What excellent service!!!

[Brian Bush]

I did not go to Beetradex last Saturday due to the poor state of local roads. I was in desperate need of some Candipolline Gold. I ordered from Simon the Beekeeper online on Monday morning and added other items to take the bill above £100 to get free delivery. I received notifications and the goods were dispatched promptly. They arrived yesterday minus the Candipolline. I immediately rang and a very nice lady checked and said there had been a mistake. A replacement package arrived by parcel force express this morning at 08:10. Now that what I call customer service!!!
I made up the order with some foundation. I know there has been a thread recently asking if anyone has had experience of Simon's foundation. I opened my package and put it with my other stock. It looked really good to me and I cannot tell which is his and which is from Big T. I suspect that is his source. It should be noted that Simon's 14X12 foundation is 20 to 25% cheaper than anyone else!!!

 

[Beefriendly]

A replacement package arrived by parcel force express this morning at 08:10. Now that what I call customer service!!!

Not sure I would call a supplier cocking my original order up as "customer service". But good to know they sorted their mistake out quickly.

 

[Newbeeneil]

I think we have become accustom to good service nowadays so it's always refreshing that when someone makes a cock up its rectified quickly.
I recently bought a very cheap UV torch for inspections from fleabay. It arrived yesterday with a cracked battery carrier so I took a photo and sent it to them. They replied this morning to say there is a replacement in the post.
We all know it shouldn't have been broken but the response was good.

 

[maddydog]

I made up the order with some foundation. I know there has been a thread recently asking if anyone has had experience of Simon's foundation. I opened my package and put it with my other stock. It looked really good to me and I cannot tell which is his and which is from Big T. I suspect that is his source. It should be noted that Simon's 14X12 foundation is 20 to 25% cheaper than anyone else!!!

We're still waiting for a reply as to why that particular person wouldn't buy STB's foundation!

For a decent quantity, Maisie's works out a similar cost.

 

[BMH]

I was happy with the foundation from STB as well.

Good quality and reasonable weight!

 

[Angry_Mob]

We're still waiting for a reply as to why that particular person wouldn't buy STB's foundation!

For a decent quantity, Maisie's works out a similar cost.

C Wynne Jones is £16.20 for 10 sheets which should be cheaper unless you are buying over £200 worth.

 

[viridens]

....I was in desperate need of some Candipolline Gold.....

For your bees, I assume! What was the emergency? I am curious to know.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

His bees like yellow fondant.

 

[maddydog]

His bees like yellow fondant.

'like'

 

[SDM]

This could be a first, me agreeing with JBM.
It's far more the.product than the person getting mocked here. Candipoline gold would be my very last choice of pollen sub. It is simply little more than hugely overpriced fondant.
As for whether it's necessary, I have always said no, but this recent cold spell has changed that. A lack of any snow meant plants were exposed to -5 and 60mph . The wind chill without snow to protect them has even killed of the gorse. Whatever was in or near flowering is wilted and it'll be a few weeks before the situation corrects itself. So I've bitten the bullet and ordered a sack of ultra bee.

 

[maddydog]

So I've bitten the bullet and ordered a sack of ultra bee.

When are you planning on putting the ultra bee in? I was thinking the end of march to build some colonies for splits and osr.

 

[Into the lions den]

Well I for one will not invest in pollen supplements or substitutes again. Spent endless hours making our own, bought pallets of the stuff in in the past, but became doubtful of the benefits here in our environment.

Did side by side tests (large numbers....200 in each pool), and the end of season crop benefit was precisely zero. No difference at all. No difference between home made patties, bought in patties, or bought in mix to make up patties. Just skipped (as in 'dumped in the skip') over a tonne of patties we did not use and that lay in the back of the shed for about 5 years.

As for protein enriched (and its normally a small amount of protein) energy foods? Dont give them in winter as it can cause an increased need to defecate. Only did a small trial on these and the overall effect actually seemed to be negative. These products seem to have their best value in more southerly parts...like France...where they can get good bee flight most of the time.

 

[Into the lions den]

When are you planning on putting the ultra bee in? I was thinking the end of march to build some colonies for splits and osr.

End of March does not mean flying bees until into May. Probably missed best of the OSR and only make swarming issues. But good for splitting.

 

[madasafish]

When are you planning on putting the ultra bee in? I was thinking the end of march to build some colonies for splits and osr.

I put UltraBee mix (as per Michael Palmer) together with fondant on all hives weekend before big snowfalls..

 

[mbc]

End of March does not mean flying bees until into May. Probably missed best of the OSR and only make swarming issues. But good for splitting.

If you believe in such things now(and slightly earlier) is the time for "slap'n slurp"(pollen sub patty and small syrup feed).

 

[mbc]

Interesting watching one of Ian Stepplar's video bloggs on ewe tewb where hes discussing using pollen subs on his bees in manitoba once they're out of his wintering sheds, and he sees it as insurance, not always needed as there's natural pollen available but if the bees should be confined to barracks for a spell by rough weather they wont abandon/cannibalise their young brood if they've a pollen patty to munch.
I wonder if anybody got some on before our latest bit of rough weather and if they've an idea of how brood rearing is going? I know mine have little or none mature brood and only just coming into lay, "crossover"(thanks for the apt term Itld) seems a long long way off.

 

[maddydog]

Thanks all. Much food (ahem) for thought. Sounds like extra bees for splits and the queen rearing side might be the only benefits?

 

[SDM]

When are you planning on putting the ultra bee in? I was thinking the end of march to build some colonies for splits and osr.

As soon as it gets here. It's to make up for a temporary shortfall in natural pollen .
It seems only my home apiary is really affected but it took the full hit from 70mph winds giving temps with wind cbill of -20 to -27°c according to wind chill calculators.
Where there was hundreds of gorse bushes in flower now there's a few bushes with not even a handful of open flowers. If it did that to gorse, you can imagine what it did to less hardy. I'm not using it to bring them on so much as trying not to have them set back. The difference in pollen loads coming in between home and out apiaries today was graphic.

 

[Erichalfbee]

As soon as it gets here. It's to make up for a temporary shortfall in natural pollen .
It seems only my home apiary is really affected but it took the full hit from 70mph winds giving temps with wind cbill of -20 to -27°c according to wind chill calculators.
Where there was hundreds of gorse bushes in flower now there's a few bushes with not even a handful of open flowers. If it did that to gorse, you can imagine what it did to less hardy. I'm not using it to bring them on so much as trying not to have them set back. The difference in pollen loads coming in between home and out apiaries today was graphic.

Good stuff Ultrabee, when you need it.
Make it up with Invert if you can or it goes hard. I've seen a video of Mike Palmer adding vegetable oil to keep it soft. I tried that and it works but I have to add that I gave it to a colony that had Nosema and when I sampled the bees there were oil droplets in the faeces. Whether this was because they had nosema and couldn't handle the food or it was the oil anyway.....I don't know

 

[viridens]

I remember my old farmer friend and mentor telling me "if their crap is yellow, they've got pollen".

Discuss....