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Sam, I am not into Q rearing, grafting and the like. Your approach feels like a decent blend of pragmatic and deliverable. R

18'C here yesterday pm! Split wintering to give contingency this year. Closed up 2 hives and a Nuc (wintering at home) last night at 7pm (still 10'C !). Got them loaded at 07:30 this morning (4'C). Transported to out apiary, installed, checked over all hives; topped up fondant on 2 and home for...

If you have a bait hive then you presumably want the resulting contents and should have suitable housing for them. As previously said, why bother with a non-std bait hive when you could simplify everything and reduce stress on the bees. A spare 14x12 is the way to go IMO. I think a nuc is...

OSR is great IMO, great early boost, gives a good crop around mid/end May and for quite a few of the locals that buy my honey is prefered. It does crystalise quickly (hence the advice in this thread to harvest promptly). For that reason I label my early honey as 'crystal honey' and my main crop...

Very similat to MA. Cheap fruit juice, slack hand full of sugar. Slug of vinegar, couple of crushed grapes to force it to ferment. Works a treat.

I think feeding is the wrong term. You are stimulating. Enough nutrient for them to think there is a consistent flow on to get laying going, water to use up stores easily and not so much that they fill the brood area with syrup hence only up to 1tr a week for a relatively short period. Not so...

:iagree: Ditto

The principle of smallish vols of light syrup is as much to do with a ready water supply as much as giving some sustaining nutrient during a period that may not always allow the bees to fly. To keep the build up going and of course to get it going. You are not giving so much syrup as to clog up...

Stimulaton is my intention by using it and hence the relatively low quantities given.

yes, we'll above head height. But it's a central and busy part of the gardens so it clearly works given how long it's been there.

Well if it's getting us some funds that would otherwise be going to build roads in Portugal then I suggest you get your sticking plasters out and repair the holes in the balloon quick! ;)

There is an observation hive at RHS Harlow Karr (- spelling police dont seem to like the word should be a C) (near Harrogate) that must have a 1.5m entrance pipe, looks to be about 2cm dia. Entrance is at about 2.5m off ground, runs horizontal through a pitched roof then down to a 4 frame...

Nice stats Winker. not worthy

Sorry, bad use of English. Some fondant placed on a weak/vulnerable hive/nuc over winter 'in case' they need it - even if you hope they'll be OK. Coke Bottle wasp traps - examples in pic below. The 'rain' lids stop dilution of the liquor.

Someone is going to come along and give the name of this floor type. I have a couple of second hand floors which have a vertical entry on OMF which means you only have an 8mm gap and do not need a mouse gaurd. May be a variant you could look at. The advantage is clear, the disadvatage is that...

Personally I will not feed patties or syrup yet Keith and we aren't that far apart wrt location. Still a chance of a cold late March and you may end up with more brood to be covered than bees? I have a load of rape round me this year so I will be 'stimulating' and supporting but plan to place...

Harsh MB. Even if getting to the point that you had a weak colony represented bad beekeeping (to quote) that's not a reason to sit back and watch you error escalate is it! That would make it 'even worse beekeeping' and at some point I bet we've all been there, even you ...... In point of fact I...

Don't worry, accademic, each beebot weighs 2g has a flight time of 12secs on a full charge, a recharge time of 4 days, doesn't like nectar cause it gums up the works and suffers from hay fever.

Icing sugar usually contains an anti caking agent, commonly silicon hexacyanofurrate. Safe for humans, probably sub 2%. OK for bees? Who knows. Pay your money, make your choice.

Icing sugar generally contains an anti cake agent at about 2% silicon hexacyanofurrate. Ok for human consumption. Don't know about bees though. Given how cheap sugar is vrs value of bees why risk it?