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I very much doubt that they will be carniolans. One of their notable characteristics is that they have a much lower propensity for propolising everything in sight than do other types. If there are carniolan characteristics in them they are in all probablitiy crosses. Regards BD

Depends on the type of feeder your going to use. BD

Interesting information Finman. I must try to locate one for my area. It would be interesting for comparison.

A perfect example of the issues being discussed and in many senses why beekeepers in Cumbria are having a problem.......the raspberries which should/would have provided a good reliable source of forage didnt. I suspect that the same situation applies to many other forage types. Like you Finman...

As a general principle I would wholly agree with this point. I'm not so sure that this applies here in Cumbria although I'm unaware of any reliable stats to substantiate this. I'm inclined to think that given the low population density for the county I would imagine that overpopulation would not...

And with you too :)

I am not quite sure what you are trying to say here Finman. Could you explain further? Regards BD

Gavin has hit the nail on the head here Finman. What Mel is actually describing is a situation here in Cumbria where a significant number of colonies have been found to contain significantly less stores than what would be expected for this time of the year. Indeed this has been identified as a...

Hi, This is a problem occurring throughout Cumbria at the moment. The bottom line is if your bees are very short of stores to the point where there is a serious concern for their welfare (i.e. close to starvation) then feed them and keep feeding them. Up here you have until approx the third week...

I agree. Regards BD

Hi Chris, Apologies for the delay in reply. Completely missed your post. Unfortunately I've sold all my nucs for this season. Hope you have found a suitable alternative. Regards BD

Totally agree Floss I think the stethoscope should be on the list of essential equipment. I use mine everyday on each of my hives. As you say there's a wealth of information you get from listening to whats going on inside. Fascinating stuff!

Some time ago I came across a book which deals exclusively with being able to determine what is going on inside a colony by looking at what's happening at the entrance. At The Hive Entrance by H.Storch is welll worth the read and has certainly expanded my understanding having read it. Thoroughly...

Hi Grizzly, Funny you asked that: when I was using wooden boxe,s lets just say I didn't need to go to a gym for a workout :) They are very heavy. It's another reason I switched to poly to reduce the weight. I also enticed the help of a mate or two!!. I only moved across to poly late last season...

I went over to poly's last season and use full depth boxes throughout for exactly the same reasons given by Onge, particularly the flexibility. I have been toying with the idea of using jumbo boxes for the bottom bc as a comparison but doing that rather defeats the consistency issue. May give it...

Hi G and T, Thank you for your message. Unfortunately I have completely sold out of nucs for this season. I hope you're able to find an alternative source. Best Regards BDaddy

Hi Barry, As a new beekeeper both of David Cramps books are well worth the buy. The field guide is a super little book that a beginner would do well to keep in their pocket during the first couple of seasons. I've used it for years and even now still flick through it once in a while. Best of...

I fail to see why being a 16yr old novice precludes him from being capable of making a valid contribution. I suspect such a notion would not be received well by other 16yr olds today. This is an interesting comment in that, BA’s Abbot made the following statement “I know of no better beekeeper...

:hurray:

Hi Tom, Have a look at this link, that'll give you an idea of what it is. I use them regularly, eyes too bad to try grafting manually!! http://www.buzzybeeshop.co.uk/page3/page9/breeding%20systems.html Regards BD