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Huge flow on today. The apiaries are heavy with the smell of ivy honey and the entrances very congested. Shame it wasn't like that when the limes were in flower. My cut out from last month is thriving with 4 new frames of brood and masses of store. So now I have 12 colonies to overwinter...

Transported Friday's cut out back to the home apiary this evening, looks like a success so far. Carried out 3 unites to try and get numbers back down to 11 going into winter. Quite an Ivy flow on here at the moment, distinctive Ivy nectar dripping out of the frames. Hopefully won't need much...

Oh yes!

Did my first ever cut out today. They'd taken up residence under the floorboards in an outbuilding and the landowner, a friend, needed them gone. I think it went ok, will return tomrrow to check they are all still safely in their new 14x12 brood box. I didn't see the Queen but hopefully, judging...

Took the last of the supers off and nadired those that aren't yet ripe. The ivy is just coming into flower here so just in time. Sorted through a few unites done last week. Queens all safe and sound. Echoing what others are saying, lots of pollen coming in but the brood boxes are still quite light.

Three of the 7 garden hives are going through an AS this past week, two Pagdens and one Wally Shaw II. I've obviously messed up somewhere though as the activity around the bait hives hasn't abated. Very frustrating. Unless of course the scouts are coming from another village beekeeper! There's...

Didn't get a single taker for mine, do you know what use they are they going to be put to?

Feeders mostly all off now. Put fondant over hole in the crown board on one colony who steadfastly refused to take the syrup down and are still a bit light. Will check for Nosema in this lot in the spring, assuming they are still alive! Wasps seem to have vanished here........ Found an hour or...

Has there been any information released regarding the maturity of the 'Tetbury' nest? Wondered how easy it would be to tell if any queens had been released from it, prior to it being destroyed?

Lucky for me, that need not be a problem. I know a man who has both machine and ticket! :)

Our association currently buys in the 12.5kg ploy containers for members but I wonder if they might be persuaded to consider a draught arrangement instead next season. I'm sure I am not the only member who has so many empties knocking around. Thanks for the idea.

Thanks, good idea. Done.... Hope there are some takers, otherwise I may have to rethink my Autumn feeding strategy next year.

That's what I have done before at this time of year. They worked well for me. Important to remember to open the hives up again and remove the strips at the end of treatment though. Even though it might be December. Leaving them in over winter increases the possibility of mites developing...

I have accumulated about 20/25 of the large plastic jerry cans that the invert syrup/ambrosia comes in. I have tried in 2 local household waste sites in Berkshire to recycle them but have been told to throw them in with the general household waste. They have the recycling symbol on the back that...

Indeed. :hurray:

Same here

Hot bees today, beards on most of the hives and increased water collection on the garden pond. I am supposed to be putting the last dose of apilife var on tomorrow. Might wait till tomorrow teatime as the forecast is for another scorcher here.

Sounds like the last 2 may have been reacting to alarm pheromone (from the 2nd hive) in the air or on your suit/gloves? Agree with others views, the bees seem to be more defensive generally at the moment. Wasps, potential robbing, 'disappearing stores' and less forage around may all be...

I only left them in for 4 days, water content after this was between 17 and 18.5 in the frames with one stubborn super still measuring 19.2 on the refractometer. Would have liked to leave them a few more days but alas, a busy week ahead with non bee related stuff! So have done some calculated...

This works for me, I've just 'finished off' 15 uncapped supers and extracted them yesterday. Supers are stacked up crisis crossed in a tiny weeny room that houses our pressurised hot water cylinder. The room is usually used to dry washing on a clothes horse but it conveniently houses 2 stacks of...