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Lost two so far. One was a failing queen in autumn that I should have combined, the other I haven't looked into in detail yet but looks like a failed queen, it was a swarm from last year that I didn't re-queen. Fondant going on lots of them at the moment.

I picked up a swarm on Sunday so the bees obviously think there is still time.

That exact thing happened to me on Saturday. I just hope they will find the bait hive.

I had a really good crop last year on field beans followed by clover. About the same crop from each. This year I have OSR (first for a few years) going on now and will move them up to the beans once the OSR is over.

Foundation in more frames so I don't run out again this year.

We make candles and soap but sometimes there is too much and getting someone else to make foundation just feels easier.

Realised that wax exchange at the beekeeping show would be a good idea. Spent most of the morning gathering all the bits of wax together to melt into a single lump for trading in.

I had a VW Passat estate for awhile then the 4-wheel drive version after that. The load bay was great and it seemed to get most places. I now have a Navara and the best thing is that you put the bees in the back then get in the driving seat and are isolated from them. Much less driving with my...

It was purely a paper exercise, no testing at all. The ingredients need to be listed with sources and batch numbers recorded. For the beeswax I just put myself as the source and had no problems. I think the concern is making sure the soap has the correct ratios of lye to oils and that you keep...

I have used cosmeticsafetyassessment.com for my soaps and they were very good. Rang them first to find out what they needed then filled in the forms on their website and sent them in with payment. They have provided all the information about packaging, labeling, safe production and record...

I decided to stop worrying about losing my hive tool and make my own. The last lot was a batch of 50! I now have so many I can almost guarantee I won't lose another one. I did put in a hole for tying on to a piece of string if needed but I have a tack puller for pulling tacks.

It does get complicated. Yes the initial outlay is significant but you must look at the lifespan of that kit and allocate costs accordingly. Thus a cedar hive may only cost £10 per year as you can expect a good few years of service. Also how many times do you put a drawn super frame back in to...

I have used a Jenter kit this year, I never had much success with grafting. Now that I have transferred the first larvae from the Jenter I can see what my problem was. These young larvae are really small! I had some left over so sat in the house and looked. I could see a range from just hatched...

I use marigold gloves, but not the standard ones. Our local inspector found NT14BPF gloves by talking with various companies. I use these with a latex disposable glove over the top. When they get sticky you just take off the top pair. To get the best deals on gloves it is worth looking for you...

Damson is my current tipple. I did 3 gallons this year and it isn't going to last until the cider in the shed is ready! Also try sloe vodka instead if gin, you get a much smoother flavour of sloes. Again, far too drinkable to be healthy...

Livestock, no different to the sheep or the chicken. On second thoughts, we eat the sheep but not the bees or chicken (eggs only)!

I have just ordered a full hive from a large supplier, it is a slight second (but don't tell the bees) but at around £120 delivered including floor, brood box, QE, 2 supers crownboard, roof and enough frames and foundation to fill it I decided I couldn't even buy the wood for that price. I can...

I use corri cardboard from packaging. I first used the stuff that came with with some building materials and rolled it to the size for my smoker and tied it with string. Easy to light and you can carry a spare if you need to top up the smoker part way through. This year I landed a roll of this...

Second generation, and my children are now also involved.

Just to go back to the original question, I once just kept my gloves on and washed my hands in the sink. It did work but I looked like I had a 60 a day habit every time I put my (yellow) gloves back on! I now use latex from the local engineering suppies shop.