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Yes as said realise they weren't yours Eric. My gearden colony had a 3 yr old last year , still went great guns and harvested 116kg from them. They supersceded last August and last I saw on the final look in mid to late Sept for a stores check both were seen a couple of combs apart. Only...

C. B. If they look weak. In the past even with just mild CB , I have requeened /changed the Q line of that particular colony.

Simples , if you leave them to it and do now't they will swarm with a VQ. If removing the old Q and wanting the new progany to take over then reduce to one QC at day 14 and if need be harvest the other cell/s and make up a nuc. As one is managing a colony then manage it and not leave it to...

If i had 38 QC's the gene line would be changed. Typically I get 4 - 10 cells so quite happy with that lowish number.

One sure way to spread AFB/EFB. Best to wait and use your own, combs don't have to be old and black . Just disease free and have had brood previously laid up in it.

Felt tends to get very hot and soften , felt is easier to damage at any time of year.

Personally I wouldn't use any one elses old combs or honey, though the choice is yours.

Finman has been loitering around for quite a while now , did you not notice him last year ?

Does make one wonder why feeding is taking place , when it appears fresh nectar is available. Any nectar being stored will be contaminated and not viable as a potential honey.

Excellent pics and a nice sign of spring being sprung. Great to see other insect varieties flitting about, though as we all are too aware there is one we don't want to be seeing.

If on OMF then closing in at night and moving the next morning isn't an issue. I also orientate the hive sin the vehicle so frames are cold way and can't rock under braking , alternatively orientate the colonies on the diagonal if space allows.

Any queens cells ? If not then not swarming if none seen. Bees will only cluster like that if a clipped queen has tried to swarm and simply makes her way back to under the hive or the entrance is so busy with foragers and those taking orientaion flights that it becomes to congested. Now and...

Nothing wrong with bleach to clean feeders , after all they wil be rinsed . Bleach is used for clensing poly as well as stuff like Virkon so no reason why feeders can't get the same treatment.

An old secondhand D/W outside may be a good option then it won't matter what goes in it or comes out.

A DLQ colony isn't worth to much effort as the bees will mainly be older bees so will soon die off, also one can't be sure of laying workers as well. I personally don't bother uniting DLQ colonies , I leave them to peter out or dump them out some distance away. I left one of my DLQ colonies to...

Free paving slabs and free 20" square pallets work for me as cheap hive stands. Small pallets are used to transport small Chubb floor safes and I can pick them up for nothing from the local locksmiths.

One would think a pressure washer will blast holes in poly .

My preference is to walk away and be clear of any subliminated substance whilst it is in that form. Time wise for me it matters not if it takes me 5 mins or 10 mins to treat a colony as time has little bearing for me an a hobby beekeeper.

Let us know how it performs.

All forum's need guinea pigs to test stuff out, so one will need to order one for the forum's benefit. Whether a vaping treatment subliminated in to the hive similar to a Gasvap or by a pan , I doubt there is no overall advantage of one over the other. None use pressure to apply and if...