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I came across my Brix Refractometer the other day which I have no use for as I gave up my bees some years ago. It was bought in 2013 from Gain Express in HK, which was where many got them from back then I think. Rarely used and appears in good condition. Has the calibration block, but the oil...

I have 4 colonies for sale, plus various other kit. I have developed shoulder and wrist pain which means that I struggle to perform inspections, and have, frankly, lost my enthusiasm for beekeeping. I therefore think that now is the time to give them up, rather than run the risk of any neglect...

Does anyone know the current definitive law regarding hedge maintenance where the hedge is planted adjacent to a pre-existing fence that forms the property boundary. In particular obligations/rights of both parties (hedge owner and neighbour), returning of hedge trimmings etc. I will say no...

Hi, I have 3 colonies (14x12), a carry over from my 2 last year when I didn't end up combining 2 of the colonies. I don't have the kit or space to be able to AS all 3 possibly at once if circumstances dictate. I had planned to recombine the weaker 2 colonies which I had identified in my only...

I have two colonies where due to the weather, and some misjudgment/mistakes on my part I have allowed to reach capped queen cell stage. However neither had swarmed. By my rough calculations one had a capped queen cell for a day or so before I ASed them, but the other was more like 3-4 days. In...

I bought an old extractor from a beekeeper who was giving up. It's a Lee (of Uxbridge) for whom I can find very little information and assume they no longer exist. The cage looks like this I am assuming it's a 3 frame tangential type, and will take super and deep frames. However I am...

14x12 BB One super - 3-4 frames partly filled April 2011 emergency queen I inspected on Sunday in a brief period of reasonable weather, so made it quite quick. Little activity so guessed that most workers were at home. Bees covering all 11 frames. 7-8 frames with brood. One frame in the centre...

I have a cast swarm on about 3-4 standard national frames where the queen appears to be unmated. There are 8-10cm patches of drone brood either side of one frame and no further eggs that I can see. I identified this when I inspected them on Saturday and found two sealed queen cells mid frame on...

Firstly I should say that I now recognise that the decision making that led to the situation I'm in was flawed but I have now learnt my lesson for the next time. This is my first Spring with bees, so it's all new to me. 3 weeks ago last weekend I culled some drone brood, but made a little bit...

In another thread discussing an overcrowded nuc one comment was "As things stand you run a risk that the colony will choke up the brood nest with nectar so that your Queen loses laying space..." Why do they do this? I think I have overfed my colony to the extent that there is very little...

I was out chatting to the ladies who are doing our garden, one of which is now an ex-beekeeper and is donating some kit to me. One of the reasons she is giving up is her reaction to strings, so I mentioned that other than a few attempted stings through the gloves I'd never been really stung. I...

I inspected yesterday at the end of the third week of Apiguard treatment. The tray had almost been emptied. As far as I can tell there is no uncapped brood. I have never yet been able to spot eggs, but saw no larvae also. I had noticed a decline in brood last Saturday (one week ago) but had...

With an OMF is it better that the surface that the hive sits on is solid, as it might provide better insulation in winter, or does it not matter, or is it a seasonal thing - open 'base' in Summer for ventilation, closed in winter. I made a makeshift stand and currently the front and back of the...

Didn't see this posted before, apologies if it has http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8682000/8682842.stm Looks like an interesting development.

Hi, I've just finished building my flat pack National hive, a 14x12, a standard brood and one super. However I realised that I've made a mistake and fitted the side panels (with the frame runners) too high. I read the instructions way back when but then didn't bother reading them again, and have...

Hello, I'm a soon to be beginner, I will have a nuc coming in May time from Thorne. Very pleased to find a dedicated UK forum, I have already found lots of useful information. On the beginners beekeeping course I finished recently the opinion of the two experience keepers running the course was...