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More hysteria from the Daily Star this week...sounds like the hornets are on steroids too... "The sightings have not been officially confirmed by specialists but James Roberts, 35, of Northfleet, Kent, also said he killed an Asian hornet last week after it flew past him in his garden. He said...

Putting a deeper edge on one side of the crown board also means it is easy to turn into a clearer board by putting a round hole in the centre and using a rhombus or round escape. Ray

I glue, cramp then nail. Polyurethane glue is good - Gorilla etc. but wear disposable gloves as it takes a week to wear off your hands. Make sure you get everything the right way round and sides slid in at the right height - they won't come apart again. Ray

Depends on what the gloves are made of. If they are leather just use them for gardening. Rubber gloves clean up well in your washing soda bucket. Ideally just use nitriles and throw them away. Ray

We are still feeding Ambrosia to ours (other ready made feeds are available). I believe it has the right water content so they don't need to do any work, just store it. Also it doesn't grow mould like sugar syrup. Ray

We put the screen in under the mesh for varroa monitoring and remove it and clean off afterwards. If January or February are particularly cold and dry we may put it back in. Depends on the hive and the weather though. Last winter was mild and wet so we left it out as it seems the condensation...

Maybe let availability of forage decide? If the orchard is surrounded by grass for miles they won't get much forage off it and the season will be short. We are in the middle of a suburban area with hives in our garden and have a good flow even when agricultural areas have none. Ray

We only have one WBC and have not had it long. The bridge inside the entrance ensures bees are channelled into the inner boxes and don't get access to the space between the inner and lift. I had assumed the escapes were just to let out bees that get between this space during inspection and if...

Hi Thymallus, fair point. I was trying to be a bit tactful due to a local situation. What I was trying to get at was that those who completely avoid registering their apiaries and therefore don't get inspections can be the reservoir for disease outbreaks without knowing (or possibly without...

We had a visitor to measure for wall insulation and the hives in our garden started a conversation about beekeeping. He told us that as a Muslim beekeeping, as well as honey, was important and mentioned in the Qur'an. Hopefully the links below will work - one gives a relevant quote...

The source of any local disease problems is likely to be from beekeepers who do not belong to an association or use forums, either because they have been banned or they already know everything. I would prefer that registration remains voluntary but I guess if we had a big outbreak of something...

I used Liberon Finishing Oil as it is safe for toys. Not sure whether my reasoning was sound but I thought if kids can chew it then bees will be OK. Ray

I have seen plenty of instructions for making woodburners out of gas cylinders. As long as you can get enough of the brass tap part off the top to get a hose in and fill with water that should purge all gas. Should be safe to get the angle grinder on it then. I have also found a source of...

Thank you Dexter and others. The Burco is a good deal but I am looking for 'almost free'. If I can find a, preferably legitimate, gas bottle it seems a good option. I was planning to use a boiling ring - Toolstation do them for £36.65 if I don't find a better deal. The butane bottles are...

I am looking for a low-tech way to boil frames. Stainless pots are expensive. Big Burco hard to find and expensive. At the moment I am considering the bottom part of a copper immersion tank or a butane gas bottle with the top off. Apart from the potential for the Darwin awards when cutting the...

I can confirm the Rothenberger is well worth the money. I had a couple of cheaper ones before and was surprised at the difference in heat. You can also get spares if anything goes wrong. Don't drop it though - there is a 'safety groove' designed to fracture stop escape of gas if it breaks. Ray

They still have this on the website http://www.hud.ac.uk/enterprise/meetourbusinesses/enterprisesupportbusiness/bee4bees/ I am sure it is all well intentioned but doesn't seem well researched. Also this from the Yorkshire post - similar to the Examiner and equally bad... including '...from...

The University article is still online and still starts with... 'THE UK’s bee population has been in serious decline, thanks to a syndrome named “colony collapse disorder” Ray

Thank you itma and others, very helpful. This is my project for next year - so keep an eye on the Darwin awards for results. Ray

Ours like regular bird 'fat balls'. We just throw one in and they chase it around until it's gone. Making that sort of thing is generally more expensive as the ingredients are often 'food standard' Ray