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There's a small swarm in a laurel bush in the field behind my house. It is now day 10 since the swarm settled in the bush. I noticed this evening that they have drawn comb. I can't reach them and the 'bait' hive I put nearby was rejected despite a great deal of interest shown in the early...

Having taken two supers off for extraction, one hive is now on brood and a half, plus one super. It's a strong colony, loads of bees and, at last inspection, queen still very active with BIAS. My question is, with overall space in the hive now quite reduced, is there any likelihood of late...

On the final lap - transferring last lot of honey from the bucket to the jars and... I realised that when I put the bucket and honey gate together for the last run, I'd put it on upside down so the gate opened down rather than up !! oh the sticky mess we made. :hairpull: I thought I'd mention...

I am planning to extract tomorrow. I've not done it before. I've given the equipment (hand spinner, buckets, taps) a good wash in hot soapy water. Do I need to do anything else (other than sterilise the jars) ? I've got plenty of soda crystals and boiling water if I need to give the spinner...

I keep a bowl of rain water with rocks in it near my hives as 'bee water' source. Just seen some drinking from the not very clean drain water nearby. Ugh - probably not a good idea to dwell on linking thoughts about this habit to honey... :(

Hi. We have bees living in our roof space - they've been there for years and years. They swarmed in early June and were captured and given to a Beek friend. They have swarmed again today at lunch time (another large swarm ) and have come to rest in the oak tree opposite the roof entrance...

My first colony, when I began beekeeping last year, were a pretty tetchy lot from the outset. This year, this very strong colony have gone from bad to truly terrible. Even my mentor said he couldn't remember such a fierce colony. From the start of weekly inspections in April, I've been...

I caught the tail end of a conversation between 2 experienced keepers who were talking about encouraging bees to draw comb but missed the bit that was probably quite important. As I didn't want to interrupt, I thought I would ask the forum : As a second year beekeeper, I am learning how...

Hello. First colony, first winter. The super with stores in is below the brood box in my WBC. The bees are clustered on top of the super, below the brood box. I've put fondant in a tub over the hole on the top board and the bees are not coming up through the brood box frames to get it. 1...

Dear All. When feeding ends - 1. I have two holes in my crown board. Would you cove these or leave them open over winter after the bucket feeder is removed? 2. While feeding has been going on, I've had an extra lift in place to create room in the roof space of my WBC hive. Would you remove...

I've scraped the honey from a couple of frames from my hive. I am not taking more honey than this as the swarm, though now well established with a good working queen, is still in its first year. My question is : can I return all the wax cappings back to the bees? Would placing the 2 frames...

Hello from Staffordshire. I am also a new beekeeper and recently posted a thread about the swarm I put in my hive about 2-3 weeks ago. I've been to meetings, read books, been checking hives at an apiary with a very experienced bee keeper but actually 'doing it' with my own bees is very...

As well as the bees in my hive, I have a feral colony that have lived in the attic of our old house for years. Last night, they formed a tight, very still cluster at the entrance to the gable where they live. They are still there this morning. Two questions: 1 - Do you think this might be the...

Hive Type: WBC Number Of Hives: 1 New swarm Dear all. Thank you to everyone to replied. The beekeeper who helped to collect thought it was a prime swarm, not a cast. It was a reasonable sized 'rugger ball' - about 20,000 bees? They certainly seem to be getting on with things. I've left a narrow...

Hello. I put a swarm in my hive about 12 days ago. 1 day after they went in, I fed them with sugar syrup. I've not inspected yet to see if the queen is laying. How long should I leave the bees before I open the hive to check. Thanks. Melbee.