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    A Sad and Fond Farewell

    Went to check the hives last weekend. One very happy and productive one: the other, the hive from hell. Got attacked in a way that had never happened before - and somehow a couple of the little blighters found their way into my suit, and stung me. Allergic reaction! I am now the owner of...
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    Wasps in the Honey!

    I bit of advice, please (preferably of the non-abusive variety). The two last supers of honey (no time to extract immediately) were, I thought, safely secure from wasps and other predators. The wasps have, however, found their way in. They have taken some of the honey, but there remain a...
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    Part-filled frames

    It's that time of year again, when reality begins to triumph over hope (yet again) and I begin to look for honey from my hive(s). Invariably, my bees are disorganised, and fail dismally fully to seal each frame as they finish with it. Still less do they complete super A before moving to...
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    Help: WASPS in the Bee Shed!

    :o:o Any ideas?? I have a wonderful shed in which I keep all of my beekeeping equipment - including spare drawn supers etc. I now appear to have a colony of wasps which I think have built a nest in there, too! :rant: I really need to dispose of them. I am guessing that an insecticide...
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    Droning on!

    Just been up to my apiary, but did not go into the hives, because it was a little cool - and threatening to rain. My biggest and busiest hive (which was fine when I checked it two days ago - with no sign of Queen cells etc), was once again very busy. Looking at the entrance, however, I was...
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    Who's a lucky boy, then?

    Got a call earlier from a nice lady who told me a swarm of bees had just arrived in a tree in her garden. Off I go with a heavy-ish heart (most of the trees around here seem to be 60 feet tall!). Sure enough, swarm in tree. But tree only 4' tall! Swarm shaken into skep, left a while for...
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    Farming Today

    If the beekeeper who was interviewed on Farming Today this morning is a member of this forum, may I offer him my congratulations. I thought you did an excellent job, in only a couple of minutes, of putting across the concerns regarding disease, pesticides etc, without a hint of drama or...
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    A Cautionary Tale

    A little early in the year, perhaps, but given the warmth of the day I did my first serious apiary inspection this afternoon. New floors, brood boxes etc for all three hives. Last autumn, I left each hive with a full super of sealed stores. Early on, however, they seemed very light when...
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    Signs of Autumn

    1. A skein of some forty geese flying south (seen this morning).
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    A swarm in July ...

    Arrived to check my hives today just in time to see my very best colony swarm (ungrateful blighters - I had done an AS in early May). I believe that with the valiant assistance of the current Lady DD I have caught them and convinced them (so far) that the new home I have offered, complete with...
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    First Swarm - nearly!

    Got a call last night to my first ever swarm. Checked (I think) all of the things that might prevent a wasted journey: thousands of bees; all clustered in a tree; just eight feet up; a few scout bees about. Seemed too good to be true for someone who has several spare hives due to laying...
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    Drought. what drought??

    I can report with confidence that the drought - at least in my part of Cornwall - is now definitely broken. Should anyone on the Isle of Wight see my bees floating past on their hives, perhaps they would be kind enough to send them back where they belong.
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    Gloopy Honey

    I have just extracted a modest amount of honey from one of my hives (:party:). It is, to use a very technical term, pretty gloopy - ie the consistency of golden syrup or even malt extract. Could it possibly be OSR honey (although I have seen none near the apiary, there may well be...
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    Queen Drone????

    I have a hive wich I am pretty sure has a laying worker (pepperpot pattern and all sealed cells for three weeks have looked like drone). I had intended to let them live out their days, assuming that the hive would die out without my help: there are still some workers about, but not large...
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    Octagonal TBHs

    Just seen the latest edition of Beecraft with the Fragile Planet octagonal, vertical TBHs (painted in tasteful pastel shades) on the front cover. Anyone tried one of these things? If so, any views?
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    Five Thousand Today?

    Just noticed that we are now 4990 strong! Wonder if we will get to five thousand today. Guess we can no longer think of ourselves as an exclusive little club!!
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    My New Beeshed!!

    I know it wouldn't do for those of you with lots of hives etc. But I have just acquired (from a well known, national purveyor of diy equipment) a new 6x4 PLASTIC shed. The way it fits together (my son and I put it up in two hours - and believe me dead diplomats are not noted for their skills...
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    Do I give them a Second Chance?

    This year, I have had one colony that has tended towards aggression. At one stage, I was going to re-queen but it began to calm down a little. By October, they were relatively well-behaved, but still inclined to anti-social behaviour if I tried for more than a very quick peek at the hive. I...
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    Is This Weather a Threat?

    Remember the cold snap a week or two ago? Well, we went and put our hives straight for the winter then (supers under brood boxes, removed ekes and feeders, bricks on roofs so they don't blow away, all that sort of thing). Bees appeared fine, and ready to settle down! A beautiful morning here...
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