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Bees have been domesticated for a couple of hundred years only. Before that, for thousands of years they were hunted, not farmed, and naturally selected for * swarminess (that's the only way they could reproduce) * resistance to local diseases (otherwise they'd die - but these are not the...

Probably better to give them pollen (or substitute) to get them in the brood-rearing frame of mind - and make sure she's got plenty of room to lay.

Nick Can I assume you're coming to the Taster session on Sunday? I'm a member of London Beekeepers as well and will be at the course on Sunday. Cheers!

That's a good point - Langstroth should be cheaper to make, but are still more expensive than Nationals because there's less demand for them.

And, indeed my Buckfast bees do not ping - just as well as often I don't wear a veil with them. They are a delight. Most of us are hobbyists - it's supposed to be fun! Those who are able to do this professionally, even more reason to have gentle bees! I would requeen if they were following and...

That's a tough one - as if the hive parts are all joined together then there's no give and an impact would be more likely to crush the boxes. One of my hives got vandalised five times in five days over the school holidays this year. Non-beekeepers really don't understand how stressful and...

This is a really common myth - I've heard people say "Oh no, those can't be my bees, they wouldn't forage in their own garden" when they're on a 12 storey building with no other apiaries for quite some distance. I understand that if there's a big patch of forage just a bit further away the bees...

Indeed, I've seen bees sitting *on* their entrance porch, casually taking nectar from wildflowers that are growing up against the corner. All they need now is a little rocking chair! Certainly I see loads in my garden foraging within 10 feet of the hive.

Where? But it would help if you said where in East London!

How long is a piece of string? I would think about whether the stings were in aggression or accidental - eg the beekeeper squashing a bee whilst picking up a frame, bees getting caught in hair/clothing etc. Accidental stings hurt but they don't really count towards measuring the aggression of...

Like the UK needs another hive format! This one seems to have all the disadvantages of being locked in to the National/Commercial size but none of the advantages of having standard frames readily available! There are advantages to having brood chamber and supers the same size (economies of...