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IMO Pop a queen excluder on as soon as bees on the outer frames of the BB. If brand new undrawn super frames then leave the QE out for a week to allow bees to go up unfettered. Remember to pop QE in after a week. (Bees seem reluctant to go through QE to brand new frames) When the bees have...

But be wary, the post is being very intermittent recently due to Virus. Pal in North West had all birthday cards delivered 5 days late. And here in Sussex its not as usual..

I have a few queen cells in the incubator from an excellent hive. Don't want to rinse house bees off their hives to fill my apideas.. So... If I get a swarm could I use those bees to fill the apideas (once I isolate the swarm queen to one). Will they revert to house bee duties in their 3 day...

bee suits? have a look at www.thebeeshop.co.uk Great quality, half the price.

I once called to 'a swarm'. when i got there - 3 independent large clumps of bees hanging along a branch. Seemed very settled as 3 units. I boxed up all 3 individually, then went and grabbed a cuppa with the caller whilst they settled. On going back, one box empty, with two uniting. Left me with...

Went up to remove a super of ?OSR capped honey and found the little charmers had decided to swarm. Fortunately a clipped queen so they had obligingly settled beneath the OMF in a lovely big prime cluster. So my lovely queen, leaving behind 7 frames, wall to wall, brood.. and 3 queen cells, is...

Then you have been lucky, my Welsh friend.. I have had hives annihilated by wasps. Reduced the entrance.. didn't work. Closed entrance.. 50+ wasps all over the hive within the minute. I had to move the hives 3 miles away to ensure they survived. . The hornets are much less of a problem to me..

Now you're talking....only when evil bees to I resort to a brandy..:cheers2:

Sounds a huge area to be giving them, and messy.. But if you want to continue with 2 BB I can see no other option. And yes, supers back with them..

I was grabbing a super off as OSR in area. They then swarmed as my back was turned.. serves me right for not ploughing through checking for Q cells. But the queen was clipped and they all piled under the original hive.. So thoughtful of them. My beautiful queen is safely back in a hive, next to...

Yep, my usually polite hives were foul today, following, stinging, just b** rude. There had better be a load of honey soon!

I always spray a bit of Beequick on the tree where the swarm had been to shift last few bees..seems to stop them returning. Just dont stand under when you spray.. makes the eyes STING! even if bees dont!

If near your hives then a potential risk to your bees. Wait for the queen to start building then destroy the nest with her in it.. sorry to those who love wasps, yes, live and let live... but not to the detriment to my bees. No point altering entrance to your bait hive.. she will go in a tiny...

They need to get up to speed!. If used with safety equipment for the bee keeper it is fine. bees safe, treatment works..

I have used the Gas-Vap, with 1/2 tsp oxalic crystals per hive. So fast to treat load of hives. Did late December All bees safely though winter, and now-in drone brood developed from my super frame in the BB, I have yet to see any varroa.

Many thanks all, appreciate. Been an interesting new side to my bee keeping. And a joy to see what they have done . They are beautiful bees, and may nick some larvae for grafting as think the gene pool good.

My top bars are about 1/4" higher than the equivalent national frames in a National box, hence the difficulty in any transfer. Had to make a very thin eke last Autumn to move a colony from a top bar Nuc (6 frames) into a national. Got messy, but finally succeeded in settling them, and now all...

Thanks for that.. have 12 sealed holes .. do they seal with wax as it looks more like a clay

I have no problem with manipulation.. just they are soon going to have filled the hive and the top bars don't fit into a basic hive to split them. I can remove some honey stores but may be easier to nip queen out and concentrate their minds to a new queen scenario, whilst I use her in a new...

Yep, poor practice.. and now there are flows on. Bees will cope without your intervention/feeding!