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I have in mind to try to go into next winter with a couple late splits in Nucs. I've two poly-nucs and a couple of wooden ones. If over-wintering a small colony in a poly-nuc, where do people keep the nucs? Presumably not out in the main apiary. And in terms of feeding, obviously I will aim to...

Would it be sensible to put a frame of BIAS from one of the other colonies? If the bees are aiming to supercede her, given that she's probably over a year old, then that would give them the means to do so.

The queen is one I collected in a swarm in July last year. I marked her on arrival. She looks plump and healthy and appears to be moving around happily. Just not laying.

Had another look yesterday. Situation exactly the same. Bees, queen but no eggs. On looking closely there are two or three well formed (but un-filled) QCs - in other words QCs that are more than just play-cups. It looks to me as if the Queen was laying fine up until a couple of weeks or so ago...

Inspected today. Two colonies with 6-7 frames of BIAS, lots of bees and lots of activity. The 3rd was full of bees and very active but had no brood and no eggs that I could see, but I did find the queen. Given the volume of bees it looks to me as if she had been laying until recently but, for...

I have four colonies which appear to have weathered the winter. I weighed them today (whilst vaping) and I calculate that the stores in then range from 10.5kg in the lightest up to 16kg in the heaviest. Is that too much, too little or around right?

In terms of the practicality of vaping, am I right in thinking that most of you vape from the top of the hive? If so, do you take off the crownboard; or just lift it; or poke the vaper in through any feed-holes in the top? I'd like to know what the best practice is. I've considered making a...

It was 14 degrees C. Remarkably mild. My question wasn’t ‘should I have inspected?’ It was ‘was what I found unusual?’ Thanks for those that replied to it.

I did a final inspection today with the purpose of 1) removing the Apivar strips and also 2) reducing the colonies to a single brood box each, if feasible. Part 1 was achieved and Part 2 was achieved on two of the four colonies. The other two had such full Upper BBs that I simply left them on...

This may seem a silly question, but are there any glues that should NOT be used in hives? I know that people like Thornes sell 'beehive glue' which I suspect is normal glue with a new label and a new price. I'm currently using EvoStik Polyurethane glue for some other stuff I'm doing and I wonder...

This is a serious question. From the perspective of the colony/species, what's the rationale behind Cast Swarm(s)? I get the rationale behind Prime swarms. A mated, mature queen heading off to start a new colony with a large retinue of workers, and laying as soon as the workers can draw new...

So my question is: If the wasps are proving a real pest with this very small colony, and given that there is very little forage around, would it be sensible to close the Nuc entrance with the perforated cover (holes for air but too small for bees or wasps) to give them some time to recover...

I had a colony that became Queenless on about the 15th September. It produced 9 EQCs which emerged on around the 3rd/4th of October. There were no drones or drone brood in that colony nor in any of my other 4 colonies and so I considered that the chance of the new queen mating successfully was...

I’m not in a position to offer advice but I’m interested in the answer from those who are. I also have a Q- colony which has raised QCs from an introduced frame of BIAS. I know that the advice of some is to thin the QCs down to 'one good one' but like you I really not clear what distinguishes a...

I’m certain that there is no laying queen there. There’s been only drone brood for 2 or 3 weeks. There is still forage around and the weather is good at the mo. But of course whether it will be good enough in three or four weeks time for any successfully emerged queen to mate is another question.

I had two Q- colonies into each of which I introduced a frame of BIAS from another. One has raised 5 QCs. The other none at all. What should I do about the second one? Try again and hope that any queen has time to emerge, mate and start laying before winter? Or combine the remnants with another...

I've read different things in different places. So, what's the maximum temperature one can heat crystalised honey to in order to de-crystalise it, before one risks damaging its quality or rendering it not-honey?

Thank you. I'm not trying to have an argument; I'm just trying to learn. I guess that I should start treating all such cells as swarm cells at this time of year.

I detect a hint of unkindness in that question... But that aside: from what I've read SQCs tend to be few in number and in the middle of a frame. As opposed to swarm cells which tend to be on the edges, and ECQs which tend to be more numerous. But go on - shoot me down. I'm trying to learn.

I'd heard about this, but not seen it. However... Today I found the queen in a swarm I'd taken a couple of weeks back. I caught her as gently as I could between two fingers and marked her. Then I put her back on the frame and she just lay on her back, dead. I was horrified. I watched for a...