Search results

I think it is Herb Robert - not Red Campion. Flowers are similar but leaves are quite different.

I'd agree with that. In my view Buckfasts are a pleasure to work with.

I purchased 4 Supers (seconds - sale) from M*More last year. The wood was very wet when it arrived (not seasoned properly?) and this year 2 of the supers have warped so badly, that they've needed fairly major repairs to make them usable. I've not had that with T****nes second quality sale boxes...

A couple of possibilities spring to mind. The first one would be (remembering the cool weather we've had this spring) is are your bees able to keep the brood warm enough? Have you insulated your roof? How many boxes are they on? Sounds like they should only be a brood box atm. Second thought...

Most modern Laburnum trees are sterile hybrids - i.e. don't set seeds.

Willow pollen is more usually a yellow colour. I would suggest that you see the pollen guide on the Bristol Beekeepers website. They have a good guide for pollen colour on their website. Grey could be elder or hazel pollen according to their website.

and another 300... let's keep our fingers crossed for a good season!

Cut them with sharp secateurs, about 12-20 inches long is fine and stick 1/4 or so of length in water. Leave for 3-4 weeks. It is normally as easy as that. When a good root system has developed, plant in gritty compost and heel plant (and pot) into a bed (keep watered) and plant out in the...

Hi Steve I'm also in Northamptonshire, do you want to pm me? You may need a bit of support for this year and you should belong to the local association and do your basic training early next year. In the meantime, you should have a mentor to assist, depending on where you are the local...

The only problem that I experienced was trying to fit T****'s castellations to M******'s boxes. They certainly didn't fit! I had to buy M***** castellations. Usually my 2nd supers from T****s fit the T****'s Castellations perfectly... so do you have the right castellations? Is the box square...

I was experiencing a similar problem this spring. When my bees started collecting water (condensation) from the cover of our neighbour's hot tub. Which they weren't too pleased about. I tried several ideas without success. The idea that worked was that my neighbour's simply put some essential...

I think that certainly during cold spells, inserting the tray and sealing with gaffer tape reduces loss from cold - obviously you still need to remove and clean the tray at regular intervals! If the winter is warm and wet than a different rule would apply and I would leave the tray out...

Caustic soda should definitely be used with caution - I have used it a lot (although not in bee-keeping) and it can be a good product, but you need to read the label carefully. For instance mixing caustic soda to water causes a reaction, which heats the water up. Sample question for anyone...

My 3 hives were busy flying today for maybe 1 hour, quietened down after that though - still too cold for them to stay out for long. However for that hour, they did bring some pollen in (they have both pollen patties and candy). Hopefully this is the start of some better weather!

Welcome Mike!

With the current temperatures and ground conditions the best advice is to wait to plant. You could either heel the plants in (in their containers) into soil - i.e. bury the roots to their normal depth in their containers and wait or possibly continue as you are doing. The key issue to to avoid...

Hi good luck with your bee keeping learning. There is a Northampton association - so a bit nearer than Kettering, probably similar to Oxford.

The safest way to dispose of most chemicals is simply to use them in accordance with the instructions. If in doubt email the manufacturers and follow their advice.

There is a very good reason for using 2 (or more) different modes of treating any pest. This is that if we all relied on one method (or one active ingredient) to treat the varroa, we increase the chance of resistance developing. By using 2 different methods, (thymol and oxalic acid) we reduce...

Hi Christine Welcome to the forum. There are a few bee keepers in the Daventry area (most of whom belong to the Northamptonshire BKA). I'm sure you'd be welcomed at any meetings, etc and to visit local apiaries.