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  1. Gardenbees

    What did you do in the Apiary today?

    Checked varroa boards today. One mite seen after a 3-day period, on one hive. No mites at all on any of the others despite painstaking peering at each bit of the board. It's been a remarkably mite-free year.
  2. Gardenbees

    Great Tits feeding their young on my bees.

    Well, the great tits were there again this morning, this time in the rain & looking decidedly damp, but cashing in on the occasional sleepy bee emerging into the drizzle, presumably on cleaning flights. Wrens are taking an interest in the dead bees but not the ones at the entrance. The great...
  3. Gardenbees

    Great Tits feeding their young on my bees.

    One year later... Remember this thread? Last year I had no obvious bird visitors to the apiary except for a jay... however, this year, a couple of great tits have really got their knees under the table, so to speak. They're there every day that the bees are flying, nipping up to the entrance as...
  4. Gardenbees

    What did you do in the Apiary today?

    Hurray! First inspection today. Two hives, both very calm & busy. Both have queens from last year (reared on site, not bought in). I was worried that they might not be much good, after a late and inclement start last year, doubtful mating opportunities, and a difficult winter. One queen is...
  5. Gardenbees

    Bees Flying in January

    My three hives in Stroud were very busy earlier today, with lots of yellow pollen coming in. Also, the hives are unexpectedly heavy. Possibly they're finding some nectar too. I'm pleased they're all alive and kicking, so to speak, but it's not great timing. At least they benefit from the urban...
  6. Gardenbees

    Number Plate

    I'd watch that if I were you: remember, if it rolls down the road and ends up in someone else's garden, if they garage it then it's theirs! :gnorsi:
  7. Gardenbees

    How Much honey did you get this year?

    About 12lb honey from one hive, and it looks like a whole super to come (nearly capped; balsam honey). They had a replacement queen round about June. Plus one split, now a fairly big, new colony, and another replacement for the other hive. In other words, three new queens, one thriving new...
  8. Gardenbees

    It's a lot less bother with a hover.

    Definitely don't squish these: it looks like Volucella zonaria ("hornet hoverfly") or a relative. In which case it's probably attracted by wasps' nests, where its larvae live off debris (and possibly also the odd wasp larva). I get them at the end of my garden, which is where the bees and...
  9. Gardenbees

    cut comb questions?

    I tend to put foundationless frames on at least one super - the strongest colony usually as it uses up a lot of nectar - and let them make fresh comb with only a thin strip of foundation at the top to start them off. It makes beautiful cut comb, and seems to take the wind out of their sails a...
  10. Gardenbees

    Propolis

    I've used commercial tincture of propolis occasionally in the past. I can believe it has some antibiotic and antifungal properties, witness its usefulness in the hive. It seems particularly good as a gargle for sore throats, and it makes a pleasant toothpaste ingredient. One of my colonies...
  11. Gardenbees

    Plant Identification

    Yes, it looks like angelica. The leaves are rather like ash tree leaves, i.e. not as finely-divided as some umbellifers.
  12. Gardenbees

    Plant Identification

    Can't see the leaves! But it looks like wild angelica (Angelica sylvestris). Other bee favourites which look a bit like this and like damp places are valerian and hemlock water-dropwort. The latter is flowering alongside the canal in Stroud at the moment, and is covered with bees, even in the...
  13. Gardenbees

    To treat or not for varroa

    Very low varroa mite drop with mine this year, too, and none found in sacrificed drone brood. However, the little monsters can build up so fast that I prefer to keep them below a level where I can see them at all, if possible. So I'll treat this autumn, but may or may not do anything...
  14. Gardenbees

    Bee Stings Here goes!!

    Agreed. I'm lucky to have a 140ft garden, and the bees are right at the opposite end from the house, but I'd say it's only just far enough away for if they really lost their temper. One colony briefly got very defensive last year (I requeened them sharpish and they've been OK ever since). But...
  15. Gardenbees

    Crocus

    Got to go with ITLD on this one: pussy willow is fantastic for bees, and in my experience a bit more reliable than crocus, which tend to "fall over" pretty quickly, what with sparrows pecking them and big, queen bumblebees rummaging around in them... Likewise Mahonia is a good reliable early...
  16. Gardenbees

    The flow is on.....Finally!!

    Balsam really kicked in about 3 days ago here in the middle of Stroud: rather later than usual (possibly due to a conservation effort cutting the tops off the first flowers along the canal; they have now re-flowered!). Weather is very patchy but warm, and all three hives are very busy even in...
  17. Gardenbees

    bit of mould on bottom board

    Remove the bottom board! Damp is a nightmare for bees, and an encouragement to undesireables like woodlice, earwigs, mould etc. If you're worried about warmth I'd rather put insulation on top than leave an inspection board in.
  18. Gardenbees

    Desensitisation treatment...

    I dunno about the treatment; depending on the talents of the beek involved I might pay a fair bit to watch, though :D
  19. Gardenbees

    Desensitisation treatment...

    Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Trust does this, on the NHS. Their info leaflet can be downloaded here: http://www.gloshospitals.org.uk/SharePoint5/Patient%20Information%20Leaflets/GHPI0173.pdf I believe there's a unit in Southampton too, which does treatment on the NHS.
  20. Gardenbees

    What did you do in the Apiary today?

    Not as nice a day as the weather forecast suggested. Managed to look at neighbour's bees (he is away & his wife isn't confident with them yet). The emergency fondant I gave them last time is gone, the packet polished so clean it doesn't look like there was ever anything in it. They have...
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