On the insistence from a new beekeeper that both of her her colonies were queenless, I allowed myself to attempt an early inspection of her two colonies.
The lady had phoned me to see if I had any spare queens..... as she had been told that I keep nice NZ Italians.
Sunny and temp about 11C....... Smoker billowing the lady pumped a good few lungfulls straight into the entrance of both colonies... as she had been instructed on the course she had just attended... then proceeded to awkwardly lever off the roofs ( Polly Langs) with a hive tool.
Both colonies on single brood with no crownboards that I could see ( ? stuck inside roof?) .....the bees billowed out with teeth bared and stingers primed!
A wish I was not here moment to say the least.
May try again next week if the temperature goes up a bit..... and take a small sprayer filled with warm rosemary water!
Hope they do not remember me?
Myttin da