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More Doh! I need to apologise unreservedly to anyone from Mann Lake reading this, it wasn't them I got the sheets from, it was Modern Beekeeping. Like on this page: http://www.----------------.co.uk/item/208/british-national-inner-hive-cover But the rest of the story remains the same...

Doh! I wish I had found this thread first. I made the mistake of ordering three perspex inner hive covers from Mann Lake. They were advertised and invoiced as British National covers. But they measure 450 x 411mm, not 460 x 460mm as one would expect for British National standard. I'm still...

@pargyle - it's a crown board with a slot about one inch wide at one end. Thanks for the encouragement, much appreciated! I will have a go at cutting their comb out as gently as I can and put it in an empty frame.

Sorry, not at home at the moment, so can only describe, not pic. It's an old-fashioned wooden nuc box, with space for five deep National frames, and lid with space for a feeder (if used).

I have just had a shock, I have been an incompetent beekeeper. There have been plenty of bees coming and going from the nuc. So I opened the nuc expecting to see something like that, but hardly any bees were visible. It felt like a conjuring trick, where are they? It was only when I turned...

An elderly neighbour with one hive asked me for help with a small swarm. It was probably from his hive, but then other neighbours reckon we've got their swarms as well! (I'm half expecting them to ask for their bees back) Anyway I caught that swarm in a nuc about three weeks ago, and it seems...

Sorry, I must be being thick. If the hive is on a stand, how does a board in front stop them going under?

So should I leave the inspection tray in all the time? I forget why I thought I should only put the inspection tray in for short periods, to make an inspection.

Apologies if this has been posted before. In the latest BBKA magazine is an interesting article on one beekeepers experiences. Things like no varoa treatment is better for the hive. The other thing mentioned was not using a mesh floor, because it frustrates the bees less. That kind-of matches...

Apologies in advance if this is numpty questions, but I've read conflicting articles and am now confused. Some articles I've read suggest that a virgin queen (with a swarm) mates as soon as she has swarmed, before finding a new home. Other articles suggest it is days or weeks after swarming...

Surely if feral or swarm bees choose a tree as the place to make a "natural" hive, it sounds like they're happy in trees?

As we're been so short of hot weather, it might seem like a strange question. But I've been away all day, just got back c.9.30pm, at a time when all the bees have usually gone to bed. Only to find LOTS lying dormant on the landing board in front of the hive. So dormant I thought they were dead...

Really? I mean really? This could be fantastic news. If parsnips produce pollen and/or nectar, and they leave behind an edible vegetable, surely we should all be going mad on parsnip production!?!?

Yes, thanks for bumping my neurons. I know of cider farmers and wine growers who both do the same, and it's an ancient tradition. Which leaves me befuddled why my bees are making a bee-line for pastures further away.

Maybe a dumb question but - do honey bees prefer OSR? If so, why

The jars from Jam Jar Shop seem to work out about the same price. It looks like the P&P charges that make the difference. Ironically (my wife tells me) there are some supermarket products in glass jars that are so cheap, it would be cheaper to buy them (and chuck what's inside down the drain)...

A friend who is an experienced beekeeper has told me to add an extra Super to my hive, which so far only has one. No problem, I have bought the parts and assembled it. But my friend is away on holiday, and now I'm wondering - should a new empty super go above or below the existing one?

I spend a few minutes watching the incoming bees, counting how many did (and didn't have) balls of pollen on their legs. I reckon one-third had pollen. Does that mean the rest are foraging for nectar and/or water instead of pollen? What proportion of your bees come back with pollen?

As far as I can tell, the bees from my hive are flying off towards fields of rapeseed in flower. Whereas close to the hive I have rows of raspberries and blackcurrents. Those plants are just starting to flower, and are well covered in bumble bees. Which is great, but the honey bees don't seem...