Hi Andrew
Feeding is very easy with my TBHs as there is room under the eke. Having
said that I tend to let the bees estimate what they need for winter, and
haven't fed for quite a while.
Helen
On 23 July 2018 at 11:39, Andrew Bax <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Thanks Gareth
I’ve seen the websites about the Golden Hive and it certainly seems to
offer intriguing possibilities. For me, nadiring is the difficulty with
Warres and feeding is the difficulty with horizontal hives. For garden
beekeeping, both are much more suitable than Nationals. It’s probably
heresy but I believe in taking some honey from strong colonies and in
giving a substantial Autumn feed to all.
Best wishes
Andrew
*From:* oxnatbees-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:oxnatbees-bounce@
freelists.org] *On Behalf Of *Gareth John (Redacted sender "grjohn" for
DMARC)
*Sent:* 22 July 2018 10:50
*To:* oxnatbees@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
*Subject:* [oxnatbees] Re: Updates and gossip (was: test)
Hi Andrew
"old habits die hard" : but top cloths are an even older habit!
I have experimented with hTBH’s and Warrés over the last decade, with up
to 20 odd hives at any one time. Both have advantages and disadvantages,
some for the bees and some for the beekeeper. I am now transitioning to
Golden Hives (Einraumbeute). They have the necessary depth to accommodate
the bee -they are just over 2 Warré boxes deep- but, being horizontal, do
not require any lifting by the beekeeper. I make them with the same top
bar dimensions as Warrés, so there is a degree of interchangeability. They
are framed but foundationless. Rather than make the full-blown German
version, mine is shorter and take 13 frames - about the equivalent of 4
Warré boxes. The bees seem to love them. The latest version has cork
insulation, giving an effective wall thickness of 80mm but without the
weight. During the main flow I add a 100mm deep honey super that holds a
form of simplified sections. There is no excluder. The hive body has been
co-developed with Matt Somerville of BeeKind Hives (
https://beekindhives.uk), who makes a posh version of the hive and also
Freedom Hives. He also makes frames for the GH, although I now make my
own; its easier than one might think.
I am happy to share more details with anyone who is a maker.
________________________
Gareth John
Westhall Cottage
Westhall Hill
Burford
OX18 4BJ
01993 824943
On 22 Jul 2018, at 09:27, Andrew Bax (Redacted sender "andrew.bax" for
DMARC) <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Thanks Gareth – you are, of course, absolutely right.
For a decade or two I harvested a lot of honey from Nationals, and old
habits die hard. As a winter project I was planning to design and build a
hybrid Warre/TBH and you’ve just made that a lot harder!
Andrew
*From:* oxnatbees-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:
oxnatbees-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <oxnatbees-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>] *On
Behalf Of *Gareth John (Redacted sender "grjohn" for DMARC)
*Sent:* 21 July 2018 22:03
*To:* oxnatbees@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
*Subject:* [oxnatbees] Re: Updates and gossip (was: test)
I don’t often comment on these threads, but providing a suitable hive is
one of the most important things a bee person can do and I want to follow
up on the subject of top boards. Welcome, Andrew, btw.
A crown board creates a space above the tops of the combs. In natural
conditions a bee nest does not have a space above the tops of the combs.
The combs start from the roof of the tree cavity. The result, looking up
from below, is a series of cul de sacs between the combs, something which
the bee has adapted to over millennia and likely contributes in important
ways to the control of nest heat and scent.
Similarly, a top cloth is generally covered in propolis and is propolised
to the top bars. Propolis is the hive-level immune system of the colony
and is vital for colony health. It should be encouraged as much as
possible. Top boards do not do this.
When it comes to hive inspections (if they are done), once a top board is
removed from a hive, either all the top bars are exposed or a number of
them are, all in one go. The top board often has to be 'cracked' open due
to its propolis seal. The result is mechanical shock and noise and the
creation of a sudden draft within the hive causing the loss of heat and
scent and disturbance to the colony. Bees will rush to the top of the hive
to see 'what the heck happened there?' and these bees are generally not
happy. Conventional beekeepers often pump smoke in below the top board as
it comes up for this reason. By contrast, a top cloth can be pealed back a
little at a time in the gentlest of fashions, causing minimal disturbance.
No bees rush up to the top bars and all remains calm. It is a good
opportunity to see the tops of the combs while the hive remains in an
undisturbed state. Little or no smoke need be used. I sometimes peal a
corner of a top cloth back and sniff the hive as a way of determining its
health.
The top hole for winter ventilation (in which the Porter escape would fit)
is again absent from a natural hive. The function of the quilt box is to
allow a degree of movement of water vapour out of the top of the hive
without the loss of heat. It is not just there for insulation (although
this is an important factor) but mimics the moisture absorbing properties
of the rotted wood that would be found at the top of a natural tree cavity.
Gareth
________________________
Gareth John
Westhall Cottage
Westhall Hill
Burford
OX18 4BJ
01993 824943
On 20 Jul 2018, at 15:54, Andrew Bax (Redacted sender "andrew.bax" for
DMARC) <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Hello Helen
I am a new member of Oxnatbees so hadn’t seen your hive design, and I
really like the idea of using Warre bars and an eke. I, too, have been
wondering how to combine the merits of the Warre and Top Bar Hives. Here’s
an idea for the Helen Hive Mk 3:
1. Replace the hessian cover by a crownboard, providing bee space
over the Warre bars. In practice I suggest the hive should be covered by
three or four smaller crownboards, set next to each other, each of which
can be removed as required so that the whole colony need not be exposed
during inspection. The Porter escapes will help ventilate the hive
(particularly if you have ventilation holes in the roof – I couldn’t see
them in your photos) and the most appropriate escape can be removed for
feeding. There is probably enough space for a half-gallon contact or rapid
feeder.
2. Extend the height of the follower board by the bee space so that
it fits under the crownboard
3. Do away with the quilt boxes. For winter insulation the space can
be filled with old clothes
4. Register the design, license it to a few manufacturer and collect
royalties.
I hope to be with you on 18 August
Best wishes
Andrew Bax
*From:* oxnatbees-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:
oxnatbees-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <oxnatbees-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>] *On
Behalf Of *Helen Nunn
*Sent:* 17 July 2018 21:44
*To:* oxnatbees
*Subject:* [oxnatbees] Re: Updates and gossip (was: test)
Hi Sam
Sorry you can't make either date. Here's a link to see what my hives look
like. It's my own design and seems to be working really well, during about
4 years use.
oxnatbees.wordpress.com/2014/03/27/adding-warre-features-
to-a-top-bar-hive/
All the best
Helen
On 17 July 2018 at 21:34, SAm Acton <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Hi Helen
I am new to this group how I love to come to have a look at your hives. I
have recently aquired a TBH and hoping to learn as much as I can before I
start. Unfortunately I can't make both of the dates but thanks for all the
same. If you have another get together in the future may I come? I live in
Rose Hill, Oxford.
Sam
On Tuesday, 17 July 2018 15:20:42 BST, Oxnatbees <oxnatbees@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
I'd prefer the 18th but could probably make the 4th please thankyou
Paul
On 17 July 2018 at 12:06, Helen Nunn <helenmaynunn@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Hi Paul et al
I'd be happy to offer a get-together at our place (Derwent Avenue,
Headington, Oxford) on an August Saturday, eg either 4th or 18th, 2.30pm
for a cuppa, cake, and a wander up the road to our allotment and two bee
hives which are Warre-version-TBHs. If people would like to respond with
their preferred date, we'll settle on the most popular!
Helen
On 16 July 2018 at 21:57, Oxnatbees <oxnatbees@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Hi all
yes I was thinking things are v quiet on this mailing list too. My bees
are just happy and doing their thing, no problems, and it seems no one else
with bees has problems. Beats me what they're foraging on, it's dry as a
bone out here and I don't see anything significant in flower. But in
previous years when they've had no forage you could tell because the number
of flyers was minimal, maybe one a minute, whereas this traffic is as busy
as any I've seen.
Swarm numbers down 66%? I can believe that, I only collected half what I
did last year (6 not 12) and my own hives only threw out 2 swarms and a
cast between 5 established colonies. Normally by now our mailing list is
alive with questions like "what is up with this cast I hived a month ago"
but... I guess those swarms that were caught, thrived.
Similarly - all 7 feral colonies in my village are going strong but the
8th appears to have been poisoned by the householder shortly after being
recolonised this year (presumably by a swarm I missed).
We ended swarm season - I think we have to admit it's over now - with
several bee-less members who were top of the list for the next ones;
unheard of.
I apologize for not being in your inboxes more and not organising Events.
My life is somewhat disrupted by the addition of my aged in-laws to the
household, after they had a series of serious health problems. We squeezed
them in and for a while had a bed downstairs. I feel there should be a joke
here about merging two colonies... This rather cramps opportunities for
meetings here, though Gareth has kindly offered a visit to his apiary (To
Be Arranged). Perhaps someone else can offer a visit to their place eh? Eh?
Eh?
We looked into the Bee Farmer visit but, it Ain't Going to Happen. When we
finally got one on the phone it became clear there is no way they are going
to show strangers where their hives are, especially after the theft of 40
in Oxfordshire last winter.
One thing coming up is, you may recall former member Helen Jukes - we had
several meetings at her house and viewed her TBH, which Jack took over when
she left Oxford. She has written a book about her recent life and how it
was influenced by her beekeeping experiences, *A Honeybee Heart Has Five
Openings* (Scribner UK) which is due to be released in, gosh, under 2
weeks. Jack and I have proofread it and I have to say I really liked it. It
mentions some of us... here's an Amazon link
<http://www.amazon.co.uk/Honeybee-Heart-Has-Five-Openings/dp/1471167712/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1531773525&sr=8-1&keywords=a+honeybee+heart+has+five+openings>,
and you can see an extract here
<http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5954495/How-author-HELEN-JUKES-got-buzz-life-keeping-bees.html?ITO=1490>
.
Andrew recently visited Sutton Courtenay Primary School to show them Bee
Things and a writeup will appear on the blog shortly!
Pip pip!
Paul
On 16 July 2018 at 18:53, Jon Woods <jwoods@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Very quiet !
My bees see happy and busy.
But I never did get a swarm. I read somewhere that swarm numbers were
down 66% on last year....
Sent from my iPhone
On 16 Jul 2018, at 17:41, Will H <whanrott@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
perhaps it's just quiet just now?
On 16/07/18 17:35, Ann Welch (Redacted sender ann_welch for DMARC) wrote:
Just testing Paul as have not received anything from the mailing list for
a while.
Ann
------------------------------
CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE
NOTICE: This message is intended for the use of the individual or entity
to which it is addressed and may contain information that is confidential,
privileged and exempt from disclosure under applicable law. If the reader
of this message is not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that
any printing, copying, dissemination, distribution, disclosure or
forwarding of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have
received this communication in error, please contact the sender immediately
and delete it from your system. Thank You.