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What are you looking for with a ‘test frame’?

If you don’t want to stay a brood and a half, you can work that shallow up and out. When they are ready, add the deep (or whatever you want) underneath. When the new lower box is properly occupied, lower the QE if you use one to below the shallow and work that shallow either up and off if you’re...

For what it’s worth, I did find a way to look at the phone and I washed the suit. What I didn’t do was really thoroughly check it when I took it out of the machine. I let it dry in the sun and went to the Association apiary. Only one doing my preflight check did I realise that it had opened one...

Got to the association apiary and in doing my preflight check I realised the seam had come open under one arm of my suit so I packed it in and went home.

Let’s all save the salt for Sunday dinner. All of us new-bees appreciate the learned experience of the established keepers. There is no way we could be as good as we are with out your help and advice. We new-bees do, on the other hand, really apppreciate it when there is some sympathy and...

Or at least they seem to be. I removed one little queen cup during my inspection. Previously, at the association apiary and at mentors’ out apiaries, I have watched them being removed. Drawn wax had a different texture and behaviour from queen cells. Queen cells seem more spongy. Are...

That is a “seam of bees”?

So, after all that fiddling earlier today I just touched it this time and it practically fell off! I didn’t get the chance to try the “tuck the hood” trick. I’ll see if I can ever get it back on.

Cool! Thanks! I’ll have a watch when I get home!

Oh, crackers! Yes. But as a gauge of temperament: On the installation - no stings. On first inspection - one sting when I trapped a bee under the lug. On second inspection - some veil bumping, but that’s all. On this last inspection - a dozen stingers in the suit!? What I found interesting...

My suit has this wonderful warning label: fully detach hood before machine washing... The hood has a double ended zipper that stops, overlapping, at the throat/chest where a flap is secured with Velcro. I cannot see any possible way of detaching it. Take the zipper to the ends and there is...

Don’t you love that? “Undercharged” when it was less expensive. “Corrected” at higher prices. You’ve got a serious set up there. Great to see!

Great! I'll knock up a couple and install them on my next inspection. Say: JBM... Was it you that talked about ants in the crown board? I also seem to have the same phenomena. When I opened up, there were about 100 small black ants and perhaps a dozen small white eggs/larva that they were...

As an aside: I had though I’d not been stung. I had noticed a number of stingers left in the suit when I took it off. This morning I woke up with a number of small itchy mosquito-bite-like spots. I don’t think any of the stingers actually penetrated my skin, but, as I was wearing only a short...

Great link! Thanks!

Thanks for the help and advice everyone! That dummy board is a good idea. JBM suggested it on one of my earlier posts. Up to this point, I’ve always had an empty or fairly empty frame in that last outside position. That was easy to pull out, as there were only a few bees if any all on it...

Today's inspection. This is my third inspection. I installed the bees from a nuc just over 2 weeks ago. The colony seems to be doing well. Lots of activity during the day at the entrance. Last Thursday, when I last inspected, 11/12 frames were drawn and the 12th had wax building started. There...

I think you need 10 posts. I ended up posting about the weather on my hello thread until I had 10 posts. Welcome! I look forward to hearing about your swarms. How’s the weather in your neck of the woods?

And their cedar starter kit is not that much more, if you are into wood. £295 https://www.abelo.co.uk/shop/beekeeping-starter-kits/national-cedar-starter-kit/ Great prices!

Wow! That was cool!