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  1. SireeDubs

    Advice: Help! bees found my stored supers!

    I have a few wet supers stored at the back of my garage. The access door is always shut and the supers sealed up. However, a member of the family who will remain nameless, not only removed the top of the super pile (so it was open) and then left the garage door wide open. I now have 1000s of...
  2. SireeDubs

    Labelling as 'wildflower' - permitted?

    Am in the process of designing some labels for this year's honey. I have a reasonable amount and my local shop is interested, which is great. I've looked at all the guidance for labelling from food standards etc, so I'm happy with what I need to include. But can I call my honey 'wildflower'...
  3. SireeDubs

    Full super: remove or leave?

    I have a full, capped super (with two close behind) from my 3 colonies. Hurrah! Remove it or leave it (have added empty super)? Remove: storage is tricky, as bees live in my garden and would end up with house/garage/shed full of robbers. Also, I'd rather not extract just one, as it seems more...
  4. SireeDubs

    What to do with stragglers after uniting?

    Hello all, Last night, I united two colonies with no problems (I hope!). Anyway, there were a few stragglers on the site of the old colony (q-), so I put a BB there to collect them. There are enough of them for me to want to add to the united hive, but how best to do it? Don't really want to...
  5. SireeDubs

    Oxalic treatment on brood break

    One of my colonies has superseded their queen (found old queen - from swarm last year - dead, and subsequent queen cell should've hatched about now). I've always been told to treat a swarm with Oxalic, as in very early days all mites are phoretic. Following that logic, and after monitoring...
  6. SireeDubs

    Robbing or Orientating?

    Hi, Have been reduced to a single colony this year :rolleyes:. The remaining colony is actually doing really well... However, this afternoon, I've noticed increased activity around the hive. The neares other colonies are around 2miles away, but was wondering if it's robbing. I think it's...
  7. SireeDubs

    Best stuff to treat a swarm with?

    My swarm seems to be settled into their new home and starting to build out nicely. As they're not from my apiary, I want to treat for varroa. What's people's experience of the best treatment at this stage? Oxalic? I have some apistan, which a friend has passed to me (I've never used this...
  8. SireeDubs

    Bait Hive swarm - am I doing this right?

    First year I've tried a bit hive properly, and lo and behold, my first swarm arrived yesterday. Not my bees, so unknowns... Looks like a prime, just by sheer volume (have collected one or two primes and casts). This is what I'm planning... 1. The bait hive is in ideal spot, but will move...
  9. SireeDubs

    Shaking out laying worker colony and affect on other colonies

    I apologise if this is a stupid question, but as an old boss of mine used to say - there's no stupid questions, only stupid people... The facts of the case: I have 2 colonies. - one with laying workers - one with newly established queen, introduced two weeks ago, which seems to be laying...
  10. SireeDubs

    Introducing a new queen to poss DLQ hive

    GSome opinions would be welcome.... I have a hive which became q- in mid April. There was a qc, and I left them to it, but have never seen a new queen. Now I have either laying workers, or, more probably, a DLQ (the weather for 2-3 weeks following approx emergence date was awful). Pattern...
  11. SireeDubs

    Bee puzzle - eggs but no queen

    I'm stumped. A new queen had seemingly started laying in a colony about 3 weeks after emerging. A few double eggs etc, but nothing to worry about I thought. She's been laying now for 2\3 weeks and the brood is predominantly drone and in a very unsatisfactory pattern. After consulting an...
  12. SireeDubs

    Possible drone laying queen

    Hello all, Any advice would be very gratefully received. This is a first for me and mentor on hols. Questions... 1. Have I possibly got a DLQ? 2. Could the colony be trying to replace her? 3. Rear my own or buy-in a queen at this time of year? Details... I have a hive in which the queen...
  13. SireeDubs

    Help - swarm RNAS Yeovilton

    My other half works up in the naval air station in Yeovilton. Swarm has settled on a wheelie bin outside a building this afternoon (I'm too far away to go as live in mid devon). Anyone out there could rescue them (the bees, not the sailors)? If anyone local, I can put you in touch with my other...
  14. SireeDubs

    Weak v strong hive - balancing numbers?

    Trying to think ahead a week or so (!)... Following an AS 30 Apr, I have the original queen's colony doing very well. The old BB colony are fine, but new queen has only just started laying (well, I hope she has as I've seen eggs this week - some two per cell, but all at base, so hopeful she's...
  15. SireeDubs

    Two eggs in some cells - help!

    I did an AS on a colony 30 Apr. The old queen colony is doing brilliantly. In the original hive, the new queen hatched around 12 May, so I've left well alone to wait for her to be ready. Have just had a quick look and no sign of a queen (not surprised), but the colony has drawn out some...
  16. SireeDubs

    Happykeeper Floor opinions

    Just looking through the website of a well known supplier and came across the 'Happykeeper Floor'. Apparently very successful for varroa control in some (limited?) trials in the Paris area as it appears to funnel the mites onto the ground below... Does anyone have any experience of this floor...
  17. SireeDubs

    Swarm, not mating flight. Duh. Equipment scarcity...

    Really do appreciate all the replies to yesterday's query on a mating flight. Esp Finman and Beeno, who correctly identified pre-swarm activity! As I was on alert, I've captured the swarm easily. However, all my spare equipment (bb, polynuc) has been borrowed by my colleague, who's had 4 swarms...
  18. SireeDubs

    Was this a mating flight?

    Background: as 2 weeks ago. Old queen and colony doing well, and rest of colony in old bb also ok, with one qc left active, latest calculated emergence was mon/tues this week. Was near hives this morning, around 11, when I heard the bees gradually increase volume to a pretty loud 'roar'. When...
  19. SireeDubs

    Is the Elephant Man look in this season?

    Took a sting to my head this afternoon. Had just put in the varroa trays to monitor and one of my relatively calm bees became tangled in my hair as I walked away. Thought I'd brushed it out, but no...:nono: Anyway, the sting was to the crown of my head and after some faffing, I got the sting...
  20. SireeDubs

    OSR - how far will they fly for it?

    I'm in a very rural location and plenty of forage on and next to my land (orchard, wild flowers etc). For the first time, there's a field of OSR about a mile away. The bees have almost filled a super, but I'm wondering whether it's OSR. 1. How far will they fly for it, if there's a decent food...
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