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I would not use a waxed kerf. Many people who are using them this year are having trouble with cross-combing, possibly because the bead of wax is not protruding enough to provide a good guide. ...

This.



I find that the attempt to leverage the argument with the wife-is-an-MD to be suggest that she ain't much of a doctor--and a lot of the reason why doctors are losing their respected...

I apply my linseed-beeswax hot. Just heat it in a double boiler and then apply it with a brush. It soaks into the end grain much better, and gives an nth more protection to the wood.

The information on botulism from honey in infants has been well documented in some very mainstream sources for 20 years. It is up to parents to make the appropriate dietary choices for their...

The value of a follower board is that you can pull it out and have a top bar worth of space in which to manipulate the hive. Consider adding one if you don't currently have one. VERY much worth the...

I don't use sugar syrup. I take a 16 oz spray bottle, add a tbsp of cider vinegar OR a couple crushed Altoids, OR a handful of peppermint/spearmint. It A) masks the alarm pheromone and B) with a...

I only take honey that is from combs that are fully honey. I leave combs with brood on them alone.

If you are using a strainer fine enough, the larva parts will be a non-issue.



I only use...

I have 3 hives of Russians and some Buckfasts that I think are Buckfast/Russian crosses. I like the Russians a lot--very thrifty with stores and very good at keeping themselves and the hive...

Grab a bar of honey and put it in there. Just slide it in on the end. They'll know what to do with it it from there.

Throw an entrance reducer on it to prevent robbing.

Nah. I'm just crazy, which -really- helps.

Know where you're coming from. Tonight is going to be a longish session in the shop because I suspect my TBH are about to swarm. Thankfully the anticipated swarms have places to go or I'd really...

Anybody can sue you for anything in the US. The merits of a bee stinging a child and being blamed on you is going to require proof that it was a bee from your hive that did it, and -maybe- whether...

I took Chandler's original plans and built my first hive by gluing up cedar planks. Nice result, but a lot of work without a table saw.

This year, I put in two more hives and built them out of...

In general, I think they are right. That bugs me because this particular hive took three tries to get them to accept a queen in the first place--and now the bees are superceding her because...

The hive is only built out 10 bars, and there are empty bars available to build on to either side, so I am guessing that they do not like the current queen and mean to replace her for whatever...

I am. The continuum of natural beekeeping is pretty large, actually. No chemicals or medicines, but I sugar dust and make use of essential oils and companion plants to assist with mite control. ...

After three tries, I got a problem new package to accept a queen. The lady started laying immediately and vigorously and there's a lot of capped brood now.

Oh, and a visible queen cell developing...

elsyr,

What kind of guides do you have in that hive?

DG

Thanks, Matt. Much appreciated.

Correct my memory, but you needed like 500 top bars because you were starting packages. Did you do the usual installation and feeding?

Is anyone seeing a massive increase in either cross-combing in their TBH/foundationless hives with new packages or cross-combing in existing hives, or reports of same?

It would help out if you...

With that mix of things in that syrup, it looks more toxic than anything.

My established TBH was so full of bees that they were acting like they were going to swarm due to lack of space. I moved three bars of brood into one of the new package hives to relieve the...

I just got a replacement for a dead Russian package queen who was the blackest bee I have ever seen. She was breathtakingly beautiful. I named her Ulyana.

While I like trout well enough, and support their liberal use for all practical purposes, I think I would go with eels. Electric eels that could be trained to zap SHB, Wax Moths, and Varroa foolish...

Be proactive with the mites. Get a mite count and treat with powdered sugar when the count starts to get near or above 50. I'm treating once before the nectar flows start, and then I'll treat when...