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Checked hives in this apiary yesterday. The bees were quick to come out if the sun came out, but otherwise kept away from the chilly air. One hive had a drone laying queen. I was able to replace her a couple of weeks ago with a queen from a friend but the new queen, though accepted, is not...

I'm be very pleased to hear that a bald bee can still be a healthy bee! I've had a few colonies get full blown CBPV and I know the look (and smell!) of it. So when I see the odd black shiny bee, I think maybe there's a trace of the virus around. I don't worry about it (what would that achieve?)...

Saying something is simple doesn't make it so. Reminds me of George Monbiot ('It's simple: just leave the oil in the ground.')

This year I'm hoping to prevent swarms with vertical splits. I've made loads of split boards with mesh on both sides of the hole. Some (eg David Evans who wrote a nice piece some time ago) say that a vertical split is like removing the queen in a nuc but keeping everything in the one stack...

A balanced view. Nothing is simple when it comes to doing what's best for the planet. It seems every 'solution' comes with its own side-effects.

I've thrown out my old frames till now but I don't feel good about the waste. So, with suggestions on here, I got a 45 gln drum, cut the top off, drilled a hole for a tap near the bottom, got a double gas burner, and made a stand. The only trouble is, there's a problem getting started with...

Yesterday was my baptism by lanyard. I didn't trip all afternoon, and I didn't lose my hive tool. But it wasn't plain sailing. I used shock cord, about 5mm. The weight of the tool doesn't stretch it, but I thought it might be safer. I fastened it to my forearm. The thing that really surprised...

I had a proper look in my hives at the other apiary yesterday. It was 10C but the forecast for the next week was much the same. (It has been revised up a few degrees today.) I reversed the car down into the field and continued beyond the furthest hive. It gave me a view I'd not seen before with...

Everything to do with yachts, right down to the loo roll, is expensive.

Yes, clearer in this picture. I presume we don't say where and spoil it for others 😉

Ah, so you were looking for some help!

There were so many different kinds of insects here yesterday - obviously on the ceanothus (the red flowers turn blue later) and the C. montana. But bees especially were checking out the cotoneaster even the the flowers are still very small buds. Inside all of this (see the painted planks) is my...

Had a good look in 16 hives this afternoon. Mostly very encouraging, but one had swarmed, almost certainly, and two were preparing to. I have split boards stacked above most hives so I was able to deal with that. Another had filled an empty super above the excluder. That box was an eke for...

That's great, Garry. Thanks for the detail. It didn't occur to me to glue the liner, nor to take the liner downwards only, as opposed to bringing it round the bottom of the sides and back up the inside of the roof. I'll be making more when I find more pallets. I've got enough pond liner to see...

In Essex yesterday I was surprised to see so much in flower. Here in N Kent, just a few miles south over the water, we seem to be a bit behind. No hawthorn yet, for example. Or maybe my sample is limited, the hawthorn was a different variety and so on.

Thanks. I enjoyed all the detail of your story. It was helpful for me too after a very messy experience. I did a cut out last summer - but that's stretching the definition! A flat roof had to be removed for an extension and the house owner said the bees had been there for as many years as she...

You would think that would help but I have experience of fitting canvas on stretchers - and it didn't. The difference is that canvas is stapled to the back of the stretcher and pond liner is stapled down inside the roof.

After the recent nudge from @Garry R, I realised I had the pallet wood, scrap boards and pond liner to make some roofs. Most of mine are Correx so this is quite an upgrade. Folding the liner at the inside corners is a craft I've still to master. I think each of the 20 corners done today is...

I'm not able to (legally) go into that orchard but in the traditional orchard nearby where I walk the dogs and have lots of hives, the bees are on the flowers and flying enthusiastically - when the sun is out. I reckon the warmth of the sun ('apricity' again 😊 ) is about 5-7 degrees above the...

April: sun, showers and earlier flowers. Just in case you zoom in to read the text, it says: Life begins the day you start a garden. (Chinese proverb) We put up a number of these for an open garden day last year.