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I've been planning on rearing a few queens from a hive I had to AS last week. The QCs are due to hatch on Monday or Tuesday. I've got 2 new Warnholz hives ready. Is it possible to introduce the bees and QC at the same time? Weather here has been appalling all week and set to continue so I...

:icon_204-2: How on earth did you find this?:serenade:

Once it's melted and cleaned all wax is the same I think. I make candles from wax that's come from some of the grottiest old frames you're ever likely to see, seems to work for me and the wax is a gorgeous gold colour;)

:yeahthat: That was a b***dy nightmare. It took so long to get on the site I'd forgotten half the stuff I wanted, after an hour fighting with the site I won't be rushing back :hairpull:. Still managed to spend over £250 though:nono:

I was a spoilt boy, lots of everything from Mrs Aberreef. Beekeeping wise, my sister-in-law sent some fantastic bits and pieces she got off a friend who's given up bee keeping. i got a wax melter, loads of wax and a foundation press. If the person that gave them to her is on this board I give...

:icon_204-2: Has the opposite affect on me. A few glasses and I'm no use for anything lol Brewing beer from scratch using barley, hops etc is quite complicated and temp dependant. I use the commercial kits though, it comes as concentrated goo in a big can and so long as you follow the...

Co-op do a nice bottled one but I can't remember the name sorry. I'd second tonyblokes suggestion of getting homebrew equipment though. It's REALLY easy to do using the kits from Wilkinsons. All you need is a brewers bucket, pressure barrel, hydrometer, beer kit and sugar. Oh and a jar of...

There's plenty of pollen for sale on fleabay but I'm guessing this isn't sterile and would risk introducing pathogens. Is it possible to irradiate it at home somehow:confused: or' failing that, where can I buy irradiated pollen from?

Great information Finman, thank you for taking the time to post:thanks: I'm planning to feed patties in the newyear and will use your recipe if I can source all the ingredients.

i didn't get anywhere near as much as I was hoping for but not too bad considering the weather this summer. It's quite different from last years crop though and is crystalising very quickly. I've never had this happen before so a first for me:hairpull:

Been a nightmare year at times for me. Started the spring with only one surviving colony and bought two new nucs. My boar knocked some of the hives over when he escaped from his pen and battled varroa. Also lost one swarm. Despite this I managed about 80lbs of summer honey (none in the spring...

The young spears are meant to taste like rhubarb and can be used in the same way. Yet to try it myself though;)

I had the same with mine this year. I think the weather has been so poor they just haven't been able to fill the supers properly. I did notice some very deep frames that encroached on the neighbouring ones too:rolleyes:

I accidentally had a similar situation this afternoon. I had put the extracted supers over the BBs for a few days for the bees to clean. This morning I took them all off then applied Thymol to all the hives. Somehow I managed to splash the Thymol over my face (not good, bugger me it...

:smilielol5::smilielol5::smilielol5:

Welcome to the forum:D Hold off buying your bees until next spring. There's a risk of losing your new colony over winter which won't start your new hobby too well. You can always use the next few months to find a supplier and reserve an overwintered nuc or two;) and to build your frames...

Forgot to add that if you do decide to get bees, the small amount of time taken to look after them is more than compensated for by the delicious honey they'll produce for you:hurray:

Unless you are going to get into beekeeping and give the hive the hour or so per week it will take to do inspections, treatment, swarm control (through the warmeer months) then I'd stick to the advice already given and get Bumble bee boxes; bumbles polinate a wider variety of flowers than honey...

I didn't feed last year, not out of choice, and lost 2 colonies to ?starvation despite giving them fondant. A third colonies queen failed early in the spring. I've got the sugar ready for this autumn already:rolleyes:

Another tip is to put the top super above your crown board with the feed hole open enough to allow the bees through. They will then treat this as being outside their hive and move the stores down, cleaning the super ready for winter storage;)