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  1. johnmcc

    How Much honey did you get this year?

    Had a quick look yesterday as it seemed that mine weren't putting down any sealed honey. Lo and behold two and a half sealed supers in each hive. Couldn't resist taking out 4 frames to "suck it an see" and I spun off over 5ibs from the 4 frames - and it's the most beautiful clear flowery...
  2. johnmcc

    Bad tempered bees

    My bees were very friendly until this year. I've now moved them to a friend's field because neighbours were being stung, apparently for no reason. One thing - because my bees were so calm I'd got used to opening the hives without smoking them. Not any more! I now smoke the entrance a couple...
  3. johnmcc

    Newbie - havent looked in on them in 2weeks

    :iagree: too!
  4. johnmcc

    My bees are going on Saturday

    As an aside to the main thread, beware of taking ibuprofen or any 'NSAIDS' - it/they can seriously exacerbate the normal reaction to a bee sting. Absolutely O90 - these drugs have a number of drawbacks which most people don't realise.
  5. johnmcc

    OSR Super. What to do!

    Not an untypical response to a newbie on here, Knotty - I've had it a couple of times from some of the usual suspects. What some of the established members don't seem to realise is that, however stupid the question, we're just after a little help. Go easy you old Guys! No need to shout. In...
  6. johnmcc

    Three feet or three miles - really?

    From my experience in fairly flat arable farmland in Norfolk: http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18753 I've moved hives 15 yards and one mile using the "foliage in front of the hive" method.
  7. johnmcc

    Update on moving my angry bees

    Four weeks ago we decided to move our two hives from our garden to a friend's field because we - and our neighbours - were getting stung, after three peaceful years when no-one but me got stung (twice, through my clumsiness). Like a lot of people on here we suspected the strange weather pattern...
  8. johnmcc

    Angry bees. Nature or nurture?

    I'm hoping I can go through my hives tomorrow or Tuesday when the weather's supposed to be better. I've had enough of opening hives when the weather's certain to annoy them. Last year I took honey with barely a ping, let alone a sting. This year they're alternately nightmare and sweeties and...
  9. johnmcc

    How long can a swarm survive outside - any advance on 16 days?

    Where will they have gone? I've lost a couple of swarms in the past (one this year which was 20 feet up a rotten elder tree over a ditch on soft ground) but I've never seen or been told of domestic bees living wild around here. Do they just die out?
  10. johnmcc

    Stings in one hit

    Ahem - 15 through the suit and gloves when moving the hives three weeks ago. Most around the right wrist, resulting in forearm like a hot cylinder from elbow to palm. I let 'em out too soon after moving. Won't be doing that again!
  11. johnmcc

    Here and Gone...

    Where are you?
  12. johnmcc

    Bait for a swarm - help please!

    She's trying it as I type this - fingers crossed!
  13. johnmcc

    Bait for a swarm - help please!

    A friend has a swarm (possibly her own bees) 30 ft up an evergreen tree. Even with a cherry picker you couldn't get near them without cutting down the surrounding trees. We've put a bait hive on top of a platform ladder under the tree with some nice old black comb brood frames in. 24 hours on...
  14. johnmcc

    Aggressive Hive - Running Out of Options

    To go back to the original post, I wouldn't hesitate to kill a colony if need be. There's a combination of preciousness ("poor little bees just obeying their natures") and "I've kept bees for 70 years and don't notice the stings any more" macho-ness which says you should try everything else but...
  15. johnmcc

    Really bad weather

    Horizontal rain has just stopped here. IMHO it's too windy to open a hive, let alone to stop an umbrella turning itself inside out.
  16. johnmcc

    Feeding syrup?

    Don't need it?
  17. johnmcc

    What did you do in the Apiary today?

    (Back Story: I moved my hives from my garden on Wednesday, but they were in attack mode when I let them out at the new site - too soon, probably - so I did nothing but retreat.) I'd taken a full super off each hive before I moved them, but the OSR's all over round here, so today I stuck the...
  18. johnmcc

    Bees foul

    Moved my two hives out of the garden yesterday to a field a mile and a half away belonging to a friend. Just too aggressive this year. Had about 2 or 300 returners (field not far enough according to conventional wisdom but I had no choice). Three neighbours got stung. Apologies and promises...
  19. johnmcc

    What did you do in the Apiary today?

    Up at 4.00 am, closed hives (WBC) with wooden baffles I made up yesterday - worked a treat. Two cups of coffee, then loaded hives onto trailer and took them to their new home. All OK so far. Unfortunately when we got to the field the sun came out and the temperature started to rise. I was...
  20. johnmcc

    What did you do in the Apiary today?

    "Don't you have ventilated snap grills in the UK for shutting the bees in?" I'm still pretty new (4 years) and I've not come across these for WBC hives. Does anyone do them en Angleterre? T****** has a ventilator mouseguard for £30 something, but it says not suitable for WBC.
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