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Another very windy day out there, so that's my plans to prepare to move a couple of colonies for rasps (a first for me) down the tubes. I tried last night, after a very fine beginners meeting elsewhere when a dozen brand new beekeepers were treated to a chorus of queen piping amongst other delights, but was beaten back. Beaten back?! Yes, I really need to requeen that one. I had split it on Friday and wanted to reunite after removing queen cells (this one isn't going to contribute queens to the ...

I lost an Apidea about a fortnight ago. I have 18 and on doing a stock take I could only account for 17.
I have one in the back garden with a mated queen and two more at the association site with mated queens spare from last year. That’s 3 so far.
I have two not in use makes 5. I set out 11 with ripe queen cells at my allotment the weekend before last, one of them a double as bees absconded from Tim’s Apideas into one of mine and I had to give it an extension. Total 17.
I have ...

I wish I could have taken you all with me. What was one bursting colony two weeks ago went over to making Q cells and was split. The queen-right part lost its queen (judging from the age of the larvae, a few days after I last opened it and while there were only eggs in queen cells) and went over to making Q cells itself. In the meantime it had expanded onto another couple of frames. The other part (judging from the age of the larvae 12 days ago) was due to have its first virgin hatch yesterday. ...

I'll not go into all the details again, as they were described last year. But, one means of creating some nucs is to stick them in a tower above the mother box (and indeed the mother).

What are the advantages? Less space. Doesn't use additional floors and roofs or nuc boxes. Some warmth to the nucs on top (can enhance this by fitting mesh over holes in the board separating the boxes). Failed ones are simply fused by removing a divider. When you disassemble the stack the bees ...

Tools: two hands. Paint brush. Radiator paint roller and paint tray. Hammer and roofing nails to fix mesh.

Time: one minute to assemble a box. Four sessions to complete painting (time depends on the care you take).

1. Admire the sleek outlines, the craftmanship and the light weight compared to timber. Ignore the lack of biodegradability. Note that the brood box pieces come in two types, tapered lugs (front and back panels) and straight-sided lugs (side panels). ...