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  1. nikca

    Swarm witnessed

    Re: the title. It was usually a case of “swarm HEARD” in my experience. I was once up on the barnroof about 6 meters above the apiary. My thought was “that’s either a swarm leaving or a Panzer division”…
  2. nikca

    Can anyone explain what is happening in the video please

    This is why a badminton racquet stood next to my hive inspection kit...
  3. nikca

    This is a video of me using a hot air gun for those interested!!

    I more-or-less melts and retracts from the cap onto the nearby walls. Hardly any is lost and the bees can clean up the frame super fast with little waste. Let them clean them up for a couple of days, and bag them for next year :)
  4. nikca

    I hate honey extracting! so any tips please.

    I’ve always used a hot air gun… simplicity itself, quick and almost zero mess. You don’t get any wax in the honey and waste is virtually zero too. I can’t understand why you would mess around with knives, scrapers and the like.
  5. nikca

    Too early for swarm traps?

    Empty National box bar 2 frames of foundation, with a few drops of essential lemongrass oil on the landing board. This on the loading deck of my barn, which was 20’ from the apiary. (This was 10’ in the air, and had the advantage that I could open the door behind it on a night, and simply pick...
  6. nikca

    Wasps

    Those complaining about wasps have not had to live with a few asian and European hornet nests near the apiary. This is what the badminton racket is for. And the shotgun.
  7. nikca

    Seeking Mentor - Yorkshire

    How can you have “your own approach” when you know nothing about beekeeping? tell you what, read loads of books,get some Microsoft flight sim time in, and now go fly a plane. Get an instructor, but don’t listen, as you’ve now “got your own approach” Does that sound sensible?
  8. nikca

    Seeking Mentor - Yorkshire

    This has to be a Troll Thread doesn’t it? ive done some reading... so know better than thousands of years of combined knowledge on this forum. ive got my plan and I’m sticking to it no matter what who is going to want to be a Mentor to this attitud? I’m local, and “not I” the most pertinent...
  9. nikca

    What would you do, 3 Q- colonies

    Useful thread... and another proof of the maxim 2 beeks/3 opinions 😏 Drastic moves like uniting can wait Id day... and as you knew yourself (drones around)
  10. nikca

    Asian Hornet

    Removed a few when I was living in France - one on my land 50m from my hives. Nests always way up in tall trees - which is not even an option on this quiz 🤷🏻
  11. nikca

    BBC Future Maddie Moate "What would happen if bees went extinct?"

    BBC Future Maddie Moate "What would happen if bees went extinct?" Ok, I know I set myself up for this by watching it. The awful grammar in the title should have warned me, but I thought "what the hey, it's just how young people speak now, innit?". I cringed a few times but 4:45 and...
  12. nikca

    Artificial swarm failure

    This happened to me last year... could NOT find HM in a STUFFED 14x12 with 2 supers. Bees were 2 deep on the frames and not as friendly as usual. Put a frame with 1 sealed/1 uncapped on old site in new box with a few of what I hoped were young bees, HM somewhere on new site with old frames. She...
  13. nikca

    Why put supers on top?

    And the massive swarm made me 20+kg of honey even though it was July IIRC. Thanks Mike! They are doing well in their national - but they are sods!
  14. nikca

    What did you do in the Apiary today?

    First Inspections After a month of on-and-off sunshine and flowers, and about 10 days of June weather I thought maybe an inspection was in order... not quite by the :rules: book maybe. First National full stores/9 brood little space/full stores. Few empty play cups. 2 Frames 50% drone. Middle...
  15. nikca

    Move to Dordogne

    Me too - I'm in between Busserolles and Piegut... PM me when you get here :-)
  16. nikca

    not seen in the UK, but.....

    I gave the answer in post 2!
  17. nikca

    not seen in the UK, but.....

    Oriental Hornet, Vespa Orientalis. NOT currently packing it's bags and heading for the UK, and within it's range where you saw it - though about as close to NW Europe as it gets.
  18. nikca

    Wild bees in gables and construction work about to commence - how do I protect the builders?

    Or burn the house down and then save the bother of the porch... You do know this is a forum for bee-keepers, right?
  19. nikca

    Asian Hornet

    Not really aggressive to me - mostly they meet my badminton racquet, but on the odd occasion my backhand is lacking they seem to get the message and bugger off away from the hives. (typically they hover around the hives and wait for a straggler) Sting is similar to European hornets, and wasps.
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