We want to start a students income generation program for school support and was just looking in the internet for ideas and came across Warre bee hive. Could you assist us in how we can make this happen. Your design look natural and fairly simple . Thanks
Very informative video! I am curious, could you have put all the 4 boxes at the begining of the season so it is there for when the bees are ready to use it? Instead of adding boxes here and there?
It's actually important to only add boxes as the bees need them. This is because the bees need to keep the hive at a certain temperature and humidity and a larger empty space is harder to maintain. The bees also need to defend that space with guard bees and it's harder to do that if they are spread out and easier for wasps, etc. to get in and not be noticed! It would be awesome if you could just add them all at once but unfortunately not the best plan. Sigh! Thanks for the comment though!
Hello there and thanks for the comment! I think you probably are too late to add an extra box if frost is next week. It's better for the bees to have a smaller space to heat during the winter anyway. Just make sure as soon as nectar/pollen flow begins next spring that you add a box right away if they need it. If they feel crowded they may initiate swarming. Good luck!
Yes they have!!!! I have learned that the hard way more than once. Now as soon as they start on the bottom box I put in another one. Even if it's late in the summer I still do it. I had my feral swarm cast a late swarm in September last year. Unfortunately not likely that swarm survived with such a short time before winter. But, now I know that if it's flying temperatures that I need to think about the amount of space. Then when its October I can remove the bottom box if they haven't started on it. So that way they have less to keep warm in winter. Such a learning curve!
Good info. I wish you also mentioned when you add a new box (which month, what temperature, etc.) Or when do they usually swarm, or when do you take honey (again which month). I am thinking about getting just 1 hive (we are allowed 2 if it is 7 meters from property line, and properties are about 20 meter wide. I am really worried about the regular noise they make but the worst part is the noise and chaos they make when swarming. Don't want the neighbors calling the city all the time. I am planning to just have 1 hive with 3 boxes (never adding a 4th box) so I am sure there will be swarms (if they are not already killed by wasps that is!).
Hello there! I wish there was an exact recipe about when to add new boxes or harvest but it usually comes down to watching the hive. I like to leave them with lots of stores in the winter (at least two boxes) so will take less in fall. Then if the winter has been easy I can take some in the spring. I usually only take one box per hive per year. But, I am in Canada zone 5b so if you have a longer nectar flow you might get more. I wouldn't worry too much about swarming, that's just the bees way to reproduce. If you only want 3 boxes in size, make sure you have a fourth box so you can take one off the top and replace one at the bottom. So, always three boxes tall and extra space for the bees! Thanks for watching!
@@idamandahomestead4221 Great! Thanks for your response. Thanks for the recommendations I am in pacific north west so I might get a week or two more out of flowering season but our fall/winters are damp and sunless but warmer compared to east. The 4th box is a good idea or can I quickly empty the 3rd box and put it back (within a day)? I am not worries about the swarming, I am worries about the misguided, fearful neighbors :)
@@nbeizaie I think that replacing it within a few days would be fine! You can use a bee escape board under the box you want to take off so that way there are fewer bees in there. Then shouldn't even need to use smoke. I hear you about the swarms, most people don't know that bees in a swarm are not aggressive. Sigh, lots of misinformation!
Hi... I got my Warre Hive with Bees yesterday ! 😏 Bees fine after x8 Mile Journey... so no closing up re new home location, in same Region, only a Village away from local Town) Garden Beek I know.... Who needs to give up their Bees ! My Bees now...Warre Newbie on the In's and Out's Woodware Wise. Hence perfect Video to view and learn from. 👍 (Have their 2nd Warre Hive too, but Bees robbed out... so bought the Woodware only !) Can I, if needed, Crack the Upper Boxes off, one by one, add the Under Box, and Re-Stack ? Don't have Lifting Gear, or 'Spare pair of Arms' re Lift up, Over, Back concept wise, crumbs... ! 🤔 Love my Langstroth, then added UK Nationals, and now French Warre ! Yippee. Bees teach us so much. 🤣 What's your way of doing Varroa Treatments ? And come next Spring, do I need to make a Floor with a Mid Hole (using a Wintered Langstroth Nuc) and let the Bees... move Down into a Warre Box below ? Install the Colony that way ? Seems to messy, to take Bars from the Bees in the other, and transfer them as a Starter set ? Or am I missing an easier Trick ! 🙄 Here in Scotland 🏴 we are kind of finishing this years Bee Season... All are making Bees for Winter Physiology (Fat Bodied.) And are all enjoying the last warm days of Autum. 🍁 Hope the Warre makes it through OK, Beekeeper selling it to me, left x2 Boxes full of Honey for the Bees. Boy, Warre is so much heavier than a Super off a Langstroth (!) Hope you can advise a three year Beek, with a Warre of x48hrs ! 🙃 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝 Happy Beekeeping 2022. 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝
Hello there MMB! Congrats on your hive! While it isn't ideal to crack the boxes apart to add a new one to the bottom, you certainly can do it. If you have no help then that is the way to go. Will probably need a little more smoke though. I don't ever treat for Varroa because I have gotten my hives from artificial swarms not nucs so I get a brood break that way. I have never lost a hive because of mites. I think as long as there's a brood break the level never gets too high and the bees can groom them off each other. Lastly, if you are trying to move a hive from a Langstroth to a Warre, you could make a device to link them and the bees can move down to the warre box. Or you could get the queen out and shake a swarm into the warre box. Then they will start a new colony and raise a new queen in the Langstroth. Then you get that brood break. Let me know how it goes! Amanda
Btw, I was watching a documentary on historical skep beekeeping in Germany and the “old-timers” have a unique smoker they hold in their mouths (each exhalation pushed the smoke out kind of like a reverse pipe) but they use the herb tansy, believing it has a truly calming effect. Interesting theory about the use of a herb and if it does indeed not trigger the “my house is on fire” response.
Huh, tansy eh? I will look that up! Would be nice to have a better option for when I do need to open the hives. If I find any good research I will try it out!
You definitely could. A lot of beekeepers like to do this during the day when more bees are foraging and so the population is less. I find early evening works for me. Ask your bees and see which seems to cause less stress!
Ok so I have one know after watching you ok. So where's the queen and where's the excluder to stop her traveling through out the Honey. Haw does she mate... When the entrance is at the bottom
Hello there. You’re right this hive is a little different. It’s a more natural way to raise bees. So, there is no excluder and the queen is free to roam. Generally what happens in a new hive is the queen lays eggs in the top box. When those hatch the workers fill the cells with honey. The queen then continues to lay in cells lower down. That’s why you have to add new boxes to the bottom. Hope that answers your questions, thanks for watching!
Thanks again for another great video on this beekeeping method. I have a few more questions though: 1) do you personally only have 2 warre hives? And if so, are you trying to keep that number or planning on getting more? Just wondering for a small homestead that like you is happy with a bonus of surplus honey and more interested in the bees themselves and their pollinating, what you think is a good number of hives to have. 2) Makes sense adding more space to encourage them not to swarm in the spring but does adding an empty box so late in the season not create too much of a dead air space that takes more energy from them to heat? 3) If you like to leave 2 full boxes for them to overwinter with, how many boxes of honey are you getting in a season then? Just one? 4) At the end of the winter, if they’ve eaten all the honey in the remaining boxes, will they refill them starting in the spring? Loving your channel btw!
@@Alittlepillowcompanyhome hello there, sorry I missed this comment! We only have two hives because that's really what I have space for at the moment. I might add a third if we take out a couple of shrubs at the front. From these two I usually get one box of honey from each hive. So if you get about 4lbs of honey from each bar and 8 bars per box....that's...wait...math....64lbs of honey. More than enough for our needs! As far as when to add boxes, if there is still a nectar flow in the late summer or early fall and they need space I will add it. If they don't use it by mid fall I will take it off again. I rather err for having more space when the flow is on. Don't want them to even THINK about swarming! And yup, they will refill the boxes in the spring. Then you can harvest that one when it's full. Thanks for watching!
That could have been a disaster...thankyou proplis.
Haha! True!
This channel’s great! Love the info and the videos!
Thanks! Have a great day!
We want to start a students income generation program for school support and was just looking in the internet for ideas and came across Warre bee hive. Could you assist us in how we can make this happen. Your design look natural and fairly simple . Thanks
These Warre videos have been a great resource for me in preparing to hopefully having some myself next year. Thanks!
Thanks, I am glad you liked them!
Very informative video! I am curious, could you have put all the 4 boxes at the begining of the season so it is there for when the bees are ready to use it? Instead of adding boxes here and there?
It's actually important to only add boxes as the bees need them. This is because the bees need to keep the hive at a certain temperature and humidity and a larger empty space is harder to maintain. The bees also need to defend that space with guard bees and it's harder to do that if they are spread out and easier for wasps, etc. to get in and not be noticed! It would be awesome if you could just add them all at once but unfortunately not the best plan. Sigh! Thanks for the comment though!
@@idamandahomestead4221 Thank you, and good to know that info.
I live in central Texas . First frost might be next week. My hive is only 8 months old. I wonder if it’s too late to add a new box.
Hello there and thanks for the comment! I think you probably are too late to add an extra box if frost is next week. It's better for the bees to have a smaller space to heat during the winter anyway. Just make sure as soon as nectar/pollen flow begins next spring that you add a box right away if they need it. If they feel crowded they may initiate swarming. Good luck!
From your experience has the bees ever swarmed before filling out the bottom box?
Yes they have!!!! I have learned that the hard way more than once. Now as soon as they start on the bottom box I put in another one. Even if it's late in the summer I still do it. I had my feral swarm cast a late swarm in September last year. Unfortunately not likely that swarm survived with such a short time before winter. But, now I know that if it's flying temperatures that I need to think about the amount of space. Then when its October I can remove the bottom box if they haven't started on it. So that way they have less to keep warm in winter. Such a learning curve!
Good info. I wish you also mentioned when you add a new box (which month, what temperature, etc.) Or when do they usually swarm, or when do you take honey (again which month). I am thinking about getting just 1 hive (we are allowed 2 if it is 7 meters from property line, and properties are about 20 meter wide.
I am really worried about the regular noise they make but the worst part is the noise and chaos they make when swarming. Don't want the neighbors calling the city all the time. I am planning to just have 1 hive with 3 boxes (never adding a 4th box) so I am sure there will be swarms (if they are not already killed by wasps that is!).
Hello there! I wish there was an exact recipe about when to add new boxes or harvest but it usually comes down to watching the hive. I like to leave them with lots of stores in the winter (at least two boxes) so will take less in fall. Then if the winter has been easy I can take some in the spring. I usually only take one box per hive per year. But, I am in Canada zone 5b so if you have a longer nectar flow you might get more. I wouldn't worry too much about swarming, that's just the bees way to reproduce. If you only want 3 boxes in size, make sure you have a fourth box so you can take one off the top and replace one at the bottom. So, always three boxes tall and extra space for the bees! Thanks for watching!
@@idamandahomestead4221 Great! Thanks for your response. Thanks for the recommendations I am in pacific north west so I might get a week or two more out of flowering season but our fall/winters are damp and sunless but warmer compared to east. The 4th box is a good idea or can I quickly empty the 3rd box and put it back (within a day)? I am not worries about the swarming, I am worries about the misguided, fearful neighbors :)
@@nbeizaie I think that replacing it within a few days would be fine! You can use a bee escape board under the box you want to take off so that way there are fewer bees in there. Then shouldn't even need to use smoke. I hear you about the swarms, most people don't know that bees in a swarm are not aggressive. Sigh, lots of misinformation!
It will all come with experience if you lookup the ost queen rearing there is no swarming if done right.
Hi...
I got my Warre Hive with Bees yesterday ! 😏
Bees fine after x8 Mile Journey... so no closing up re new home location, in same Region, only a Village away from local Town) Garden Beek I know.... Who needs to give up their Bees !
My Bees now...Warre Newbie on the In's and Out's Woodware Wise.
Hence perfect Video to view and learn from. 👍
(Have their 2nd Warre Hive too, but Bees robbed out... so bought the Woodware only !)
Can I, if needed, Crack the Upper Boxes off, one by one, add the Under Box, and Re-Stack ? Don't have Lifting Gear, or 'Spare pair of Arms' re Lift up, Over, Back concept wise, crumbs... ! 🤔
Love my Langstroth, then added UK Nationals, and now French Warre !
Yippee. Bees teach us so much. 🤣
What's your way of doing Varroa Treatments ?
And come next Spring, do I need to make a Floor with a Mid Hole (using a Wintered Langstroth Nuc) and let the Bees... move Down into a Warre Box below ? Install the Colony that way ?
Seems to messy, to take Bars from the Bees in the other, and transfer them as a Starter set ?
Or am I missing an easier Trick ! 🙄
Here in Scotland 🏴 we are kind of finishing this years Bee Season...
All are making Bees for Winter Physiology (Fat Bodied.) And are all enjoying the last warm days of Autum. 🍁
Hope the Warre makes it through OK, Beekeeper selling it to me, left x2 Boxes full of Honey for the Bees. Boy, Warre is so much heavier than a Super off a Langstroth (!)
Hope you can advise a three year Beek, with a Warre of x48hrs ! 🙃
🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝
Happy Beekeeping 2022.
🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝
Hello there MMB! Congrats on your hive! While it isn't ideal to crack the boxes apart to add a new one to the bottom, you certainly can do it. If you have no help then that is the way to go. Will probably need a little more smoke though.
I don't ever treat for Varroa because I have gotten my hives from artificial swarms not nucs so I get a brood break that way. I have never lost a hive because of mites. I think as long as there's a brood break the level never gets too high and the bees can groom them off each other.
Lastly, if you are trying to move a hive from a Langstroth to a Warre, you could make a device to link them and the bees can move down to the warre box. Or you could get the queen out and shake a swarm into the warre box. Then they will start a new colony and raise a new queen in the Langstroth. Then you get that brood break.
Let me know how it goes!
Amanda
Btw, I was watching a documentary on historical skep beekeeping in Germany and the “old-timers” have a unique smoker they hold in their mouths (each exhalation pushed the smoke out kind of like a reverse pipe) but they use the herb tansy, believing it has a truly calming effect. Interesting theory about the use of a herb and if it does indeed not trigger the “my house is on fire” response.
Huh, tansy eh? I will look that up! Would be nice to have a better option for when I do need to open the hives. If I find any good research I will try it out!
Oh one other question: any thought as to doing the “box adding” at night when they are less active?
You definitely could. A lot of beekeepers like to do this during the day when more bees are foraging and so the population is less. I find early evening works for me. Ask your bees and see which seems to cause less stress!
Ok so I have one know after watching you ok. So where's the queen and where's the excluder to stop her traveling through out the Honey. Haw does she mate... When the entrance is at the bottom
Hello there. You’re right this hive is a little different. It’s a more natural way to raise bees. So, there is no excluder and the queen is free to roam. Generally what happens in a new hive is the queen lays eggs in the top box. When those hatch the workers fill the cells with honey. The queen then continues to lay in cells lower down. That’s why you have to add new boxes to the bottom. Hope that answers your questions, thanks for watching!
Thanks again for another great video on this beekeeping method. I have a few more questions though:
1) do you personally only have 2 warre hives? And if so, are you trying to keep that number or planning on getting more? Just wondering for a small homestead that like you is happy with a bonus of surplus honey and more interested in the bees themselves and their pollinating, what you think is a good number of hives to have.
2) Makes sense adding more space to encourage them not to swarm in the spring but does adding an empty box so late in the season not create too much of a dead air space that takes more energy from them to heat?
3) If you like to leave 2 full boxes for them to overwinter with, how many boxes of honey are you getting in a season then? Just one?
4) At the end of the winter, if they’ve eaten all the honey in the remaining boxes, will they refill them starting in the spring?
Loving your channel btw!
@@Alittlepillowcompanyhome hello there, sorry I missed this comment! We only have two hives because that's really what I have space for at the moment. I might add a third if we take out a couple of shrubs at the front. From these two I usually get one box of honey from each hive. So if you get about 4lbs of honey from each bar and 8 bars per box....that's...wait...math....64lbs of honey. More than enough for our needs! As far as when to add boxes, if there is still a nectar flow in the late summer or early fall and they need space I will add it. If they don't use it by mid fall I will take it off again. I rather err for having more space when the flow is on. Don't want them to even THINK about swarming! And yup, they will refill the boxes in the spring. Then you can harvest that one when it's full. Thanks for watching!
Do you always make sure there is two full boxes of honey despite what season