Warre Hive Update

     My modified Warre hive has done okay this year. I didn't end up with an unmated queen from a large secondary swarm that ended up being a drone layer (my previous Warre hive experience).  I say my Warre hive is modified in that it has moveable frames like a conventional beehive.  What I wanted to experiment with were the smaller dimensions of the Warre hive (12x 12 inner dimensions of the brood nest) and the "quilt" as a moisture abatement mechanism. I want to see if those factors have a positive impact on the bees making it through the winter.  I am unwilling to give up moveable frames and the management they allow the beekeeper. Also I am unwilling to sacrifice my bees on the altar of 100 percent natural beekeeping.  Therefore I want to be able to use the more benign and natural miticides like Hopguard or Apilife and I want to be able to feed my bees if they need it and be able to give them medication for Nosema Cerana.

     I realize that one hive doesn't make a very good experiment, but I haven't had the time or energy to make more than the one Warre hive.  I need to have at least ten conventional Langstroth hives in order to maintain the queen banks at the bee store. That is about all of the beehives I currently have time to manage.  I want to see if the Warre hive beats the average of the ten Langstroth hives when it comes to overwintering during the next five years.

    We had a relatively good blackberry nectar flow this year.  The Warre hive drew out comb in three and a half deep boxes (eight frames each with a comb length of 12 inches).  I'm not aware that the Warre hive swarmed, but I didn't install a marked queen so I can't absolutely swear that they didn't.  I harvested three deep frames that consisted of close to 100 percent capped honey. That allowed me to reduce them back down to three deep boxes, the equivalent of a two deep eight frame Langstroth hive. I am treating them for mites with Apilife VAR, which I consider to almost be an herbal treatment as the the active ingredients are thymol, eucalyptus, and menthol. I plan to feed them several gallons of 2:1 sugar syrup with fumagillin for Nosema.

    I intend to use the three frames of honey to do cut comb rather than extract them.  However, the SAF extractors I sell at the Beez Neez will accomodate the shorter frames from my Warre hive. It just isn't worth my trouble to extract three frames. Besides, I can always use more cut comb honey.