Let the bees tell you

[Erichalfbee]

The BBKA gives every appearance of being 'sine qua non' in beekeeping, and even though it is not a regulatory body appointed by government to establish national standards or to ensure consistent compliance with them, many defer to it. However the public face of the association does little to dispel the notion that it is a stale, oligarchic bastion of exclusivity, lamentably slow to embrace diversity or change.

Now that’s worthy of a thread to itself adding “ : Discuss.”

 

[enrico]

No ..it's the BBKA magazine continuously -without fail every year - promoting lifting CBs and applying matchsticks...

I can assure you the magazine is looking for people to give a different point of view. If you read my bits you will know that some of my ideas were far from the normal BBKA old farts approach. I would strongly suggest one of you writes a different outlook on any point you disagree with. They can only publish what they are given and if no one is giving them a different version then it is not going in there. I promised I would write some more controversial pieces when I get time and the answer was ....YES PLEASE. So stop whining and type out 1000 words or more for them. I can pm you the address to email them to
E

 

[Erichalfbee]

Enrico. I’m not sure we are talking simply about the magazine
And would describing how to use Oxalic and a GasVap, say, pass the subs?

 

[Amari]

Back to the OP:
There is one type of gap the bees don't seem to propolise. Many of my boxes are 20 years old and were made of softwood. The dovetails have dried out, leaving gaps of only a few mm. I don't have a shed on the apiary so the boxes are stored in stacks. I have to constantly patrol and put in foam whenever I see wasps (+++++ this year) entering.

Of course I should chuck these boxes and replenish with cedar - or poly.

I'm about to cover each stack with a mattress bag.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

The BBKA gives every appearance of being 'sine qua non' in beekeeping, and even though it is not a regulatory body appointed by government to establish national standards or to ensure consistent compliance with them, many defer to it. However the public face of the association does little to dispel the notion that it is a stale, oligarchic bastion of exclusivity, lamentably slow to embrace diversity or change.

Unfortunately now, as some of the sistificit wavers got into senior positions at the NBU they seem to be taking over that. It's now even mandatory for some positions to have their tickets in their competencies list!

 

[Antipodes]

The bees don't propolise the vents when they are on the outside, as per this photo, which shows outside vents.



They will mostly propolise the vents when on the inside. Typical inside vent placement shown in this next photo. It is not known why the bees treat each differently, but over to the brains trust on this forum to hypothesize please.