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I have just come back from my bees and had a good long chat to a delighted ‘landlord’ who says my bees have been working his field of squash like demons. He was also thrilled with the 1lb of honey I gave him. So that’s good news all round. But what he said next about the neighbouring Apple...

Thanks for your thoughts, folks. You can see why I was slightly gobsmacked and intrigued. I do see what you pointed out, Ian. I do see a darker section. Think I would still buy a jar just for the curiosity factor. I have still to face the rapeseed issue and dealing with crystallised honey...

This is the honey in question. To restate, NOT my honey but the person whose honey it is won’t mind be sharing I am sure.

In a thread on another forum, a beekeeper posted picture of his ‘creamed’ soft set honey. It was pure white! Made from OSR I believe, without any seed or starter. He also had a set honey of a more regular colour set with a starter but this white one stick out visually. I asked him how exactly...

Thank you very much, JBM. I’m very grateful as had no idea. Was so looking forward to working with my own wax, would have been disappointed if this was my fault and I’d ruined it. I will try doing as you suggest next time.

Cannot find the appropriate section for wax questions, so here goes... This is my first time rendering my own wax (have done wax work before with bought in wax). Anyway, today I did a small crush and strain honey harvest, the residual comb and wax was put in a Bain Marie to separate it from the...

It’s a cleansing agent. Removes the old oil and muck from the wood and gives the beeswax a clean surface to key to.

Makes it very stiff. I find it’s not needed.

I’ve seen people say it’s possible to use white spirit, but the people that buy seem to think turps is more authentic. It’s an old, old recipe cabinet makers have been using for a long time apparently. People pay a premium for ‘authentic ‘.

Equal amounts of beeswax, linseed oil and turpentine. You can also skip the linseed and do with just 50/50 beeswax and turpentine but it’s nicer with the linseed. Heat gently and stir well in a bane Marie (double boiler is another name). Obviously be careful with the turpentine if using a gas...

There’s a guy in our association who does well out of making candles. I think if you have that kind of flare you do well. Also furniture polish. I have a waiting list of people who want to buy furniture polish from me. Dead easy and cheap to make and T****s even sell plastic polish containers at...

Thank you! Think that’s answered it. My bees are on a field flower farm and Dahlias are being grown in poly tunnels.

Forgive me, I have searched the forums and know pollen colours are a regular question here, but I cannot find the answer to my query. I was in my bees earlier and they are bringing in a very bright almost fluorescent orange. I have looked at a pollen chart and can’t find a really close match...

I may be spanking new, but I get around the local forums and face to face meetings a lot, and also attend as many lectures and demonstrations and inspections at my local bee association as they lay in. The consensus locally ( east Kent) is that the rain in June although did cause a lot of...

I take pictures on my phone and then enlarge them.

Today in the association Apiary, we had an interesting session. Last week the mentors went through one of the hives and were alarmed at a sudden declined and what looked like EFB. Lots of brood dead shrivelled, discoloured to a pale pink, sunken cells, uneven comb and starting to smell awful...

Well being brand new I am always open to being educated. I also have a stepson who is a research chemist at a well known pharmaceutical company, who has point blank threatened to handcuff his dear wicked old stepmother if I go within a mile of an Oxalic Acid gasing device. He thinks people who...

I too have seen this Rhubarb leaves varroa treatment idea suggested elsewhere. But surely if it were scientifically proven to be effective we’d all be doing it?

10 frame nuc?? Only ever seen 5 or 6 frame nucs.

I set up a bait hive myself a few weeks back. Was getting a similar amount of scouts for a week or so, all day long. They were so keen! This was near a cluster known wild colonies. I asked a few more experienced bods, showed them video clips, they said they felt sure the swarm would move in with...