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That’s a thought. None since last year. Do you think he’s making a not that subtle hint?

Walt Wright’s series of articles are worth a read. Bit dogmatic but some good original thoughts on beekeeping. A lot of what some of our contemporary ‘beemasters’ write comes from Walt’s teachings. https://www.beesource.com/threads/walt-wright.365657/

Taking a nuc swarm control. Remove queen with 5 frames into nuc. Replace with dummy frames to avoid honey-bound frames. If letting the colony requeen itself then replace dummies with drawn comb when new queen starts laying. Or remove all capped QC’s, go back 6 days later & remove all QC’s. Unite...

I’ve had a good friendly relationship with the landowner. I get your point about speaking out. However I got on well over the years by just going along with the farmers suggestions. They are often a law unto themselves and as I’ve been through 10’s ++ over the years with only having to leave a...

The walking route is different to the drive as I avoid his house/gate do no issue with grass.

Thanks for the sound advice. My gut feeling was it’s the landowner who wants me to reduce by inspection visits. Access at the moment is close to his house & he may be getting annoyed at me driving up & opening gate. The apiary is within walking distance from home so may just scale down my setup...

What would you do? A local landowner allows me to use his field. A few years ago he allowed another farmer to keep cattle on the land. Only informed me the night before (better than telling me afterwards). Not a problem as I fenced off my area. This year this farmer is going to harvest the grass...

They’re wild animals. I always suit up with at least a jacket. Your 20 stings are more than I’d expect in a season. Risk assessment when working your own bees is an individuals choice. Another reason you found them defensive could have been they were disturbed before hand by an animal?

Queen may still be in the hive if she was clipped.

A nail to replace the broken lug works well for me. I will work the frames to the side then replace when necessary

Bees on the rear could be a swarm that landed are bees hanging under the hive. Otherwise the queen may have gone walk about?

Until one day! Now I give mine a spray of Dipel before storing & a second spray 1 month later.

You won’t be able to extract them if the stores are granulated so check first

Having requeened my share of defensive hives, some definitely take time to come round p

The bay tree has come into bloom

Those putting swarm traps out early in the season make sure the entrance is reduced or in some way restricted to prevent nesting birds moving in

In spring I like to equalise the strength of colonies. With this weak colony I would shake bees out of super, move super to stronger colony above QE. Consolidate weak colony into a smaller space or nuc & feed. Allow to build up on its own or add frame of soon to emerge brood to speed up development.

The broodless colony almost certainly has a defective queen. As others have said not a lot to do at the moment. By the time new queens are available the colony will have dwindled.

My only reason to take a peek inside early is if I suspect a dead out. Clear the dead bees off the frames before the. Mould sets in.

Does anyone know what insurance cover the local BKA have in place for their summer apiary visits? You’ve paid a membership fee & sometimes a pound for a raffle ticket so not sure whether that counts as a contract?