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Thank you all for your advice and positivitybee-smillie Staying hopeful

I didn't notice teeth marks but I'll have a look. It is very possible I hadn't noticed the build up of dead bees previously. I've only been beekeeping for 2 years so I have no experience of the kind of number of bees you can expect to be dying off normally from the winter bee population. I'll...

I have two hives that have come through winter looking promising ( busy seams of active bees). I know this as I've been giving them some a tonic - vita gold as I was thinking that one of the hives was showing signs of possible nosema. On recent dry and milder days I have removed the mouse guard...

Thank you - I'll do that :thanks:

Would anyone know if this unseasonably warm weather will create a greater demand on the colonies stores? or is the reverse more likely? If they go out foraging for food that is not worth the energy consumption, then that could lead to increasingly diminishing stores, but will the warm weather...

Thanks all. I hadn't considered the effect of colony warming, and had just been thinking in terms of Cheshire average temperature for these months. Last year I did it in September and it must have been successful as there was very little varroa in the colony up until recently.

Thanks. Unfortunately I'm not sure of the mite load. I've just 2 colonies one of which I only bought last week and haven't checked its load. The other one, my first hive I last checked in mid July but it was very low then. I think I'll just crack on.

I was planning to start Apiguard treatment this weekend and follow up feeding them towards the end of the month, but have just realised that I'll be unable to replace the first tray with the second until a few days (3/4) after the advised two weeks. Would it therefore be better to wait till half...

Thanks for this. It makes sense too. Im sure I do have the wrong beespace. They are not snug as they are a mix of older ones my original nucleus arrived on which have plastic spacers on (plus some propolis) and my own new manleys. Also because it's all sticky it's hard to push them snugly...

Thanks Graciebee. She is doing well but I'm really struggling to find and mark her - I know I have to be able to do this to keep bees but :hairpull: Keeping my fingers crossed for you.

As wessexmario says the UK weather is unpredictable but also it doesn't necessarily agree with what the met office say is happening! Here in the foothills of the Pennines the clouds don't read what the met office say they are supposed to do - they stop and just sit around.

Thanks for all your suggestions - I used them all and it definitely made it a bit easier- especially the extra glove layer. I also read up in Alan Campions 'Bees at the bottom of the garden' to use methylated spirits which is quick and effective - obviously could be a bit of a hazard near the...

Can anyone suggest a remedy for propolis making inspections difficult? Before I'm half way through the BB frames my fingers are so stuck with propolis I can hardly manipulate the frames. The only thought so far is changing my gloves half way through. Also how can propolis be cleaned off marigolds?

Yes - don't loose hope with them. Give them at least 2 weeks - it was more than 3 weeks before I realised there was a queen there. Good luck.

They're not queenless, :hurray: in mid June I thought I was Queenless. This is just to let those of you who advised patience that you were right. On the 10th July when I inspected I had perfect frame of capped brood and a considerable amount in earlier stages. Could have kissed them - but it'd...

One of the queen cells was sealed so that increases the chances she has swarmed I guess. The brood is definitely mainly worker. I'll try your suggestion of the test frame - thanks. Thanks all for the advice.

Yes - they were definitely grumpier - but Macclesfield weather makes lots of us grumpy Yes to the other 2 questions also. I wondered if this was related to a change from Brood & 1/2 to just brood that I did about 5 weeks ago, because it was after that I found the queen cells - but in the half...

I am pretty sure my colony has become queen less in the last two weeks. There is still brood present but no eggs or larvae. Can anyone suggest a best way forward with these bees? I was thinking if I could get a frame with some eggs on I could make up a nucleus and hopefully unify them later. Or...

Yes I marked the frame I left the QC on but it hadn't been pulled down, rather the grub inside looked dead instead of looking big and healthy as I had seen it. If she is still there do you think that she will go down into the brood box to lay? It is positioned under the super I referred to.