Search results

I was looking at a complete wipeout in May, now taking frames off all hives, capped to the corners. It's an incredible turnaround. The bees are flying in the rain. It seems that if there's heat in the air, they get on with it. Still faffing with one nuc. The carni queen was just not doing...

I've used BS for Buckfast queens. Very pleased.

We've finally turned a corner in Highland. Taking a few capped frames off the hives now and all are busy and happy. Not for want of serious worry and intervention 😱. Two months ago it looked like it was all over, drone laying or missing queens, hungry bees, etc. Only 1 nuc is still struggling...

We've turned a corner here, with warm weather and flowers finally arriving! Two months ago it looked like it was all over, queenless, drone layers, etc. Three hives have supers on and they're working away. Nothing capped yet but heading in the right direction. The nuc that got the BS BF queen I...

The 4 hives coming on, 2 were queenless and 2 are nucs made as emergency backup in May. All coming on with BIAS. They're still needing syrup and 2 had eaten their half pollen patty. Today is the first day in a long while we've had sun and temps above 10. The coming week looks good, and the...

Struggling here, 7C last night. Today's the first day without rain and wind since I can remember. Weeks. We're wearing 2 layers and fleeces most days. Splitting firewood again. I refuse to dig out the hats and gloves. Hive 1 is still going strong as they got an early start mid May when we had...

Checked new carni queen, still in the cage, the fondant is quite dry. Just released her between the frames and shut them up. They seem delighted. We'll know in a few weeks.

I haved moved nucs 3-4 metres from the hive they were drawn from, stuffed grass in the entry. Still plenty bees in them the next morning. I think bees are smarter than we give them credit for as far, as finding where their colony is.

I did Q+ nuc on top of Q- BB and their super, no problem.

Same timing here, starting the same day. Mine started laying on June 18th or 19th. The weather kept them inside for quite a few days.

New carni queen in her nuc after delays by Royal Mail. And the naughty hive 3 seen balling a queen actually had a sneaky wee virgin somewhere, there's very young brood 👍

Good old Royal Mail. Queen due to arrive by 1pm GUARANTEED overnight post. Nuc made up yesterday afternoon and waiting. Nothing. And of course the sorting offices close well before then. Tried to ring - " we're very busy, 40 minutes wait". I look forward to the Czech billionaire buying them...

Delighted to see Hive 1 with brood in both boxes, from either a bought or home bred queen. Not going fishing to find out which. I pulled 2 shallow frames from them to make a nuc for a mated Q arriving tomorrow. I also put a frame of their brood and another of honey in the old nuc who are...

Possibly. I'm going to check a hive that requeened about 4 weeks ago and appears to be up and running. The weather has only just become shakeable. If I had shook them out anytime over the last few weeks, they would have died of hypothermia. Hence just in limbo on syrup.

Regarding the mated BF queen I rescued yesterday and put in a cage in an older nuc with older bees and defo Q- . They've been in limbo, I was planning a unite with them. She has no attendants because they were following me around the bee yard trying to get in the cage and kill her 🤬. I...

They had a single QC that I accidentally squashed, weeks ago. I went through them very carefully. They are ratty. If I missed something, she would have had to be laying by now. The BB is pretty much empty now, they're living off the super.

Heavy heavy going up here. 5c this morning but sun now and bees flying like crazy. I think 2 hives are Q+ now but it's too early to go meddling to check. One has a homegrown QC, nuc'd to frames from that hive, then united back as the hive itself failed to requeen. The other got a mated BS BF Q...

Unite worked 🎉, removed the extra BB, rearranged frames and shook out a few dozen workers hanging around the old nuc adjacent. Then I put a new BS BF Q in a hive that had a QC but I accidentally crushed it last week 🤬. Terrible weather for it, heavy, humid and showers forecast. They were mental...

United a Q+ nuc with a Q- hive, fingers crossed they are happy to see each other when they chew through the paper. Plenty of nuc flying bees still about so will shake them in tomorrow depending upon weather. They got a small feed on to keep them going until then. It's far too cold to just shake...

Demented with bees. Put QC in and waited. Week later still making cups 😡. Introduced a Q in a cage and they were instantly delighted, trying to feed her through the cage. Checked yesterday, absolutely wild. Eventually found a small patch of 6-7-ish day old brood. Nearly impossible to see due to...