Recent content by Gadgetman

Most reliable test is an alcohol wash - which can also be done with fairy liquid! You need to sacrifice a cup full of bees (approx 300), but it gives you a very clear indication of load.

That's really helpful thank you. Returning the supers straight away feels too soon (although I'm sure that's what the instructions imply) as surely bees still covered in the liquid will go straight up and carry it onto the uncapped honey? Or is it the point that oxalic and formic are natural...

I used apivar in the autumn. VarroMed say to do a second treatment in 6 days if you see 6 or more dead mites. And another treatment 6 days after that.

How do you mean eat honey straight away? I didn't treat one particular hive in Dec (as I did my others) as it had a very low drop rate - almost non existent. I've just done an alcohol wash and found a very high varroa load so need to do a quick treatment. I've got some unopened VarroMed so...

Has anyone experience of using VarroMed from BeeVital? The instructions claim "WITHDRAWAL PERIOD: Honey: Zero days" I assume that doesn't mean you can treat when supers are on, but what does it mean? Remove supers, treat, return supers?? When though? Next day? Thanks.

Yes I was there too. Good wasn't it? I missed the to only "feed small amounts" - but isn't there still the danger that they'll simply keep draining that and putting it into the supers?

I'm planning to have a go at some queen rearing for the first time this year. Several of the methods involve feeding syrup while the production colony is raising the queens, while leaving supers on. Isn't there therefore a danger of honey adulteration? And in which case what's the best way to...

Good and strong as a 3 frame or does it need to be 6? Just considering making up some nucs for next year. Planning to let them produce their own queens as they come from a good line of calm, hygienic bees.

I have a BS honey 6 frame Nuc which can be split into two 3 frame nucs. Can two 3 frame nucs get themselves through the winter ok (obviously if fed fondant etc) or do they need to be one bigger colony? And is now the time to be setting those up?

Leather gloves are unhygienic, untactile, and you can still get stung through them! For stingy hives I now use these from Simonthebeekeeper. Buzz Work Wear Latex Gloves Very thick (almost solid) latex which I have never been stung through. As well as being stingproof you can properly wash them...

Surely if you have recently treated, you’re going to see a much higher drop rate for a while. Doesn’t mean that you have more veroa, just that you’ve managed to kill more of them!

If fixing inside the roof, what is the best type of glue to use? Presumably some of the strong smelling types (evostik, uhu etc) are toxic for the bees?

Is there a difference in the way they use it? Am I right in thinking syrup they actually store, whereas fondant they consume straight away?

Just coming to the end of my first season. I’m wondering what is best to be feeding bees right now? 2:1 syrup or fondant? There’s a fair amount of forage around still and the bees are working hard, but a couple of my hives don’t have much in the way of stores and the laying has definitely...

I do destroy play cups. Just as a way of keeping tabs on which ones I’ve checked. Otherwise in time they can build up and you may miss one that suddenly becomes charged or a new sneaky one hidden in the corner of a frame. Bees can make decisions to swarm at any time at this time of year - even...