how would YOU increase hive numbers as quick as possible

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Worth reading Cliff Van Eaton's Manuka: the biography of an extraordinary Honey, which confirms that manuka was pretty much unsaleable until Peter Molan carried out his research into the effects of manuka at the University of Waikato, and then Dr Thomas Henle, who in Dresden 26 years later identified methylgloxal as the unique factor; no surprises that the marketing machine went to work.

There are chapters titled Giving the stuff away, The press release that grew legs, and Merely a weed.

The jury is still out on the benefits of medical-grade manuka (at least in this NHS report from 2013) but it did recommend that clover honey is not used for infected wounds where multiple types of bacteria are present as it does not have a broad enough effect.

Irish beekeepers may be pleased to read an abstract of a report comparing the benefits of manuka and Irish honey. None of this can be claimed definitively because expensive research has not been carried out and the authors suggest lamely that Irish heather honey should be examined for potential health benefits. I don't know how much or how long it would take to carry out trials, but I can't see anyone putting hand in pocket to prove a benefit for a small market.

C19 has led to a re-assessment of UK food production and supply and in this context there is no good argument for shifting any honey 11,500 miles, and every reason to work to raise the value of our regional honeys.
There is still ongoing research as to the benefits of UK honey at the Pharmocological University at Cardiff - also close working with the National botanic gardens at Middleton Hall with DNA fingerprinting and pollen identification in the most promising honeys found.
They did identify one honey which was as good if not better than Manuka and pinpointed it to one apiary in Tywyn on the West coast. Unfortunately the apiary belonged to a leavitalone beekeeper and the following winter all his colonies died from Varroasis!
 
This is what I have done: Supplemental feeding of hives early to encourage brood rearing. Varroa control. Drone rearing. Graft queens from selected hives. I use mini mating hives; frames are otherwise used in standard 5 frame nucs and are fitted across rather than lengthwise. 25 days to 1 month strong hives can give between 6 to 10 nucs. These nucs develop into hives to overwinter. Late season queens make double 5 frame nucs, either deep or medium, to overwinter. Pollen supplement and syrup as needed.
 

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