@Eva This beekeeping lark has certainly got its challenges, but having this forum and great members has been a god send 
And as for the sky raisins 
love it 
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When I was a youngâun, many years ago in the UK, my parents used to buy Garibaldi biscuits (cookies to Americans). I didnât really like them, but my brother did. We use to call them âsquashed fly biscuitsâ because of the little black bits embedded in the crispy layersâŠ
They didnât come in a Jalapeño flavor though! Thank you for the great giggle!!
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I knew this rung a bell!
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Oh I LOVE garibaldi biscuits aka golden raisin biscuits!! My dad and I both, and we called them âshinglesâ because of their flat gummy texture like asphalt shingles
Used to love this show! Once Mel and Sueâs contracts werenât renewed and the goddess Mary Berry left in protest, I also quit 
But I miss it.
I have a couple of ruffed grouse in the beeyard every morning, just cleaning up the dead ones from what I can see.
In the heat of our summer though; I noticed some aerial battles going on with a crop of huge dragonflies right above the hives. I never actually saw one get a bee, but there were probably fifty or more 3 to 4" dragonflies directly above the hives darting like crazy after something. Has anyone else ever noticed this, or witnessed a dragonfly win a battle with a honeybee?
Had to chuckle how accurate sbaillieâs above observations were in comparison to my apiary locationsâŠeven down to the ruffled grouse! And yes I have observed dragonflies being able to pick off forager bees.
These swarms of dragonflies (a sign of a healthy ecosystem) not only pick off forager bees but are deadly to virgin queens on their mating flights. Two of the three apiary locations I have cannot be used for nuc queen matingâŠboth being adjacent to lakes that have huge populations of dragonflies. Took me a few years to figure out what was going on.
The location of my third beehouse that is an exception in this matter is on a pine covered sand dune (high ground)âŠand in the past I noticed that often California/Southern USA queen producers have mating yards in pine groves. Notice the pine trees in the backgound of the photo below:
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@Dawn_SD Ah yes, I remember the biscuits well, and what I would give for a âSpotted Dickâ with custard (and before anyone gets their knickers in a twist, for those that may not know, Spotted Dick is not some strange ailment, but an old English comfort pudding with raisins/currants best served in winter, hot, with thick custard 
).
Thanks for promoting the fond memories Dawn
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And a spoonful of brandy poured over, with a tiny drizzle of honey from your own bees!! YUM!!
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So today had been warm and we were chatting on our verandah, when I noticed thisâŠ.thing and it looked like it was holding a bee 
donât suppose you know what it is ? Iâm pretty sure itâs not a soldier fly (have loads of them & no big deal) but this looks like a cross between a May fly & a wasp. Any thoughts please & thank you
That may be a Sawfly. Adults can be insect predators.
I think that scary looking stinger at the back is the ovipositor. Up close it looks like a saw, hence the name âSawflyâ. They use it to drill into wood or plant material to lay eggs.
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Thanks Stefan @Smoke it does have a saw looking âstingerâ so I think you have something, but it puzzled me not having antennae and having a bee in its grasp, maybe feeding on pollen, it liked the bee smell 
.
We have similar ones here which we call Sawflies. There are many species of Sawflies, including Horntails, and Woodwasps. They all have the saw like ovipositor.
Thanks Stefan, looks like you nailed it
As their name suggests, the birds are called bee-eaters because they eat bees and wasps â enough to fill 70% of their dietary needs. The most popular species is the European bee eater.
I wouldnât worry about Bee eaters either.
Honey buzzards are more of a concern.
Always thought that was the reason why hive inspections had to be short and quick. 
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Oh wow holy smoke !!! Did you take that photo in Australia or is it photoshopped? Do they really go for the entire comb?
Please explain how these birds could access the hive to get their beaks on the comb ???
Though recently discovered bees in the wild building comb in the open amongst dense bushy trees, no hive at all, just a concave cluster of comb with bees all over it. At first I thought it was a swarm, but closer examination revealed a fully functional hive/comb open to the elements. Weird. Continuing my walk, discovered no less than FOUR of these things all about 3/4âs Kilometre apart. Very strange indeed.
Hi mate no not taken in Australia and not photoshopped, but grabbed from the interweb. In my previous life in southern Europe I took plenty of photos of honey buzzards in flight, but never saw one with actual comb. In my location they were migratory. Only saw them chasing dragonflies and wasps on occasions.
Despite being called honey buzzards they mostly attack hives of bees and wasps for the protein in larvae, though they do consume some comb and honey. Magnificent birds in my opinion, one of my personal favourites.
They mostly go for exposed hives (bees and wasps) but can also attack hives in tree hollows from the entrance if accessible for them. Yes, they will snatch comb and fly away with it to consume it in peace away from the other bees, not that they are bothered by bees.
I never heard that they attack actual beekeepersâs hives, so calm down @itchyvet 
This one I think is the Oriental Honey Buzzard (not European) and found an easy hive for a snack.
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Not weird at all mate. In southern Europe where I used to live thatâs how I saw most hives. Tree hollows are very rare. Usually they build them somewhere sheltered from the elements but otherwise exposed. Sometimes in rock cliffs and crevices.
When I read about hives should not have ventilation I scratch my head. In fact my hives are all open mesh floor and they do very well.
Canât get that image off my head now. Never new these birds could destroy a hive like that.