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It would have been better to remove the DLQ and unite the colonies with another using newspaper 🙈

Do these actually uncap frames or simply break the cappings that then make filtering from the extractor even more of a chore?

10 brood chambers 5 with frames. Frames have been boiled. Have not been used for many years. Back injury forced the swap to standard broods! Also a 14x12 nuc box empty. £250 the lot. Have one hive still occupied with a 22 yellow marked queen first super just gone on £250 (without super) My...

Did you find some?

Agree it's not a shock that pollen is still coming in given how crazy warm its been. The original question was are we in for a shock.... I think some will be caught out by the larger than usual colony size going through the winter. If it turns cold isolation starvation risk increases. That's...

John Your OP mentioned imports there are strict laws around labelling of honey in the UK. Labelling and selling imported honey as from the UK would be an offence...

Have you got supers on the hives? If not give them a single tray of apiguard. I tried this on 2 hives before the winter last year. Both hives still have their original queens and brood combs. So far no sign of CBPV in either colony. As well as varroa. The thymol is Also effective for tracheal...

Don't forget about wasps 🤣🙈 had a few of them over the years

Where about are you I don't mean on an apiary level I mean area level eg there are easily100 hives or more in a 2 mile radius of my home apiary in brum

In high density colony areas I think this could lead to it spreading rather than dealing with it. It's a risky strategy leaving hives weakened wide open for robbing 🙈

The original queens are still going strong in the colonies that were showing signs of CBPV last year...

Certainly seems more swarms around brum and earlier than last year. Lots of them are small casts too!

Yes from the allotment next door! Birmingham suburbs...

Not really the exception one of our branch collectors turned up to a swarm in a tree, half an hour too late... could only watch as it entered the nearby houses chimney...

Ah ok I'm in the suburbs lol and swarm prevention and control is a key thing for me. Not only are you losing the production value of the colony but in an area like this most swarms end up in buildings. So not being a nuisance is the other thing lol

Thymol also treats tracheal mites ... I used it for that reason not varroa

Fat fingers lol it posted before I finished... Bees naturally are you in an urban area? Just interested after your inspection frequency comment?

An interesting thread... I keep about 30 colonies about 10 years ago I started removing varroa treatments gradually at first. No autumn treatment only winter trickle with OA. Then full cold Turkey! I've got various generations of daughters now (varroa) treatment free for at least 5 in some cases...

Not that it will help a colony of this size but I had 2 colonies last year that were showing all the classic CBPV symptoms I treated both with a single tray of apiguard. After reading the suggested link between CBPV and the tracheal mite. Both colonies have their original queens and are filling...

What happened to the other big suppliers this year I hear half the hall at tradex was empty