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  1. citrus

    swarm control - how long into the summer to watch for qc ?

    so normal inspections every 6 days until WHEN ? do you ever say ... "these bees will never swarm this time of the year" (famous last works) .... you say to yourself you have checked for queen cells and swarming evidence all spring/early summer .... at what point do you decide to leave them...
  2. citrus

    spring honey the bestest tasting honey i ever did taste

    Was able to take some supers off a hive that went really well in spring and boy the honey tastes good ..... think its our best ever honey and it has the smell of this https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/14003/prunus-lusitanica/details cherry bay/Portuguese laurel cherry But we have had a great...
  3. citrus

    storing supers prior to extraction

    prior to extraction i normally store supers in the clean room in the house away from mice and ants but slightly worried about wax moth etc and first time in a while i have had spring honey to extract and it might be a while til i can extract ... have cut the comb out from the foundationless...
  4. citrus

    Raw honey could help reduce blood sugar and cholesterol levels, study finds

    This was published a few months back and just to say that Tauseef Khan is a friend of mine, beekeeper and moved to Canada a while back but is a honey researcher for a living. Anyway good to know that honey is so good for you and always a good selling point :-)...
  5. citrus

    its behind you (said in a panto voice) and the disappearing swarm

    So did inspections last week and was all geared up to demaree a hive but they looked a bit odd ... lots of activity in the super as i lifted the plastic crown board ... i picked thru trying to find the damn queen and was struggling (been here before) .... and didnt want to sieve the bees but...
  6. citrus

    Shout out to Dani and another year of good Modding

    A few years back the forum could be a spiteful place and newbies would dare to post and think its worth looking back a few years ago when it got a bit silly. A Rubicon was crossed and the way out was Dani was blessed with moderating powers and the forum has always been a nicer place since...
  7. citrus

    this was a great tv show .... includes beekeeping !

    Might have been discussed before but this was a great show and thought of our Welsh Beekeepers when watching it https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000nz2w Available on iplayer for a while more Wales’ first Rastafarian beekeeper Phillip Henry stole the show imho !! Also learned about this...
  8. citrus

    Whats all this debris under the nuc ?

    So caught a swarm the other week and moved them into a nuc 8 days ago for ease of transport and ease of vaping. Then vaped them 5 days ago. Picked them up after sunset last night and as I moved the paynes nuc there was a pile of debris under the box...
  9. citrus

    Demaree - drones down south so tempted to do one

    Want to expand this year so keen to get on with a demaree on one of my hives that is looking strongest - drones out in the hives but given the cold weather (esp at nights) ..... should I hang back ? I think I waited the other year and blew it as they started with the queen cells ! Yours in...
  10. citrus

    growing mushrooms at home - any experts on here ?

    looking at doing this and wondered if folks here had done this and got any starter kits/spores to sell ? yours inspired by .... https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/mar/17/mushrooms-as-houseplant
  11. citrus

    camouflage builders screening - any advice or recommended options ?

    Wondered if folks have done any quick covering and screening solutions for areas to make them discrete ..... I have a choice between 'fake UV proof ivy' i.e https://premiernetting.co.uk/catalog/colour-artificial-hedge-privacy-screening-long-p-281.html?osCsid=25c6058bb77041a4d1c4d0ea0575d434...
  12. citrus

    drone laying hive ... still got good numbers

    Got a decent hive in terms of numbers but clearly a drone layer and been like this for a couple of weeks ... so should I a) shake out in front of another hive - this is easy and safe option if a bit sad b) give some eggs from a working hive ( is it too late to think about getting a new queen...
  13. citrus

    2020 - is the consensus that its a bad year for beeks ?

    Been a poor yield year for my bees and reading on the threads it seems the same for a few others (but not exclusively) guess the last 3 years I've been spoilt year on year so wasnt really mentally prepared it ! just interested in the reasons why this year has been so bad ? (from sw london...
  14. citrus

    overwinter nucs - making a split soon ?

    so I had 3 spring splits ... but was thinking about raising another 2 nuc's as the bait hives didnt catch this year (badly sighted, no lemon grass, etc etc) could I try and raise another nuc now with eggs and nurse bees from a main hive ? or wait til the bramble is over ? (we generally...
  15. citrus

    too many supers too soon

    Been a funny year this one ... I had a couple of big hives that were going great ... then post demaree went backwards ....and so they are now building up (as requeened) but I took the supers out of storage as I need space in the shed and put them on the hive. Is that a mistake .... having...
  16. citrus

    spring nuc's ...what next

    So as part of the swarm preps I made up a few nuc's with queen cells and basically have left them get on with it for a month or so. Seem happy enough when i look thru the clear crownboard so I guess I just wait til they have filled the box and are bursting out to think about moving them to a...
  17. citrus

    is my sieve/strainer too fine ?

    I got one of these last year to replace one I melted original one in the oven during a '40 degree heat become 140 degree heat episode' https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07B3NCZ7M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Farm & Ranch Bee Tools Stainless Steel Double Honey Filter...
  18. citrus

    "telling of the bees" - who needs a shrink ?

    Been on this forum for a few years now but dont remember seeing this before https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telling_the_bees "The telling of the bees is a traditional European custom in which bees would be told of important events in their keeper's lives, such as births, marriages, or...
  19. citrus

    post Demaree - one hive is now queenless

    So I did a demaree about 3 weeks on 3 hives but sadly one of my biggest double brood hive is now queenless ....no eggs and no signs .... hive still full of bees as the brood in the top box emerged and doing the nectar/pollen collection thing .. Probably me being cack handed :-( My actions...
  20. citrus

    post demaree - making up a nuc - does the queen cell need to be closed up

    Demeree last weekend so tomorrow is D day with day 7 so looking to make up a nuc from the best (biggest/least wonky) queen cell. So this is question is about choosing the right QC. In the past I have used a fully closed queen cell but could you also take one that isnt fully capped ? would the...
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