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  1. M

    Beekeeping day courses

    Oops, I sent a link to out of date FAQs. Hopefully this will get to the right one! https://bbkanews.com/issues/view/603. It contains useful reminders about doing a risk assessment etc.
  2. M

    Beekeeping day courses

    I am putting on a Taster session in my Apiary this year, and found the BBKA Insurance FAQs very useful. See attachments. It will perhaps answer some of your questions, Mark.
  3. M

    Brood frame spacing

    I tried Hoffman converter clips once, but did not like them at all! They reduced the Bee space which resulted in the bees building brace between the clip and the side wall. Possibly smearing them with vaselene would prevent that, but they are a faff anyway!
  4. M

    silvercrest jam maker

    Mine, purchased from Lidl, stopped working after 18 months. I had to send it back to Germany (they arranged a carrier to collect it) and a new one was returned to me quite quickly. Don't know what I would do without it as I took my old heated fridge to the tip, I was so pleased with the 'jam...
  5. M

    Sold Site near Audlem, Cheshire, and one hive plus bees.

    Thanks for the enquiry. I was downsizing and as there were no takers for this hive, sold some others - including the commercials. So I will hang on to this one for now.
  6. M

    Sold Site near Audlem, Cheshire, and one hive plus bees.

    I intend to withdraw from a site near Audlem. It is on a sustainably run farm where the owners are keen to have bees on site and the location is sheltered, in full sun. If there is anyone living near, and who might be interested, it would be good to find someone to take it over . There is...
  7. M

    Sold Commercial hives and bees.

    4 stocks in commercial hives. With advancing years I find that commercial hives are too heavy for me! I have 4 that I would like to find new homes for. 2 on double broods (heavy), the queen's are first generation from Jolantas. 2 on single broods, local stock. I just want £175 for the doubles...
  8. M

    Bees wartime rations

    Many people started keeping bees during the war, my father included. However it was my mother who had the sugar ration intended for the bees! I remember getting denatured sugar for my bees about 40 years ago. That was not dyed but had a very bitter substance added to it. I cannot recall the...
  9. M

    Who makes their own foundation?

    I made a couple of presses years ago, one out of dental plaster and one out of pure cement! The latter worked fine. A hinged frame was used and closed on a sheet of MD foundation as the initial mould. In use plenty of soapy water was used as a release agent. The resulting foundation was quite...
  10. M

    New renegade beekeeper Stirlingshire

    In earlier times, I have heard that the primary crop was beeswax rather than honey. It strikes me that skeps, with frequent swarming, would have advantage over the later moveable frame hive for this purpose! Skeps became obsolete when other forms of wax and oil became available.
  11. M

    Queen clipping

    I have experienced queen balling in the past but that was marking/clipping early in the season and am reluctant to even open a hive too early in the season these days. I have also experienced a queen ‘playing dead’ when handled, a couple of times. Convinced I have killed them but have then found...
  12. M

    Could be time to break out the shorts...

    I called in at the distillery on Jura to buy a bottle many years ago. The distillery manager was quite apologetic in informing me that he could not sell me one as he was waiting for a delivery from Glasgow! Apparently the whisky is sent by tanker to the bottling plant and a few bottles are...
  13. M

    a great cell punch

    I made a punch out of 10mm brass tube last year ( clockmaking-brass.co.uk ) and bored out some plastic holders to put the cells in. Also tried moulding the bases to jzbz cups. I have to say that my grafts met with better success! However I am going to try again this year and heat the punch...
  14. M

    Newbie in Cheshire

    I sent a private message with contact details. Did you get it?
  15. M

    Newbie in Cheshire

    Let me know where you are as I am also on the Shropshire/Cheshire (and Staffordshire) border. If close, you could come and get hands on experience.
  16. M

    Basic supplies

    I get the same local BKA list and have only ever purchased feed from it. However it is a useful service that they provide for beginners or people with just a couple of hives. If you only want,say, 10 frames it is cheaper to buy from them than pay high minimum postal charges from main suppliers.
  17. M

    MJT Cell Punch

    You can buy short lengths of copper pipe in various diameters. I used bog-standard 15mm domestic pipe.
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