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To be clear, the effect on varroa is rather stronger than that- or you wouldn't get mites falling like rain when treatment is put into a heavily infested hive. My understanding is that it breaks down cell walls, but someone may be able to add to this. .

I would be cautious about doing that with a small colony. They will start to cluster from the bottom, and thus have to heat an entire empty brood box. NO VAIN SPACE!!! .

If you are still having wasp trouble, reduce entrance to a single bee space, and lean a sheet of glass in front of the hive. The bees will go round it, the wasps will try to follow line of sight. Feed with thymolated syrup- if there is nosema present, this is the best you can do for them. .

Varroa is one thing where you can't take your eye off the ball for a moment. While I know there are some on here who would advocate only treating when varroa is apparent, the problem is that it can be present but not apparent until it is too late, unless your monitoring is state-of-the-art...

:iagree: Spot on.

I realise the above was rude, but your refusal to look at this logically is extremely frustrating. I'm not saying keeping bees is particularly dangerous, or that people shouldn't do it, I'm merely stating that people can have a broad range of reactions to stings which can vary unpredictably...

Worth bearing in mind that very little stores is used (grammar) over winter, it's when they start raising brood in quantity (usually Feb) that they start to pile through it, so if they have a reasonable amount of stores you may want to hold fire, and feed fondant later if needed. .

If they are foraging they are very unlikely to be newly emerged, they usually work their way up to that job. Possibly they just didn't develop very well due to the nurse bees having been trapped out. I have to say I've never noticed a size difference, I don't think it can be by much. .

By your definition of an antibody reaction, that was exactly what he had. I've read the paper in the link, which ends with 3 paras of disclaimer including: This information is personal opinion based on 30 years of experience with bees and believed to be true, however each person and each...

We've all read them, they are not true and I don't know why you think they are. It may work that way for some people but certainly doesn't for others- for example the people who have posted above, and my father who when he started keeping bees had only slight reactions, which got worse and...

As there hasn't been a complete and direct reply- the answer is no. Bees need a moist enough atmosphere that they are not being dessicated- what in greenhouse horticulture is known as a 'buoyant atmosphere'. The danger is from actual wetness from condensation, and as has been discussed at...

Thats OK- we didn't kmow you had french B*LL*CKS, but chacun a son gout! .

Don't be- I think most people on here will have a great deal of sympathy for you. Your experiences of what worked and what didn't may prove helpful to other people, but I think Pargyle has pointed out one key factor- growing a hobby into a business is ALWAYS hard, and given the level of...

Pardon? .

There's been a thread about this recently. The good news is it's the asian giant hornet, which is not on it's way to us. The bad news is that we never seem to learn, and biosecurity remains as lax as ever; so presumably they will arrive here in a packing case sooner or later. .

I know the National trust are a bit set in their ways, but I'm pretty sure they've been using the vernacular for a while now... .

OOh please sir, pick me sir..... :D

Apiguard can put the queen off laying, but so can other things such as the weather. half my hives were broodless when I went to apply thymol, due I'm assuming to a sudden end to the flow, caused by dropping temperatures and dry ground. It seems too much of a coincidence for 3 queens to have...

Nice informative post! There seems little doubt that they will also collect pollen, though whether they actually do in any given situation probably depends on what other sources are available. .

Have plenty of spare hives, nucs, split boards or whatever you us for swarm control, because when you need them is too late to order them, and early build-up means early swarming- less with young queens of course, but be prepared. .