Kirsty

Thanks yesbut. Yes still loads of floral nectar around,,but also within range of Tutu as well....and i work for those nobs who drafted the regulations so i better play ball huh. Last thing i want is to end up like the coromandel sod who ignored the regs & made several people seriously sick a few years back. Chances are slim i know, but for me its not worth the risk with just small home harvests not being blended with others. (and not worth my job given who i work for either).

Yip - they arrived here in Swanson/Ranui West Auckland just yesterday. Will be doing last harvest here tomorrow weather permitting.

Brilliant. Thanks so much for sharing that!

Fresh pulled grass thrown on top of the top bars & left there works for me.

Hang in there Pipkin - you got the best ever teachers helping you ride the learning curve if you keep watching & hearing them - the bees!! Sounds like your having an awsome time

If your reacting less with each sting, its nothing to worry about. BUT if your reacting 'more' with each sting, its time to stop being casual & be very careful & wear full protection. Allergic responses can increase in time with some people to become serious stuff. Talk to your GP about what to keep on hand medicine wise & keep a stock on hand 'before' you urgently need it!

Contact the registrar for your area - the ones you registered your hives with

Yip those above. Im yet to find a decent NZ Top-Bar beekeeping book but of all the ones ive read so far (loads) this UK one is the best by far: Top-Bar Beekeeping, Organic Practices for HoneyBee Health by Les Crowder & Heather Harrell.

Hi, does anyone have a phone number for a person Dellas who raises queens from Mt Wellington, Auckland please? Or anyone in auckland have a caged queen to sell? Many thanks.

Im not in your locality, but given the spate of hive thefts I personally would not add myself to your map - its inadvertently a treasure map for hive thieves.

Howard Halliday - my easy tips to getting straight combs in a TB are: 1) Make sure the hive is level (makes a big difference to them building brace comb or not). Leaning hives encourage brace combs. 2) Check any new comb early while its still small & adjust it while its still fresh & soft if you need to - after that theyll be good to follow the lead. 3) Once youve got 2 or more nice straight combs, insert your new bars inbetween those so theyve got a guide to work to & they should automatically keep the beespace between them. The book: Top-Bar Beekeeping by Les Crowder and He

I love my topbar - so much i just got another one. Huge advantage for me (lady with a dodgy neck) is no heavy lifting - downside is theyre less portable for moving if needed. They shouldnt run out of brood space if your growing the brood space with new bars/comb same as you grow the honey space...just concertina them in or out as the bees needs & seasons change. It does mean more careful handling so as not to break comb but gentleness aint a bad thing with bees anyway. I dont use foundation so theyre busy building comb = less honey in the long run....but im not in it for the honey any

Im just on my last paper & deeply disappointed with the whole thing. Beyond frustration reading such long out of date information & having to reiterate it in assignments which is just plain pointless. I expected an academic organisation to be at least up to date with the info / laws / regulations they want students to learn. My advice: Find a local course / join your local beeclub for practical learning & advice / get your hands on the Practical Beekeeping NZ book & youll be way more uptodate than what Telford will give you. The only reason ive stuck at it till the end i