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  1. B+.

    New Import rules

    I agree with you that doing anything worthwhile is never cheap nor easy. However, if you are reliant on open mating, it would seem to be a sensible precaution to use instrumental insemination. A bit like driving a car - you can never be sure what the other guy is going to do so you take sensible...
  2. B+.

    Sugar shortage?

    That's possible but I'm not a huge/regular customer of this supplier so I wondered why they'd put their credibility on the line. It's also possible that there is a problem with moving goods around the world due to covid at the moment. Just take it as a "Heads up" for what it's worth
  3. B+.

    Sugar shortage?

    I bought some fondant for nucs recently and have just received an email from the supplier: " Hello, I rarely send update emails but you may have noticed a shortage of sugar products. All our sugar products are on order but no confirmed delivery date due to a global shortage. Four main reasons...
  4. B+.

    Will my bees kill an introduced queen?

    If they are that hungry that they starve, putting a new queen in is like signing her death warrant. It won't work. The best you can do is feed them then add a frame or two of sealed brood before adding the queen, ideally under a push-in cage as the bees are likely to be quite aggressive towards her
  5. B+.

    Will my bees kill an introduced queen?

    Ohhhh Yes. I didn't look closely at the photos. Where are you located? It would help if this was on your profile. Have you no nectar coming in there? You could feed a light syrup to keep them going.
  6. B+.

    Will my bees kill an introduced queen?

    The only thing worth adding to what has already been said is that bees usually reject alien queens if they have eggs/larvae of their own (sometimes even when they don't if it's not in a nectar flow). The presence of young larvae seems to be a determining factor. How long ago was the last frame...
  7. B+.

    New Import rules

    Now, do you mean a locally produced F1 of good origin and temperament or do you mean the local mongrel? If I had £1 for every time I've heard the "local bee" story, I'd be a very rich man.
  8. B+.

    What did you do in the Apiary today?

    They were narcotised with CO2 and hadn't come around yet.
  9. B+.

    What did you do in the Apiary today?

    Queens are lying in their cages with a dazed look on their faces. I didn't hear anyone asking for cigarettes so maybe they didn't enjoy it much. We'll see if they start laying in a couple of days
  10. B+.

    Boosting existing colonies by introducing swarms

    3 should be enough. Use your judgement about the thickness of the paper. I haven't bought a newspaper in years so it's just a guide.
  11. B+.

    Boosting existing colonies by introducing swarms

    Personally, I wouldn't dream of spraying a food-producing animal with air freshener. Others might do it, but I wouldn't. Multiple layers of newspaper pierced with a pin (or something that impedes their passage) would delay them from mingling
  12. B+.

    Boosting existing colonies by introducing swarms

    That would probably work so long as it was a slow combination.
  13. B+.

    What did you do in the Apiary today?

    I have no idea. Would you like me to send you some so you can decide for yourself? It doesn't look like cappuccino to me.
  14. B+.

    What did you do in the Apiary today?

    Collecting drone semen for instrumental insemination of queens - I suppose claiming that no animals were hurt during the process is a bit pointless! ;):D People often say drone semen is the colour of cappuccino. I'd say it was more pinkish, wouldn't you?
  15. B+.

    New Import rules

    yes. I am not importing packages. I am importing queens as part of an ongoing development project (at my own expense). Not for commercial gain. These bees will never be sold on. The idea that raising your own queens can compare with a selective breeding programme is preposterous. The only way...
  16. B+.

    How late do your bees fly?

    late bees don't fly (neither do late parrots) ;) :LOL:
  17. B+.

    Boosting existing colonies by introducing swarms

    I know Desmond. It's an easy test to do though, and one that provides immediate results (well, 6 hours later is almost immediate).
  18. B+.

    New Import rules

    We disagree on that but, if you'd like to provide evidence to support your statement, I'm sure we'd all be very interested. I'm not sure where this "a better bee" idea came from.
  19. B+.

    New Import rules

    Yes. I can see where you're coming from but if someone tries to feather their own nest at your expense, do you accept it? I am actually following the rules (both EU and UK) completely. I would just like some assurance that the NBU are going to do something with these samples and it isn't just...
  20. B+.

    New Import rules

    Me too...but, that's not what I meant. The choice is free, the activity is far from it.
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