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I got notice from one of my landowners to move my hives today, hubbie has become very allergic to bee stings to the point he ended up in a and e. Not anaphylaxis thankfully. So I took this afternoon off and prepared them all for removal, I still have 5 deeps of honey over clearer boards to...

I had to get a move on today so I was up at the out apiaries fairly early. It was cold, cloudy and there is the tail end of the June gap for what it is and boy were they a grumpy lot. All over me like a cloud trying to get in my suit any way they could. Jobs to be done completed I went to...

For the first time in 18 months or so I am back at the bees, this time with no limitations thanks to a total knee replacement in January and what a joy it is to be 'normal' again, whatever that is! What is not normal, at least for me is the sheer volume of honey they are producing this year...

Joking aside I have worked for very many years in horticulture, both under cover and field scale operations and am also fully trained in the correct and legal use/application of chemicals. Poisoning however caused is not a laughing matter and those that treat this seriously are to be commended...

Well it's lunch time so I am sitting here reading this and I happen to have a packet of Api bioxal in front of me (not sprinkled on my sarnies by the way!). The packet directions indicate an EN149 FFP2 mask, gloves and eye protection for vaporization and handling the powder. Personally I use...

I concur with Finman - not worth taking 3's through winter get them into 5's or 6's before winter and they are almost guaranteed to get through and get a honey crop after. I have a fair few home made nucs and Paynes nucs which I use but am coming to loath, especially that feeder. Maybe...

If you haven't watched this I urge you to. Randy Oliver talking about his varroa work with quite a large section on sampling for mites. It seems that there is not much academic research on sugar shakes/rolls and he is making further enquiries into this which will be fascinating to follow. I too...

Finally got around to moving the double stacked hives this morning that I have been going to move for the last couple of months. Now everything is where it should be. It won't last long.........

Thank you all, very useful information.

Has anybody got a target weight for 6 frame poly nucs going into winter? I am hefting at the moment but my nucs are increasing in number each year and there has to be a more scientific way of approaching this.

Care to explain why? I much prefer the migratory roof and the slightly larger brood would be a bonus, plus as I make most of my own equipment they are an easier box to construct.

11 or 12 years now - everyday spent beekeeping is a lesson. The trick is not to keep repeating the mistakes! If I knew then what I know now I would be using Langstroths without a doubt but I have too much invested now in Nationals. However I love beekeeping more than ever now.

I use the Provap 220 which is a great bit of kit. It still amazes me how quickly I can go through an apiary of 10 - 20 hives, bung the kit back into the van and on to the next one. I would imagine that the sublimox is similar but I do like my digital read out.

You may have common sense, but having seen our neighbours burn down a full stable block (horses out thankfully) with a stupidly close bonfire I am not sure that a large section of the general public have!🤣

I have used Osmo decking treatment which seems to work wonders on ply boxes - the Osmo is free to me as leftovers from decking jobs (I am a landscape contractor) and I can put up with the extra weight of ply because for me they are cheap. I have just done a quick back of fag packet calc and a...

As Kaz above, steam is the only really effective way to extract wax from brood frames. It is surprising how much you can recover with this method vs a vs the others.

I have been fantastically lucky this year as I picked up an apiary through a good friend and it turned out that the lady who owns the site has 'connections'! Now I am getting superb sites offered to me that I don't have enough bees for. It does seem that you need to get known by the land owning...

Cheap Chinese stainless smoker, stuff to the brim with hay, close. Point your blowtorch to the lower side of the smoker and heat until the metal is cherry red. It doesn't matter if you are in a torrential downpour (why would be the next question!) your smoker will light every time. Warning -...

Fed the nucs today and very pleased with them, some are still too light for my liking though so keep piling the syrup in while I can.

Trained as a nurseryman/horticulturist in the late 70's but have always had an interest in nature pretty much from day1, then went on to run my own business building gardens which I still do today. We have had friends with hives on the family land and I sort of drifted into it after they left...