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I use plastic QEs but find the bees put a lot of propolis on them so that they are fairly stuck down everytime I come to take them off. The condensation is sometimes just a bit outside the QE to the edge of the poly boxes as the QEs are obviously smaller than the outside dimensions. Maybe I...

The snelgrove split doesn't really hinder honey production in theory as the flyers go back to the bottom hive. I find that some condensation gets in between the poly boxes where the QE means they don't lie flat. It's not really a problem, but I'd like to make them more snug.

I am hoping to start to not use queen excluders. I'm fed up with trying to clean them, they are causing me condensation problems and I find it the colony is a bit tetchy then trying to get it off winds them up to start with. I've already started to do it with smaller colonies that only have...

I've picked up 7 or 8 swarms over the last few years and have never seen a marked queen. I am aware of 2 established feral colonies in my village but have had quite a few people contact me through Facebook about swarms that have taken up residence in their chimneys. I think it's impossible to...

Bizarrely I bought a cheap fake wasps nest in the spring when I had a queen constantly trying to start nest in our shed. It looks nothing like a nest and is more of a dark camouflage material. I hung it up with little hope but never saw her again!

They are a nightmare. I will never buy one of those again. I just moved a colony out of one of these and wasn't sure how to get the bees out without spilling the remaining feed everywhere. Ended up leaving the thing in situ (out apiary) for the bees to clean it out and I'll hopefully take it...

I extract when I need, depending on how many supers I have spare. I will extract the last lot as late as I can as I don't treat my bees (ducks behind sofa) and I find with poly hives they get quite honey bound by spring anyway. When they start to be seen on ivy that's when I take my last lot...

Thanks. It had died down by the time I got there. There were small isolated patches of bees. There did seem to be a bit of fighting going on although it has rained since so they are all disbursed. Fingers crossed I have some brood in 10 days or so.

I have what I think is a mating swarm that are collecting on the stand to the side of the hive. The colony was quite prolific at the start of the year although I haven't seen the queen at all. The brood pattern became a bit patch and then on 22nd June there were 6 emergency sealed queen cells...

Last year was the first year I had more than a couple to store. I use poly so have the clear plastic crown boards that come with them. I have a few bits of wood equipment so have a wooden floor, then a wooden (empty) super, the a clear board, super, clear board etc until the top when I have a...

I normally extract my honey straight into my large honey bucket that has the tap at the bottom and then jar from there 3 days later after using the famous cling film method to remove the scum. For reasons I won't bore you with I want to extract the last lot into a smaller bucket which doesn't...

I would imagine this might be a bit of a cry for help. We don't know either of you so it's hard to tell but I would just build up a relationship with him and see where you go. I know at least two wild colonies in my village so this isn't much different but it is probably good stock if it...

Made a plan about what I am going to do with a colony that swarmed and I left with one sealed QC on 15th May. The new queen is up to 8 frames of brood and it is overflowing with bees (4 supers). I can't find the queen amongst that lot and they are a bit feisty so I am going to move them on...

I presume I know the answer to this but I'm interested in the experiences of people who have been queen rearing for many years. Do queens from grumpy colonies always produce queens that also have grumpy bees. I wonder whether it ever gets bred out but probably not as the queen is 50% of the...

£5.50 for 1lb.

I match mine with another local beekeeper. Keep it all friendly.

I jar it after 3 days, sell it three days later. It's all gone in a week.

You just have to work out your method. I have poly hives and find that I leave them with much too much the way of stores. If I nadir it then the brood box is a bit honey bound in spring (my freezer is full). If I leave it on top I find I've got brood in the super with granulated honey. This...

Ok thanks all. That's good to know. She has a perfect little wooded are that wouldn't need to be mowed so that's likely to be where I would advise her to put them. Away from the chicken also.

Hi, I'm advising a friend who is thinking about taking up beekeeping about where to put bees in her garden which has lots of different areas. I've heard people say you should not have your hives under overhanging trees but I've often seen beehives in pictures and while I've been out and about...