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I have a few jars of old honey that have either set hard,started to crystallize or have started to ferment. Is this ok to feed back to the bees and what would be the best way. I will be leaving 1 super on each hive overwinter but they aren't full yet. I was thinking nadir first then a feeder...

I was in Bridgenorth yesterday and went to see how the castle bees were doing. I could see 5 entrances that looked quite busy along with a nice big chunk of wild comb also very busy. Thought I'd share if anyone finds themselves visiting the town.

Hi all. On our allotment site we currently have about 16 hives between several plot holders. A couple of bait hives have appeared not too far away and belong, apparently to a commercial beekeeper who doesn't have any hives on site. We do get several swarms every year and manage to catch them...

I stumbled across approx 15 hives on Brown Clee today. They didnt look like they had been attended to in some time and some in poor condition, rotton roofs, holes in supers being used as entrances, some boxes not stacked securely and no activity at some hives. They had been checked in may/june...

do new jars wrapped in plastic direct from the supplier still need sterilising before use and what is the best way?

Do solid floors need cleaning out periodically or can they just be left. I have a swarm that is thriving on a DIY floor and didn't know wether to buy an OMF or leave them be. Any benefits to a solid floor over mesh?

So a 2nd swarm has arrived at the bait hive today and appear to have taken up residence. The 1st swarm went in, came back out and spent the night bearding underneath. These were caught and rehomed. In the bait box there are only 3 pretty grubby old frames of wax and an empty frame. How long...

Inspected the hives today when this happened!

Last summer i spotted a colony living in the walls of Bridgenorth Castle. Had a walk around the town today and they are still there. It was a bit chilly but the bees where flying. The entrance is about 20' up in a sandstone wall 7' think. The stone must retain some warmth

I have a queen that's started laying in the super I left on over the winter. I didnt look in the BB as it was just a quick inspection. At what point do I move her down? I was planning on the next inspection checking the BB for brood and if there is any move her down and replace the QX. Is...

I have a BS poly nuc that I have overwintered so far and is the busiest of my 6 colonies by far, they are out in all weathers collecting loads of pollen. I dont want to increase my numbers but I'd like to keep the nuc going as a backup. Can I simply remove frames of brood/bees to boost a hive...

I have a Q- hive that I've left 1 small QC in to emerge. It's not the best looking but was the best there was. I also have a 6 frame nuc with a queen laying really well over 3 frames. There is room in the hive for the 3 frames thus freeing up my nuc for future use. So what is the best way to...

Looking to add some more kit to the arsenal. What's the go to national poly nuc and which to avoid. Looking at maismore on STB, any good? Thanks in advance

Inspected a colony today with a new queen. She is quite small compared queens I've seen before. She is only 10 days old and hasn't started laying yet. Will her size have any bearing on how good she will be?

I rehomed a swarm a week ago into a nice clean national hive with a frame of stores, some drawn comb and fresh foundation. Put a shallow feeder on top which they found and were taking down. Checked the food this morning to find the hive empty. Weather was pretty poor last week so not much...

So I split a packed hive a week ago leaving just a sealed QC in the original hive(or so I thought) checked it again today to see if any more had been made and found 5 more so selected the best looking 1 and removed the rest only to find after a few minutes of being removed the original QC I'd...

Spotted some Dadant super foundation on Ebay at £9 delivered. Seems too cheap to be any good, probably from China. Has anyone ever tried it? Think its from Easipet.

Ive just bought a new cedar hive from Thornes. Its their budget range but on 1st inspection im very impressed with the quality. What is the best way to seal it once I've put it together. I was thinking linseed or tung oil, or is there anything else? I want to keep the wooden look so no paint...

Was looking at getting a few spare bits ready for spring. Are their hive parts and frames any good?

So i've just been sitting infront of my weakest colony watching the few comings and goings when the queen emerged. She walked forward and a worker scrambled on her back for a few seconds then she was off. A few seconds around the entrance then off up to about 10 feet. A few more seconds flying...