End of season sales

[Hachi]

For those of us that was waiting for the Maisem**e sale it will be a long wait. Their website has an announcement there is to be no sale this year

So I've just bought myself a A-Nova Giodane extractor

 

[itma]

Looked at Paynes website over the weekend and noticed that their poly-hive-set sale was in progress.

Not today!

So that was it …


… until their January sale!

 

[Pete D]

Big T's this Saturday.

 

[itma]

Big T's this Saturday.

Oh yes, and there will be deals at the NHS.
But after the Maisemore cancellation, was Paynes shorter than before and not (as before) include their polynuc?

 

[Jimmy]

Oh yes, and there will be deals at the NHS.
But after the Maisemore cancellation, was Paynes shorter than before and not (as before) include their polynuc?

Pop-up/flash sale, going from what appeared on twitter/Facebook. Polynucs included. I think they are having a full sale in January.

 

[sussexbaker]

Pop-up/flash sale, going from what appeared on twitter/Facebook. Polynucs included. I think they are having a full sale in January.

I was going to post about this as well, looked last night and saw the sale, looked today to forward a link to my neighbour and the sale had disappeared. I must say the reductions weren't huge, about 10% off.

 

[pargyle]

I was going to post about this as well, looked last night and saw the sale, looked today to forward a link to my neighbour and the sale had disappeared. I must say the reductions weren't huge, about 10% off.

£10 off the 14 x 12 basic without the frames or the super. I was about to order two for next season ... £108 in total with free shipping. Had them in my shopping basket, went to pay for them tonight and the price on the order went up to full price ... looks like I missed the sale boat !

 

[Heather]

Was this my error.?

I have a P...nes poly Nuc.

I needed to transfer a struggling colony which was in a 14x12 hive to the Polynuc so bought a Nuc eke to make it a 14x12 also.
I have just packed a slab of fondant down into the feeder area (bees look better) but realised that there was no feeding access for them over the top of the eke and I had covered the previous exit with plastic bag of fondant. Had to cut a new access area in the Nuc eke.

Also .. why don't they design a feeding area in the Nuc as the same size as the slab of fondant.. both are constant size. I had to rolling pin the fondant to get it in! .

 

[enrico]

Was this my error.?



Also .. why don't they design a feeding area in the Nuc as the same size as the slab of fondant.. both are constant size. I had to rolling pin the fondant to get it in! .

I cut my fondant into thin slices from one end of the block so that it fits in, sticky mess but easier!
E

 

[itma]

Was this my error.?

I have a P...nes poly Nuc.

I needed to transfer a struggling colony which was in a 14x12 hive to the Polynuc so bought a Nuc eke to make it a 14x12 also.
I have just packed a slab of fondant down into the feeder area (bees look better) but realised that there was no feeding access for them over the top of the eke and I had covered the previous exit with plastic bag of fondant. Had to cut a new access area in the Nuc eke.

Also .. why don't they design a feeding area in the Nuc as the same size as the slab of fondant.. both are constant size. I had to rolling pin the fondant to get it in! .

The access is UNDER the eke - its the way they get into the feeder when the eke ain't there.


Personally, I'm of the opinion that its best to use the solid plastic piece supplied to close off the feeder entirely.
Fondant not nearly as bad as syrup though.
I've used a second eke to provide space for an ordinary plastic rapid feeder, and put the food where its warmer.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Personally, I'm of the opinion that its best to use the solid plastic piece supplied to close off the feeder entirely.
Fondant not nearly as bad as syrup though.

What is wrong with using syrup in the feeder?

 

[itma]

What is wrong with using syrup in the feeder?

It really needs painting inside - otherwise it may well weep. Bates discovered this last year when the wasps discovered the seeping syrup and started chewing in through the poly.
Bees tend to drown in it. Maybe the right painting would help. Using the mini-QX should remove the risk of Q drowning.
You can't clean the feeder out without removing all the bees from the hive - which tends to be a particular problem for owners of just one nuc …
And it IS a pain to clear out the feeder if the bees decide to build comb in there. Now if you allow Q into that comb, you really do have an awkward problem. (Using the QX should prevent that BUT if using fondant in there for the winter, do you use the QX (risking the colony) or leave it open and risk the cluster moving it (and building comb)? (Don't risk the colony!)
And being to the side, unless you have masses of syrup in the thing, its a long separation away from the bees - its a longer way away (and colder) than a feeder above the bees. Which matters more later in the season - like now.



I've concluded its simply better to close the feeder off and pretend its not there.

Overall, despite its imperfections, its still my preferred nuc box.

 

[Hivemaker.]

I've concluded its simply better to close the feeder off and pretend its not there.

I have quite a lot of these nucs, and rather like the built in feeder section, did not think i would to start with, but changed my mind on that, filled some today for the second or third and final feeds, none of them are painted, and no problems with leaks in any of them either, not even one of them.
Often they are full of bees at the time of filling, but these bees just rise up on the float when filling, i have had no problems with bees drowning in them.

Can only find two things i dislike about these nuc boxes, but that has nothing to do with the feed section.

 

[Alabamaeee]

Would that be…

1 - No rails for the frames so difficult to move once stuck down with propolis

2 - Floor can't be removed.

 

[mbc]

1. No rails (minor issue)
2. Squishing bees with crown board on large flat surfaces(surmounted by using polyethylene sheet crown board)
3. For me, I'd prefer a solid floor

FWIW I have a few too and use the feeders no problem.

 

[Heather]

Yep, know access is under the eke,in the original unit, but when I put slab of fondant in, mostly still in plastic I realised I had blocked food access point. Maybe the eke needs access point too. Luckily I realised.. couldn't get fondant back out so cut hole in top of eke. Anyway sorted.

Isn't it very late to be still giving syrup?

 

[Swarm]

Not with the temps as they are.