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Thank you - I have three on each - none are fully capped but all are full of bees!

I read on here that you should allow the bees to fill one super before putting on another .... what is wrong with just piling on two or three? Surely they are more use on the hives than waiting in the store room? Is it simply that it is difficult to lift more than one?

The reason for the 3 supers is simply that I was worried about them storing in the BB so gave them more storage space - 2 of the supers are pretty full.

Drawn brood frame ..... If only it could be obtained!

Inspected a really bad tempered colony today. Newly mated queen, laying where she can - but so much of the brood box (14x12 in a WBC) is filled with honey & pollen. I have 3 supers on - none of which are full - and I am sure the bad temper of the bees was because of the above ...... Does anyone...

By the weaker colony do you mean the nuc colony? So the config would go; Queenless colony, Newspaper, Nuc colony with Queen (put into a brood box), Newspaper, Queen excluder, and the supers on top ? Thats going to be a pretty high tower! I use 14x12 boxes and have 3 supers on at the mo!

Two questions: I have a colony I think is Queenless - and a nuc with a laying newly mated Queen. So this morning I put a frame of eggs and brood from the nuc into the suspected Queenless colony to see if they start to make Q cells ..... How long will this take? If they do, I plan to combine the...

Two questions: I have a colony I think is Queenless - and a nuc with a laying newly mated Queen. So this morning I put a frame of eggs and brood from the nuc into the suspected Queenless colony to see if they start to make Q cells ..... How long will this take? If they do, I plan to combine the...

See my reply below - just bought some.

Just bought some from Th****s. The Hogg Half Comb system. Expensive - but more honey than wax in each 'cassette' which you then put a lid on and they are ready to sell - untouched by human hands! Page 21 of the current catalogue - bottom right.

Exactly what I thought i would do this year.... Last year, both colonies were fine when I applied the OA - but one died out soon after. Have always wondered if the OA affected them on any way - no proof of course. Both colonies had fondant on at the time..

It is one of those - the wooden batten on top seems pretty secure but around the side edges, the roof itself seems to be made up of layers of thin wood which are all separating. It weighs a lot too ....sodden with water I think, so I now have it drying out indoors before assessing how I can...

It was bought ready assembled and the roof is coming apart so I think I will contact them for their comments... Meanwhile, I have got hold of a spare, so will remove and clean up the mouldy one. I think it is condensation... one hole in the crown board is has a bee escape and the other is...

I could have a leak ... it does seem a bit damp inside - the quality of both my WBC roofs is appalling. Only two and three seasons old, bought new from Th****s - do I have grounds for complaint do you think?

Under the roof ... haven't got a spare, but could borrow one I guess...

Can anyone advise me how to get rid of this? I'm sure it cant be good for the colony. I was wondering if there is any anti-fungal powder that I could puff onto it rather than adding moisture. Obviously it needs to be a product that is harmless to the girls!

Thanks all for your most reassuring posts - will leave them be for a while and have a peek in next week....as you say, they usually know best. They are all on 14x12 frames so plenty of room for laying and stores at the mo....

I have two hives, both with this years queens. During inspection today, one hive had no eggs, larvae or brood. There was plenty of pollen and uncapped 'honey' and plenty of empty cells. I saw the Queen and the the colony was calm. By contrast, the other hive had plenty of eggs and BIAS. Queen...

I have just two hives both on 14x12. Both with newly mated Queens - eggs are being laid. However, despite having two supers on each - most with undrawn comb - admittedly - the bees are filling up the brood boxes with honey and there is now no space down there for the Queens to lay. Any advice...

Seems that there is a problem if the only source of water for the bees is the place where the horses drink ....so ensure that the bees have access to water in the apiary area - away from the horses...