eight containers together. Once they are out of the freezer, don't open the bag until the pack has completely defrosted. (What a faff I hear people saying, but I guarantee that...

Air con on tonight...:cool:

Thank you all - looks like Deutzia has it! I was enquiring on behalf of a member of the public who has seen bumbles foraging on it and then found "dead bumble bees on mass" beneath the plant. She was concerned enough to ask how to save them....

Beautiful, yes, but apparently deadly to bumbles.....

Any suggestions gratefully received, thanks. (Sorry about the size of the pic)

I also had concerns about the ventilation in Maisies poly nucs. I do raise them off the car seat, to try to get some air movement, but I did cobble together some screens with a bit of batten and some floor mesh. They were nearly bee proof :blush5:

Bramble and clover starting to flower here, though not much evidence of a flow yet, (but it's gone cold again here). Bees holding their own on income v outgoings, at the mo' anyway. Good spring - just about to extract in case there is a summer... (PS, plenty still on hives I haven't robbed...

Thanks mbc. That accords with what I've got. There's very light, capped honey with a pleasant, quite delicate flavour. I've never noticed it before but then there hasn't been a spring quite like this since I've had bees on this site. And I've never has so much blackthorn about anywhere...

I have acres of blackthorn around one of my apiaries and it has been flowering in profusion for nearly 4 weeks. During the warm spell the bees were working it avidly. Does anyone know what colour the honey is, or if it has any particular flavour? Thanks

I, too, had brood nests full of nectar with very little room for the queen to lay last week. It was because I had been slackly late with my first full inspection and, with the weather we had had, there wasn't enough room for brood and stores. Having added space for them to move the nectar...

Added more wax to the solar extractor:sunning:

Thank you to all for your input and helpful comments. All very much appreciated.:thanks:

Many thanks for the contact Ian - very, very helpful indeed! Thank you:cheers2:

Are they just exhausted winter bees? Are there any behaving in the same way in any other part of the garden?