Search results

Happy new year all. I'm being optimistic, assuming my colonies will make it through winter, and making preparations for a bumper crop of honey this year (Against zero last year :laughing-smiley-004) So, to cope with this bumper crop, I need to buy plenty of shallow frames - but which to...

My P@ynes 14x12 Poly nuc's are now painted, and I want to transfer one or two of my smallest colonies for the winter. (Independently, not a merge) The stores are currently spread over 7 frames (Poly nuc has space for 6) but the stores aren't all packed full. Do I just take the 'fullest' frames...

I've just taken the plunge, and purchased 2 Poly Nucs from Pains, in their October 'Poly' sale. I'm hopeful it may help my two smaller colonies through winter... :cool: (No connection to Pains BTW)

I've seen some adverts recently for the National Honey Show. Has anybody been to them before please, and if so, what could I expect if I go along? Presumably honey :o but what else? The only bee based events I've attended were Maisy Moors sale day, and the local association auction - so I just...

Hello my wise friends - I need some more advice please. In recent months I managed to combine two colonies into one, using the newspaper method, and those bees are now going great guns. I now have another Q- colony, and a small colony about 50 metres away (Same site as the last swarm I...

Recently I set-up a trap out for my next door neighbour, to try and entice a colony from his walls. I managed to get a small colony, complete with laying queen, but there were still a number left within the wall. So, I've taken the 'trapped' colony away for three weeks, and intend to fetch them...

I just wanted to share.... Have just arrived back from visiting a friend for lunch. (It was a long leisurely lunch, and they live hours away;)) After lunch, we went for a stroll around the garden. The minute I stepped outside the back door, I saw them. Bees. Lots of them. They've made their...

I have a 14x12 brood box, with too few bees no queen and no brood. Four feet away (1 hive in between and facing a different direction) is a 14x12 nuc with a queen that I want to merge. Can anyone confirm, best time of day would be the evening? The Nuc doen't have a removable base. IF I use the...

Hello all, I have just proven that one of my hives is Q- (Frame of brood - emergency queen cells built etc) Now, I'm trying to decide on the best way forwards.The colony is weak, having been Q- for many weeks. Personally, I think it's too late in the season to think about raising and mating a...

One of my colonies is causing me great concern. Number of bees is severely depleted, with little flying activity. Virgin queen hatched several weeks ago, and there is no sign of laying. I suspect there is no queen, but need to prove it before I re-queen or merge with another - OK, frame with...

I have a 14x12 hive, which I moved my nuc into about a month ago. I now have brood on at least 8 frames, and there appear to be a LOT of bees. Yesterday I put on a super (All that brood, but not many stores bizarrely) So, my question is, how do I know if I need to go double brood ?:bigear:

Good day today - I've managed to find a temporary out-apiary more than 3 miles away :cool: I wanted one, so that the nuc I want to move from my neighbours drive to my home apiary (50 meters) can go away for a few weeks, rather than move them over two months!. Next question, how many weeks...

Right, here goes. Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin A couple of weeks ago, my neighbour saw me in the garden, and started with that ominous "Oh - have you got a minute?". Anyway, long story short(er) they have a swarm of bees nicely ensconced into their stone wall, behind their...

I'd like some opinions please. When I want to know something about beekeeping, this is my first 'interactive' port of call. (I don't consider my books interactive, and I tend to only see my mentor once a week) Firstly, I'll try a search, and see if I can easily spot what I want to know, and...

As I sat in my kitchen this afternoon making up shallow frames, in the hope that the rain may stop, my queens may get mated, brood will start to be set, and there might be a spoonful of honey the bees could spare for me towards the end of the season, I had a thought that I'd like your advice on...

OK, so on Sunday LAST week (9 days ago) I got stung for the first time. Oh, and the second time :rolleyes: So, after the first one, quick anti-histamine, no problem. Second one, not much worse. Then Yesterday (8 days after 'the stings') sting 2 was itching like crazy for 30 minutes. Today (9...

So, there I was today, boring yet somebody else with my extensive knowledge of beekeeping, and I found myself explaining the "Three feet or three miles" rule - you know - because they only forage for 3 miles... theory of navigating and recognition of local landmarks back to the old hive etc etc...

OK, I need to ask a question please :o My nice strong, newly acquired nuc was moved from a national to a 14x12 over the past 5 weeks. All was going well, they've drawn lots of nice new comb using the Bailey comb exchange method (OK - maybe it wasn't EXACTLY right, but it seemed to do the...

So, at the association apiary today we had the local Bee Inspector in to review our Nucs and Colonies. She (Megan) was particularly careful to make sure that all of us new to the art could understand exactly what she was looking for, what she was doing, and how she was doing it!;) The two major...

OK - sorry if this topic is in the wrong section (I think my last two have been moved :redface:) Why apart from not knowing their provenance, should one not buy bees from auction? Assuming the prices are right, and you don't catch auction fever, is it really a bad idea? Any worse than a swarm...