Experience Russian beekeeper Vladimir Khomich.

[fidan]

Hello colleagues. Whether used in your region are hives?


http://youtu.be/R5iSc2tFbSs

Maybe there is such a topic. I have not found. Sorry if that is not the case.
Sincerely, Fidan.

[prakel]

Hi Fidan, thanks for uploading the video. Even without being able to understand the narration it was still enjoyable to watch.

[Gscot]

Fantastic film and thanks for letting us view it. What a set up"

[Jon]

Well worth watching.
It is amazing how much there is in common between different countries with regard to beekeeping.
Nearly everything in the video was familiar and understandable even without a soundtrack.

I use a queenright queenraising system like the guy in the video but I graft larvae directly from a comb into the cell cups rather than using a system which confines the queen until she lays in the cup.
I noticed that eggs rather than larvae were introduced. I use 12-24 hour old larvae when queen rearing as I have been led to believe that eggs are often rejected but that is obviously not the case with your system.

I enjoyed seeing how the beekeeper in the video had home made devices to speed up assembly of both supers and frames.
The frames used in the supers are quite different from the ones we use with a wire support rather than a wooden one.

What race of bee is he working with? They are very dark but the odd one had a yellow band. The queen looked more like a AM carnica than an AM mellifera queen although some of mine are slightly banded as well.

[fatshark]

Fascinating. Did I count up to 16 boxes for a single hive? All with eight frames and all less deep than a National super. That's a lot of handling.

The main thing unfamiliar was the additional slotted entrance just above the standard entrance. I assumed this might be a way to simply reduce the entrance to stop robbing? I have a Russian colleague and will ask him.

I agree with Jon ... neat box and frame building jigs.

[Mellifera Crofter]

Hello colleagues. Whether used in your region are hives?
...
Maybe there is such a topic. I have not found. Sorry if that is not the case.
...

Interesting video, Fidan. Very impressive.

I'm trying to understand your question. Can you perhaps rephrase your question? Asking the question in a slightly different way might help (or am I the only one who that doesn't quite understand Fidan's question?).

Kitta

[gavin]

[QUOTE=Mellifera Crofter;15207
I'm trying to understand your question.[/QUOTE]

Which kinds of hives do we use?

If so ....

National
Smith
WBC
Langstroth
Commercial
Dadant

and Warre, Top Bar Hive or various designs (sometimes), Dartington, BeeHaus .....

but not any longer .... (as far as I know)

Cottager
Stewarton
Glen

.... and several more.

[Mellifera Crofter]

Thanks Gavin! Maybe Fidan can then tell us what they're using. To me the hive boxes look smaller and more square than Langstroth all-mediums.
Kitta

[Jon]

.... and several more.

Correx! Would look good with Vladimir Putin on the front!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WjpN-CSpKQ&list=UUue8V6a4fIYZX7rf9Pn1qLw&index=30

[gavin]

-- :) --

[fidan]

Can you perhaps rephrase your question?


Mellifera Crofter, Kitta, sorry for my English. :mad: :D
Vladimir Khomich my friend. I'm looking for on the Internet beekeepers who use such beehive. On your forum is not found. My question - Does anyone uses the hives?



What race of bee is he working with? They are very dark but the odd one had a yellow band.


Vladimir says about the breed - probably karpatka. Perhaps karpatka sister carnika. Vladimir exchanges with other beekeepers best queens.




The main thing unfamiliar was the additional slotted entrance just above the standard entrance. I assumed this might be a way to simply reduce the

entrance to stop robbing?

Apparently, it is a winter bottom box. Dead bees will not close the slot entrance.

Vladimir says about himself on his website. In Russian - http://pchelhom.ucoz.ru/
In English by Google - http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=ru&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fpchelhom.ucoz.ru%2F


Correx! Would look good with Vladimir Putin on the front!

Sorry. This is not Putin. I do not understand this humor. Sorry.

[prakel]

I do not understand this humor. Sorry.

That would make such a great signature line

[prakel]

Apparently, it is a winter bottom box. Dead bees will not close the slot entrance.

Vladimir says about himself on his website. In Russian - http://pchelhom.ucoz.ru/
In English by Google - http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=ru&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fpchelhom.ucoz.ru%2F

A superficial look suggests that this is another excellent link Fidan, some interesting looking articles to read. Thanks again.

[Jon]

Hi Fidan.

Apologies for the twisted humour. Could not resist!

I make temporary plastic boxes out of old election posters.
The box in the video has one of our local politicians on it.

[fatshark]

Careful Jon, that probably counts as hooliganism (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/oct/22/pussy-riot-remote-prison-camps) !

Good idea for the winter entrance ... Kielers could do with one like that. They have that stupid sort of angled tunnel which can get blocked with corpses.

[fidan]

OK Jon, http://kolobok.us/smiles/standart/friends.gif

[Jon]

Careful Jon, that probably counts as hooliganism (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/oct/22/pussy-riot-remote-prison-camps) !

Apparently the French are looking for another two fat celebrities to go along with Depardieu to swap for the Pussy Riot trio.

[fidan]

I can not read your humor friendly. However, it is your right. I'm just your guest.

[gavin]

I'm just your guest.

And a very welcome one, Fidan. At least your English is good enough for you to recognise it as humour.

[Neils]

Hi Fidan,

Thanks for linking the video, very interesting. I can't say that I recognise the hive type in the video though the principle of using boxes all the same size for brood and honey isn't that unusual but this:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8367/8358690519_b9e70f0a65_o.jpg

Is far more common a hive type in the UK. i.e. a larger brood box with smaller supers for collecting honey.

[Jon]

And a very welcome one, Fidan. At least your English is good enough for you to recognise it as humour.

Sorry again Fidan but I can assure you it is friendly!

[Mellifera Crofter]

... Vladimir Khomich my friend. I'm looking for on the Internet beekeepers who use such beehive. On your forum is not found. My question - Does anyone uses the hives? ... Vladimir says about himself on his website. In Russian - http://pchelhom.ucoz.ru/
In English by Google - http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=ru&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fpchelhom.ucoz.ru%2F

Thanks Fidan - your English is just fine (probably better than mine).

No, I've not seen hives similar to Vladimir's being used in the UK. One-box systems are used. The most well-known one-box hive system is Langstroth all-mediums (frame depth is 6.25" or 157mm and the top bar is 19" or 48.26cm long). (A Langstroth medium box is the same size as a Dadant shallow). Below is one of my Langstroth all-mediums:

1380

Some of the others include:

The Rose Hive system - but that's not a popular hive because parts aren't readily available. The Rose hive is almost the same size as a National (the hive that Neil illustrated) but the boxes are shallower than the National brood box and deeper than the National supers.

A lot more popular than The Rose Hive is the Warré. People often make their own Warré hives. The outside dimensions for a Warré are, I think, 340mm x 340mm and, looking at your friend's website and his plans for The Alpine Hive, I think the Warré is the closest to your friend's hive design but the boxes are deeper. (Anybody - please correct me if I'm wrong! I'm not very good at reading plans. I need to see things in front of me.)

I'm not surprised that Vladimir's Alpine Hive and the Warré have similar outside dimensions because I notice that Vladimir refers to Roger Delon's climate-stable hive. I tend to think of Roger Delon and Warré as having had very similar aims - am I right? I also agree with them. I think those dimensions are ideal for a healthy colony: as winter progresses, they only need to move higher and higher - they don't have to cross cold frames from left to right to get to their food and, I think, are less likely to suffer from isolation starvation.

So why don't I have Warré hives .... I still have to make them! Perhaps I will. With my present hives (National and Langstroth) I try as much as possible to compensate by reducing the space with dummy boards.

However, unlike the Warré, Vladimir's Alpine Hive has the more usual, contemporary design similar to, say, a Langstroth all-medium hive. I found the Langstroth all-mediums difficult and clumsy to handle. I think the boxes are too large. I'm now in the process of changing to Nationals. Looking at Vladimir (is it Vladimir in the video?) manipulating his hives, it seems a lot easier as the boxes are so small and easy to lift. I'm not sure I would like that many boxes in a hive though. Perhaps handling that many boxes might become easier with more experience - I don't know. (I'm starting my fourth year of beekeeping and still think of myself as a novice.)

I'm pleased you told us about your friend's website. It's fascinating. What about yourself? What hives do you have? And is The Alpine Hive a popular hive in your area?

Kitta

[fidan]

Hi gavin, Neils, Jon, Kitta .
Very glad to communicate with you. Nothing prevents understand each other, even my unimportant English. :D



Thanks for linking the video, very interesting. I can't say that I recognise the hive type in the video though the principle of using boxes all the same size for brood and honey isn't that unusual but this:

Thank Neils. These hives have some advantages too. I like the low box.



is it Vladimir in the video?

Yes it is.


Thanks Kitty. Yes you are right. Vladimir hives like hive Warri. Inner dimensions of 300x300 mm. Height of 108 mm. Weight of the box with about 8 kg of honey. Quickly sealed cell. Honey from honey plants are different in different boxes. One box - one nuc.



(I'm starting my fourth year of beekeeping and still think of myself as a novice.)

I am too.
I have a few dadant. And a few hives like Vladimir. They are very comfortable for me. I am in love with this hive. But they are still not popular.

[prakel]

I have a few dadant. And a few hives like Vladimir. They are very comfortable for me. I am in love with this hive. But they are still not popular.

Hi Fidan, how do you find that these little hives compare to your dadants over the course of the year? Myself, I've started to work my dadants differently to how I've previously used them; I now reduce the number of frames in the brood chamber and add a shallow box above as I see a far faster build up if the bees are allowed to move up rather than being forced to work out towards the side walls.

[Bumble]

I've watched most of the video, it's really interesting. Thank you.

I quite like the idea, shown near the beginning, of collecting catkins to provide pollen but I'm not so sure about running syrup into an open trough although I can see it would save time.

I noticed, I think, that these hives don't have crown boards (a board between the colony and the roof).

Do you, by any chance, know what the blue flowers are at about 15 mins?

[Neils]

Fidan,

How does your year compare to ours? I know Russia covers a large area and there's going to be differences, but we think here of Russian winters being long and cold, do you do anything in particular to insulate hives? When do you start to gear up for spring and make preparation for winter?

I gather you've had varroa for a lot longer than we have, what's a typical russian treatment plan? Do you se thymol, Formic acid, oxalic acid, something else?

[fidan]

Hello all forum users.



Hi Fidan, how do you find that these little hives compare to your dadants over the course of the year? Myself, I've started to work my dadants differently to how I've previously used them; I now reduce the number of frames in the brood chamber and add a shallow box above as I see a far faster build up if the bees are allowed to move up rather than being forced to work out towards the side walls.


The size of the hive 300x300 mm cut is more natural for the bees. There is an opinion. But it is questionable. I can say that this keeps the hive easier temperature. This is especially noticeable in the spring.
Vladimir says that bees can successfully contain any type of hive. But this it is more convenient. I think so too.



I noticed, I think, that these hives don't have crown boards (a board between the colony and the roof).

Yes it is.



Do you, by any chance, know what the blue flowers are at about 15 mins?

Wow .. I'm like a schoolboy in the exam .. :D
Let me know the name. Then I will answer and you will take the exam ...



do you do anything in particular to insulate hives?

Someone leaves a hive in their places. Someone takes them omshanik. Pleasant Russian word "omshanik." This is the construction of hives. More often underground. Sometimes half underground. Sometimes the ground. Omshanik gives stability. In November, set the hive in omshanik. In early April, set the hive in its place.


what's a typical russian treatment plan? Do you se thymol, Formic acid, oxalic acid, something else?

Yes. The same methods. There are proponents of environmental practices. Adding herbs to the smoker. But I have no such experience. I think that without chemicals is now impossible. BUT we reduce immunity bees. Once for it will have to pay something.

[prakel]

I can say that this keeps the hive easier temperature. This is especially noticeable in the spring.
Vladimir says that bees can successfully contain any type of hive. But this it is more convenient. I think so too.

I imagine that you're refering to colony build up during the Spring which is basically what I've found by engineering a 'chimney' effect - given the opportunity bees like to go up and down. My own strain of bee is more than capable of filling a 11 comb dadant hive but they're quicker at laying out an equivalent amount of comb spread over a smaller base area. At least, this is what I've observed so far.

I may still take the plunge (not this year) of changing over to a one size box and allowing the brood nest to take a more vertical format.

[Bumble]

Do you, by any chance, know what the blue flowers are at about 15 mins?
Wow .. I'm like a schoolboy in the exam .. :D
Let me know the name. Then I will answer and you will take the exam ...

I'm sorry, I didn't mean my question to sound like a test.

We saw a lot of these flowers during the summer, when we were in north east Europe. They were busy with bees. I have been trying to find out what they are.

[Mellifera Crofter]

... We saw a lot of these flowers during the summer, when we were in north east Europe. They were busy with bees. I have been trying to find out what they are.

Perhaps somebody can help Fidan with his exam(!), and give Bumble a reply. Here's the flower:

1389

Kitta

[fidan]

I'm sorry, I didn't mean my question to sound like a test.


No, no .. It was the humor .. Russian humor now .. http://www.kolobok.us/smiles/standart/mosking.gif


Perhaps somebody can help Fidan with his exam(!), and give Bumble a reply

It seems time for the exam .. http://www.kolobok.us/smiles/standart/umnik.gif
in Russian - "sinyak." Echium vulgare. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echium_vulgare

[prakel]

It seems time for the exam .. http://www.kolobok.us/smiles/standart/umnik.gif
in Russian - "sinyak." Echium vulgare. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echium_vulgare

Prolific on Portland too. Great plant. Stood up to the attrocious weather amazingly well right the way through last summer.

[fidan]

My own strain of bee is more than capable of filling a 11 comb dadant hive but they're quicker at laying out an equivalent amount of comb spread over a smaller base area. At least, this is what I've observed so far.


Hi prakel,

For the answer I need a picture. I'll draw and answer. Thanks for the idea.

[Calum]

Hi Fidan,
where in Russia are you from?

[Bumble]

in Russian - "sinyak." Echium vulgare. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echium_vulgare
Oh wow, thank you very much :)

Now I can look for some seeds, and try to grow them in my garden.

[Little_John]

Vladimir Khomich my friend. I'm looking for on the Internet beekeepers who use such beehive. On your forum is not found. My question - Does anyone uses the hives?

Hello Fidan - not yet - but very soon, I hope.

I'm currently building one to test, using 35mm thick wood (because I have a cheap supply of wood of that thickness). If it's successful, I'll be transferring all my colonies over to the Russian Alpine system, keeping just a few Nationals in order to raise NUCs for sale.

I'd like to clarify a few details with you - either on or off-forum. I emailed Vladimir Khomich (in English) some time ago with an enquiry, but no reply. I guess a language barrier ?

Regards

LJ

[The Drone Ranger]

Vipers Bugloss is a bit fussy about soil so no good in some areas

[COVENANTER]

great video i could understand it no problem.Just by watching. was amazing seeing the bees so busy when all the snow was arround are the bees apis melifera melifera .they seem very dark.

[Little_John]

Hello Fidan - not yet - but very soon, I hope.

I'm currently building one to test ...

Well - it's over a year later, and I've been far too busy this current year with my Nationals to have done anything with the Russian 'Alpine' Hive - but on the 4th July (an easy date to remember), by 'instalments' a swarm of Heinz bees ('57 Varieties') moved into a Warre-sized bait box I'd left out - and proceeded to set up home there. After 10 days I transferred them - on the 210mm frames of the bait box - into the Alpine Hive, where they've been flourishing.
I inspected them yesterday, and in just 14 days they've drawn-out seven of those double-sized Delon frames, and now have Brood In All Stages, so I've already nadired a further set of the shallower Russian-sized 108mm frames in a box below. Using the larger frames from the bait box has just meant nailing two of the 'Russian'-sized boxes together for now - hardly a major issue.

What has surprised me is - during the transfer, and during yesterday's inspection - is just how well-behaved these bees are, for I haven't spotted a single bad behavioural trait. Let's hope that this continues as the colony grows in size ...

Whether this calm and gentle behaviour is due solely to their genetics, their current small size, or whether it has something to do with the dimensions and set-up of the hive, only time will tell.

LJ

[Mellifera Crofter]

Interesting, LJ. I'm confused between Delon and Alpine hives. Do they have the same inside footprint, but the Delons being deeper than the Alpines, or are they all the same?
Kitta

[Little_John]

Hi Kitta.

The story really starts with Abbot Warre who, after field-testing as many hives as he could, decided that an internal footprint of 300mm x 300mm had something 'special' about it - that the bees really thrived well within this compact space. And he wasn't the first to discover this. So - the standard Warre and all variants of it: Russian 'Alpine', Delon etc - all have the same internal footprint.

When Warre concluded his experiments, he settled on a box depth of something like 400-440mm (I'm going by memory, now), but his assistants complained that such boxes were far too heavy, and so he simply cut them in half, giving a box depth of around 210-220mm. I guess these could be called 'half-height' boxes, with 2 being required to form a brood chamber suitable for overwintering.

Warre also experimented with the use of frames, but eventually settled on the use of top-bars only, with the combs invariably becoming firmly adhered to the box sides, thus requiring an 'L'-shaped bladed knife to cut them free when harvesting honey. This was to be his final design adjustment, and is still the way that purists keep these hives today - which were always intended to be 'back-garden' hives for the rural French.

Ok - this is where Roger Delon comes into the picture. Delon was a commercial beekeeper who kept some 300 of these hives on the slopes of the Alps. Rather than staying with Warre's top bar system, he devised a method of using wire frames within the same 210-220mm boxes. He found that the wires are for-all-intents-and-purposes 'transparent' to the bees, and didn't present the same kind of 'restrictions' imposed by wooden frames, with their mandatory beespaces.
He also simplified the top of the hive, so that rather than having a breathable quilt above the boxes, he used a sealed and insulated crown board, which seems to have been very appropriate for those Alpine conditions.

Next on the scene are some enterprising Russians, who read about Delon's successes with his form of modified Warre hive and, with typical Russian ingenuity, decided to halve the height of the boxes once again (so now they are 1/4 the height of Warre's original plans) at around 108-110mm. The internal footprint still remains the same at 300mm square. Delon used his hives in The Alps, so the Russians called their's 'Alpine Hives'. :)
Apart from this box and frame height change, in all other respects the hive is pretty-much as Delon used - but what the Russians are doing very differently however, is running their hives as if they were Nationals - with Q/X's, honey supers, embossed foundation, and all the rest.

So what has happened is effectively a transition from Warre's original concept of a back-garden 'People's Hive' - cheap to make and only requiring 2 inspections a year - through Roger Delon's wire frame modifications allowing the hive's use for commercial yet eco-sensitive purposes - through to a totally commercial operation (albeit one run on a shoe-string by impoverished Russians), by the use of shallower boxes: 4 to make a brood chamber, with 1 for a super - but all staying with Warre's original 300mm internal footprint.

Hope this clarifies the muddy waters at least a little ... :)

LJ

[HJBee]

A picture would help!

[madasafish]

http://www.pchelhom.ru/index/0-4

[Little_John]

or: http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=23129&page=2

[Mellifera Crofter]

... I transferred them - on the 210mm frames of the bait box - into the Alpine Hive ...


... Hope this clarifies the muddy waters at least a little ... :) LJ

It does, thank you! So, in this particular hive of yours that houses the swarm you have a Delon brood box and nadired with the 1/4-sized Alpines?
Kitta

[prakel]

Warre also experimented with the use of frames, but eventually settled on the use of top-bars only, with the combs invariably becoming firmly adhered to the box sides, thus requiring an 'L'-shaped bladed knife to cut them free when harvesting honey. This was to be his final design adjustment, and is still the way that purists keep these hives today - which were always intended to be 'back-garden' hives for the rural French.

For working from the top? I've seen a video showing such an operation -didn't like the look of it so approached things from the other end, so to speak:

2115 2116

not a great photo but should have more, clearer ones by the end of the month. approx. 9" deep comb in this one.

[Mellifera Crofter]

Sorry LJ - this is the second time you've explained it to me! I only now really understand the progress from the original Warré to the present Warré/Delon hive to the quarter Alpine. I couldn't have read it too well the first time round. Kitta

[Little_John]

It does, thank you! So, in this particular hive of yours that houses the swarm you have a Delon brood box and nadired with the 1/4-sized Alpines?
Kitta

That's almost right - the 'brood box' is currently being formed by 2 x 1/4-sized Alpine boxes nailed together. These hold the 210mm Delon wire frames (which of course were the frames fitted to the swarm box - 'cause the swarm box just happened to be that size - no other reason).
In the graphic below, the hive is at the left of the picture, with the brood box marked by a red vertical line. Beneath this 'brood box' is an eke and a modified base - marked by a vertical magenta line, which together hold the nadired 1/4-height Alpine frames. This is a bodge to save making another base (which I over-engineered, and the bees hated), just as nailing the two boxes together is a bodge for now - as soon as possible, I'll pull the deeper frames and stick with all 1/4-height boxes.

http://i57.tinypic.com/2rnhen5.jpg

It might help if I clarify that the 'Delon frame', although originally 210mm deep, and for a 300mm box, has now become a term used for this method of construction - of any height and width. So - it would be possible, for example, to make 'Delon frames' to fit Nationals, Langstroths etc.


Sorry LJ - this is the second time you've explained it to me! I only now really understand the progress from the original Warré to the present Warré/Delon hive to the quarter Alpine. I couldn't have read it too well the first time round. Kitta

No worries - I'm well impressed that someone else finds this stuff of interest ... :)

LJ

[Little_John]

For working from the top? I've seen a video showing such an operation -didn't like the look of it so approached things from the other end, so to speak:
[...]
not a great photo but should have more, clearer ones by the end of the month. approx. 9" deep comb in this one.

That's a nice comb. :)

So c'mon - spill the beans - how's it done ? Just by sliding a knife in from below ?

LJ

[prakel]

So c'mon - spill the beans - how's it done ? Just by sliding a knife in from below ?

LJ

Yes! Still early days but been working fine so far. Up-end the box so that the top-bars are in vertical alignment and 'go'.

[madasafish]

When I ran warres, the combs were not attached to teh sides. They were perfectly square ..

I thought of Delon frames for Langs.. might try it. Need some more frames soon with all this honey..

[Little_John]

When I ran warres, the combs were not attached to teh sides. They were perfectly square ..


So - nothing like this, then ?

http://i57.tinypic.com/5xs6d0.jpg

This was sorta what I was expecting to find (eventually), with wire frames or not. But - if the sides stay clean, that would be one helluva bonus. :)

LJ

[prakel]

But - if the sides stay clean, that would be one helluva bonus. :)

LJ

I think, from my point of view, having the combs fixed to the sides is actually a bit of a bonus because it allows for easier movement of the colonies. Having hit a point where further expansion is being severely curtailed by limitation of funds I'm looking at the potential of using warre type boxes on a slightly larger scale than normally seen in the UK although with a very personal approach to their management. The idea being that as new dadants are built the warre combs can be transferred into the md frames but in the meantime they can be built up and contribute income.

2117

It's far from an ideal solution but sometimes we need to look for new ways to achieve the same result.

[Little_John]

It's far from an ideal solution but sometimes we need to look for new ways to achieve the same result.

Totally agree. Have you considered going horizontal as a temporary solution ? Square section horizontal hives (Long Hives, Tanzanian, call 'em what you will ...) are quick and easy to make, as well as being cheap. And they could be dimensioned to fit around your existing Dadant frames.

The real beauty (imho) of such horizontal hives is that they're one-piece boxes, so there's no need to sod about making sure one box fits squarely on top of another without it rocking about.

The perfect material to make these is condemned scaffold boards - if they can be sourced locally - they're usually priced at about £5 to £6 for a 13 foot length.

LJ

[madasafish]

Totally agree. Have you considered going horizontal as a temporary solution ? Square section horizontal hives (Long Hives, Tanzanian, call 'em what you will ...) are quick and easy to make, as well as being cheap. And they could be dimensioned to fit around your existing Dadant frames.

The real beauty (imho) of such horizontal hives is that they're one-piece boxes, so there's no need to sod about making sure one box fits squarely on top of another without it rocking about.

The perfect material to make these is condemned scaffold boards - if they can be sourced locally - they're usually priced at about £5 to £6 for a 13 foot length.

LJ

Old pallets are free. choose carefully and they are easy to construct.....

[prakel]

I have given a serious amount of thought to horizontal hives, being a long term follower of Wyatt Mangum's articles, and I'm certainly not going to dismiss them as a possibility in the future (for pleasure/interest) but for now I've settled on the warre type box due amongst other reasons to it's relatively small footprint which will aid movement between apiaries.

[Little_John]

As it was a nice sunny morning, I took the opportunity to check if my second 'Alpine' Hive is now queen-right, and it is ... :)
4 weeks from emergence to the first capped brood, so this seems to be par for the course around here.

I also took the opportunity to make a closer inspection of the 'pass-through ventilation slots' fitted into the sides of the feeder box, to see if they'd been propolised shut yet - only a couple of token dabs, otherwise clear - so it looks as if the bees appreciate a small amount of upward air movement through the hive. This situation may change of course, as we move towards winter.

LJ