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Watched a small nuc let the queen out (mating flight?) with the rest of the bees following. Sadly the nuc was empty today - I wonder what happened?

stolen beehives 3/4th May I had some funny phone calls from someone in Bideford, Devon, trying to sell me bees. They had slightly canadian voices. Then they said the bees were at Hatherleigh (nearer) but wouldn't give me an address. On 1471 their number was withheld. Where did they get the...

white clover, bramble,willowherb and balsam

I have had two hives in an agricultural building + various nukes for two years. Each hive has an individual opening to the outside with its own colour. The building is light and airy so inspections are easier than the one in the garden with the bees outside and me inside. I did it because of...

I make a sling out of fine gauge chicken wire stapled onto a top bar. The fondant is in plastic bag with a couple of slits on one side. I place it next to the last bar with stores. It is usually partly gone in the spring. Behind this fondant bar I fit a divider made out of insulation board...

Swallows eating my mating queens The swarm that had been normal for a week was foraging and seeming to be busy except for the drones. Going bananas = flying around aimlessly in all directions and sounding angry.

Last year I split two hives and none of them ended up Q+. I blamed my ineptitude! Now a swarm with a virgin queen has been quiet for a week and then gone bananas. Probably now Q-. My head scratching has made me think that perhaps the swallows in the farm outbuildings are the culprits. What do...

Top bare hives I have two rectangular TBHs. I chose TBH because I am elderly and find supers too heavy. Rectangular because I got annoyed (bees too) with the brace comb so I changed to deep frames without foundation - just a 1cm strip at the top to get them started. The hive is easy to check...

Yes. I have to hang old CDs on a string over my hives as otherwise they dive bomb them. With the CDs they only get the odd bee.