dansar

I’m not sure you mention when the hive swarmed. Wait another couple of weeks before checking again. There could well have been a virgin queen running around or out on a mating flight.

You can get digital scales for weighing fish etc from stored like “hunting and fishing”.

I forwarded it to my wife. Ewwwwww they look very small! Was the reply

Quite often the initial swarm will congregate within the apiary for a few hours or even a couple of days depending on what the scout bees have Sussed out for a new home.

We have 3 vehicles at home all wear the yellow badges from my bees. New roof on the house....bee poo all over it! 11 years of bees at home and only one complaint from my mate over the fence when he was trying to sell his dark metallic blue mk2 escort, he had just washed it before someone came to look at it, bees had left their waxy streaks all over it. we’ve had to move hives from apiaries before due to neighbours not liking bee poo on their 2.4x6m designer gold plated windows

Trip out to rural Putaruru to collect this swarm. Actually you only need to drive 5 minutes out from the center of Putaruru township and you’re rural! 10 minutes and they are all in the box. Another 10 framer of bees.

No. Use a tied copy.

Community service done. Collected a swarm from a residential address on the edge of town (Putaruru). Used extension pole and swarm catching net. They used to be available from Beequip from memory. Nice sized swarm 10 frames worth of bees. Once again another swarm to move out to a quarantine yard.

Brown beetle. back country trout love them too. They have been prolific at home this year stripping new growth off our plum and pear trees.

Plans are in my head sorry. Just follow basic “bee space” principles and frame dimensions. The rest should be easy.

New Zealanders propensity to top the tall poppies?

Caught a swarm at home last week. It was an “own goal” though. One of my mini mating nucs swarmed, so now I have a double full depth hive housing approx 600 bees and a virgin queen

And I could point out numerous examples of Arataki poor beekeeping practice around the South Waikato too. But I won’t, because there’s three fingers pointing back at me

Far out you guys! Talk about the village folk being out with the Pitch Forks looking to lynch someone. I have personally worked with a large number of the Comvita Branches and have found all the staff to be very good and capable beekeepers. Just like every business, there are different levels of skill and knowledge. Attack the brand name -sure, I understand that, but to have a go at the staff and the apprentice program is pretty low. In fact I’m disappointed

Cheeky little swarm (about 3kg) collected from Tokoroa this evening. About 6m up, fortunately I have a collection net and extension pole. Still had to stand on the back of my Ute to get at it amongst all the branches.