Recent content by Beersmith

Good for you! Accepting help can be hard. Your new acquaintance may not want to be a burden to others, may be reluctant to accept he isn't really coping and perhaps embarrassed that his bees have been neglected. I think your approach is kindly and well judged. I hope it works out well!

Thank you. Disappointing to learn about the peas. The clover is not very dense and interspersed among grass. I hope they can find it!:

Very different to last season. For miles around my little out apiary there was no OSR at all this spring. In spring last year my hives sat in an ocean of OSR, yellow in all directions. Once that was over it was hard to identify any large amount of forage. Currently immediately adjacent to my...

That made me smile! But seriously, I think the school curriculum has a huge gap concerning the history of science. A lot of modern science such as Maxwell's wave equations, special and general relativity, quantum theory, astrophysics etc involves highly advanced mathematics. You cannot teach...

Is that it? Seriously, is that all you've got? One very cold temperature record taken in Greenland in the depths of winter and you think that proves anything? As opposed to many thousands of daily recorded temperatures across the globe both on land and the oceans (Argo temperature sensors)...

I sow various sorts of mustard in patches on my allotment as a green manure. They are all members of the brassica family. I have to keep records to allow crop rotation and avoid a build up of brassica diseases. So more than likely will share some features with OSR. That said - and this is...

That's obviously unsatisfactory and I hope they correct their error. But I have often wondered why jars are sold by giving them a "weight" designation. In reality jars have a volume, and the weight of the contents will depend on the density of the substance it contains. So a one litre jar...

Yes, a week in a freezer will certainly kill woodworm. I suspect a week at minus 18 degrees C would kill any other insects too. If you can find a big enough freezer that is. But isn't the most important issue the structure of the wood? Woodworm damage over the long term leaves wood weak and...

Did you graft the apples from scions onto known rootstocks? If not the results will probably be entirely unpredictable. You could end up with anything from a superb eating apple to tiny ultra bitter crab apples. The mature tree size will be similarly uncertain. Could top out at anything up to...

My bee suit is from Old Castle Farm. Mrs Beersmith has one from Sheriff. I wear nitrile gloves. Mrs Beersmith has leather gloves. In two full seasons Mrs B has not been stung at all. I have sustained a few stings but only on my hands, usually when a bit clumsy or inattentive when handling...

Thank you both. It sounds like a very very useful thing to have in the toolbox for those occasional crises. I'm not sure if others do the same, but my toolbox always has a selection of those items that are not needed often but are invaluable at times. Small jar of vaseline, packet of...

Would you suggest any particular sort? They seem to contain numerous different chemicals, such as propellants, emulsifiers, stabilizers, fragrances, etc. Do the cheap and cheerful sorts work equally well?

Similarly, many thanks.

Most helpful. Many thanks.

I am finding it hard to visualise how some of this works. A photograph or two, especially of the bamboo skewers approach would be gratefully appreciated. Cheers.