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  1. Wingy

    Bees for hire? Looking for some advise

    Hi something new to me here so wondering if anyone is familiar with this system or can offer any advise costings, what to charge etc. So a person near where I live and keep my bees has approached our BBKA branch and I’ve been asked to contact them. Basically he said he was looking to hire up to...
  2. Wingy

    Warming cabinet heater

    Just looking for views / recommendations as to what everyone is using these days to heat their home made warming cabinets? I was using 2 x old style 40w filament bulbs but need to replace as they have now expired - tried a 1’ 45w greenhouse heater but couldn’t get the temperature above 18C. My...
  3. Wingy

    Swarm trap etiquette have I been good or bad?

    Ok so one of my out apiaries while doing last weeks inspection I had a walk around just observing what’s coming into bloom next etc. I then noticed a swarm trap about 40 metres from my hives set in a hedge line. Well all my queens at this site are clipped so they won’t be populating the swarm...
  4. Wingy

    Winter brood

    Inserted the inspection boards on my national long hive for a couple of days last week to monitor varroa and was surprised to see 13 seams of brood cappings when checked. Only a small amount of stores uncapped and bees still out at every opportunity. Hive is home made with sides at approx 60mm...
  5. Wingy

    Unseasonal behaviour

    After seeing a thread on here, think it was titled “spring flow?” I thought I’d post these pictures taken 2/11/22 north Manchester area. Strawberries flowering & fruiting / bumblebee foraging on honeysuckle Thought it would be good to see other examples from around the country so please post...
  6. Wingy

    Do honey bees learn behaviour ?

    Reason I ask is from my observations this season with 2 quite nasty hives. I put some nasty colonies out on 2 farms this season for the OSR, with the intention of re queening and to keep them out of the way of people. So did well on the OSR, re queening was a disaster (another story) but every...
  7. Wingy

    Gutted

    Extracted a few more frames from the garden hives yesterday morning, ran it through my double strainer and into a 30 litre settling tank which it filled, well pleased, lid on and left it on my bench in the garage ready to jar up in a couple of weeks. This morning went in the garage for some kit...
  8. Wingy

    2nd’s quality equipment

    Well eventually got all my delivery from the Maismore sale (nothing to do with Maismore by the way. DPD split it into multiple loads) Anyway just wondering if anyone else has noticed a drop in quality or have I just been unlucky? Ok I know it’s 2nd’s and I wasn’t expecting top craftsmanship with...
  9. Wingy

    Does common sense still exist?

    My wife keeps saying I’m too critical and should chill out but lack of common sense really Winds me up. So Maismore sale came along and I went a bit mad. Today got my “DPD will deliver” notice. Van turns up and I met the driver at the door with the first large box. Chit chat established there...
  10. Wingy

    A first for me - any thoughts please

    4 weeks ago I collected a swarm into a brood box and set it to one side as a hive. Checked in a couple of days later and established it was in fact a cast swarm covering 4 frames, drawing out comb. Put it into a 6 frame Langstroth Nuc and left it alone. Checked in today saw a lovely Queen BIAS +...
  11. Wingy

    Newspaper unite Fail

    Gutted to say the least & lost a very nice Queen. So nasty hive, brood, QX, super. I caged the Queen, went back a week later. Shook bees off every frame & destroyed all Queen cells. Went back a week after that, removed the Queen still in the cage. Shook bees off every frame no Queen cells no...
  12. Wingy

    What’s the best way to re Queen & unite colonies?

    Ok so here is the situation: I have a few very nasty colonies which I have been lucky enough to be able to put them out of the way on a couple of farms presently on the OSR and mostly double brood with 3 supers. I have my lovely calm bees at 2 other apiaries and plan to unite the nice colonies &...
  13. Wingy

    Incubator humidity

    Just wondering what humidity people run their incubators at please. Just done my first grafts and 4 Q’s emerged but appear a bit wet when I just put them on the mini mating Nucs. My set up is home made and holding temperature at 34.5 - 35.5 celsius with varying humidity of 75 - 80. I can lower...
  14. Wingy

    Swarm crazy

    Is it just mine or are others experiencing the same. This week every single hive has thrown up charged Queen cells. I’ve been run ragged & juggling kit all over the place. Supers filling nicely but nothing capped off in any great quantity yet. Even the 7 colonies on the OSR. They seem to be...
  15. Wingy

    Sold 6 frame National Nucs

    2021 marked Q in 6 frame National Maismore Nuc complete with feeder History - 2019 Buckfast Q, open mated, took 2 Q’s of her 2020 both did exceptionally well and a pleasure to work with. Lost 2019 Q so in 2021 took a number of Q’s from her daughters. All did very well. Over wintered 7 in Nucs...
  16. Wingy

    What insurance options are out there?

    Just wondering what insurance options are available and costs / level of cover. This year I will be trying to keep to about 20 hives (presently got 13 + 8 Nucs). I will be placing colonies on 3 farms, have some on my allotment and my breeding stock in the garden at home. Security wise home &...
  17. Wingy

    Check on food stores

    Just a heads up particularly for newbie keepers, Keep an eye on food stores, with this mild weather very few of my hives have taken a brood break yet and have still been active but with little forage out there they are smashing through their stores. I have just had to put my second block of...
  18. Wingy

    Soft set - will this work?

    This season with the bad weather late into spring my bees didn’t make much use of the OSR crop as they didn’t get on to it properly. However from my summer crop they made up for lost time & I have about 60lb left over which has now crystallised, if I leave this in a warm place it will become...
  19. Wingy

    Registering temporary apiary on Bee Base

    As per the title really. I have my permanent sites registered, home, allotment & farm where I keep hives all year round. Farmer has just offered me 2 new sites for next season OSR crop. Having had a look around the sites look good so will be placing 2-3 colonies at each. However I’m not seeing...
  20. Wingy

    What have you learned (bee keeping) this year?

    Personal experiences or personally witnessed. Not something you heard 2 or 3 times so must be true or something a mate told you who heard from someone who’s been keeping bees for years. my experiences learned 1) it is possible to reduce the moisture content of honey by mixing it with lower...
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