What are Warre hives?
A Warre hive is a vertical top bar hive that uses bars instead of frames, usually with a wooden wedge or guide on the bars from which the bees build their own comb, just like they do in nature. The Warre (pronounced: WAR-ray) hive is named after its inventor, French monk Abbé Émile Warré.
How do you keep bees in a Warre hive?
Warre hives are meant to be expanded with the nadiring practice, by adding empty boxes to the bottom of the hive. The bees will generally build from the top down, and as their bottom most box becomes 80% full, an empty box can be added underneath. Then, excess honey will be harvested off the top of the hive.
What Colour should bee hives be?
white
In the past, most hives were white. White is especially good in the warmer climates where a light color will reflect a lot of light and a lot of heat. In the cooler climates it’s nice to have a color that will absorb heat, such as green or brown.
How many boxes does a beehive have?
How many brood boxes should you have? The general consensus in most regions of the world is to use either one or two brood boxes. Using three or more means that you are probably doing your bees a disservice. In this case you would be better off splitting the large hive so you can get back to one or two brood boxes.
When can I add another box to a Warre hive?
Ideally, each spring you’ll add two boxes to the bottom of the hive, then take two off the top at the fall honey harvest. If you live in a nectar rich area, you may wish to add two boxes at the spring visit and then super (add a box to the top) during the main honey flow.
How much honey is in a Warre hive?
In the photo below, you can see how much honey comes from just one Warré hive body (about 10 quarts or 25-27lbs.). In most areas, carefully managed hives could easily yield two or three boxes each season.
How much honey is in a Warre box?
As part of the Warre system, the empty boxes are added below in the spring and honey-laden boxes are harvested from the top in the fall. This makes for a relatively simple harvest that can yield a tremendous amount of honey (Each box of honey can weigh between 40-50lbs).
Which is better 8-frame or 10 frame hive?
10-frame beehives are shorter overall and have fewer boxes to work through during inspections. Meanwhile, 8-frame hive boxes are lighter, making them easier to lift, but you will likely need more of them in your hive.
Which way should a beehive face?
Many experienced beekeepers suggest that the entrance of a beehive ideally should face towards the south or to the east. The southern exposure makes sense. During the winter months – at least in the northern hemisphere – the sun sits low on the southern horizon.