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Does this queen look right to you. ? She had emerged into the hive from a queen cell on a frame taken from another (better) colony. However i suspected that due to very poor weather on the day I transferred the frame, that the cell might have been chilled. So a week later I checked to see if a...

Prince Charles has unusual bees it seems. Highgrove Royal Orchard Spring Honey claims this on the website: " our honey is produced from pollen collected by the estate’s treasured royal bees. During springtime, the bees come alive and the new queen emerges from the hives. Together, they forage...

Hi All, I have 2 colonies I want to unite (newspaper method). Colony 1 is a strong colony which had queen removed on 25th April (nuc method of swarm control). New queen laying since around 20th May, since when they have turned quite nasty. 2 days ago I found and removed the unmarked queen...

Does anyone know if the national 6 frame polynucs and accessories from Bee Equipment are the same as, or compatible with, those from Paynes.? I currently have Paynes, but the ones from Bee Equipment are quite a bit cheaper and look the same in the photos.

Last week I hived a smallish swarm. The swarm was hived in a nuc with 2 frames of drawn comb and 3 frames of foundation. There are about 4 frames of bees. Six days later I had a look to see what I had. I could see eggs but no larvae. So the queen has probably been laying a couple of days. I am...

I have been reading an old beekeeping manual "A manual of Beekeeping for English-Speaking Beekeepers" by E.B.Wedmore, second edition published 1945 In the section on the uses of honey he writes "Honey may also be used in anti-freezing mixtures in the radiators of cars, where it has the...

In my garden I have an evergreen shrub with dark green glossy leaves and very fragrant white flowers. Today it is humming with bees. Can anyone identify the shrub please?

What is the best thing to do with brood frames stored over the winter containing mouldy pollen. Will the bees clean them up if I reuse them as they are? Or would it be better to melt them down and put in fresh foundation?

This year I have tried Demaree for the first time. So far so good. Current setup is: floor, BB with Q now with 5 frames of brood, QE, 3 supers,QE, upper entrance for drones, BB with emerging brood. I am intending to cycle frames of sealed brood from the bottom box to top, and empty frames...

My hives are in a semi shaded clearing on the edge of a wood, and at the moment are surrounded by bluebells. It is very pretty, but I have never seen the bees take any interest in the bluebells .... until today. Today there were loads of bees on the bluebells, clearly collecting pollen, a very...

I received this email yesterday from Beecraft, and thought it deserves publicising. Further information can be found on http://www.iombeekeepers.com/ Were you aware that the bees on the Isle of Man are Varroa and Foulbrood-free? We have been asked to spread the word about the danger to them as...

Last week I split a colony that was building queen cells. I removed the queen to a nuc with a frame of brood and a frame of stores. The colony I split was not big, only five frames of brood, and was itself made from a similar split at the end of April. So I was rather surprised it was making QCs...

Two weeks ago I did my first ever extraction after the OSR finished. Already some of the supers returned to the hives have frames of honey which are more than 50% capped. Lifting heavy supers on and off for inspections is a bit of an issue for me as I do my beekeeping on my own. So I am...

I decided this year to increase my colonies by taking out a small nuc with the queen when the colony showed preparation for swarming, and leaving the parent colony to raise a new queen. I did this with my first hive 4 weeks ago. 3 weeks ago I cut out all QCs bar 1 (sealed) and left well alone...

Here in the south my bees are really piling in the nectar. There is OSR only 400 metres from the hive. Today I put a 3rd super on the hive. Last week I added the second super of foundation, after a week they have drawn 9 of the 11 frames and they are filled with uncapped honey. The first super...

I am a first year beekeeper, with only one colony. Due to a queen problem earlier this summer, I have ended up with a colony that is rather small, and I need advice how to overwinter it. The colony is in a wooden national hive. A new queen has been laying for about 5 weeks, and I have 3 well...