# Compact vertial hives - wintering in Siberia



## GregB (Dec 26, 2017)

Here how the little 300x300 mini hives winter in Siberia.
The owner was not happy about his decision to live them outside - Novosibirsk region, USDA Zone 2.
Better to winter in a shed he says.
This fellow is 100% on these vertical minis - honey, queens, nucs, the whole array of products.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixC5K3PH_E8


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## little_john (Aug 4, 2014)

Good link, Greg. While watchinbg the video I had planned asking you to explain why he was pulling bottom boxes from the stacks during mid-winter - but that became self-evident right at the end - the build-up of ice. Serious conditions ! I think he's right about keeping hives in a bee-shed ...

LJ


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## GregB (Dec 26, 2017)

little_john said:


> Good link, Greg. While watchinbg the video I had planned asking you to explain why he was pulling bottom boxes from the stacks during mid-winter - but that became self-evident right at the end - the build-up of ice. Serious conditions ! I think he's right about keeping hives in a bee-shed ...
> 
> LJ


Not mid-winter, LJ.

It is March; spring in that region and time to start setting the bees into the open.
To most on the West it may look as if mid-winter.

The Siberian summer for production purposes is very short (3 months) and intense (huge flows potentially) - time for the preps has begun if to produce anything worthwhile.

The ice issue - the bees overheated and were melting the snow around them (of course, the melt then froze back solid).
At the very beginning, you should notice (and he commented too) - the snow around the bee stacks was melted away.

So the shed is beneficial NOT because it is warmer (it is some, indeed); but because bees will not melt anything around them and create ice dams.


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## little_john (Aug 4, 2014)

Hi Greg - I had a ferret around the guys playlist and found several videos of how he cleverly makes nuc boxes from rigid foam sheet. Russian guys are so inventive ...
There's also a video there showing the inside of the bee-shed he built onto his workshop - he's got a serious number of hives in there, stacked 2 and 3 deep.

Any idea how high he makes those 300x300 boxes ? They look somewhere around 6" (150mm) to me.

LJ


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## GregB (Dec 26, 2017)

little_john said:


> Hi Greg - I had a ferret around the guys playlist and found several videos of how he cleverly makes nuc boxes from rigid foam sheet. Russian guys are so inventive ...
> There's also a video there showing the inside of the bee-shed he built onto his workshop - he's got a serious number of hives in there, stacked 2 and 3 deep.
> 
> Any idea how high he makes those 300x300 boxes ? They look somewhere around 6" (150mm) to me.
> ...


For this particular model, the standard frame is height is 102 mm.

Because the frame is so small (1-2 kilos of honey max) it can be staple together from any scraps and requires very little strength requirement (and hence can be done light and fragile) - a big deal.
Another big deal - the frame requires no time or effort for any scaffolding (wires, strings... none of that nonsense).
IF you are natural comb runner, it does not even require foundation - just a trivial starter strip - the small size makes running 100% natural comb a non-issue.
We are talking serious savings all way around.

The box height is 135mm I believe.
So the production yard units can run up to 10 boxes high - which is approaching 150*cm* indeed - which is not a big deal since every individual box is equal to 2 Dadant frames in comb coverage/weight - up to 8-10 kilos max.

IF people start saying - wow - so many little frames to flip through..
No one serious and busy enough ever flips through the mini-frames - no need; it is by-the-box management (add a box/remove a box/etc).
The only time you flip through - when looking for a queen - the queen is typically found in one of the brood boxes (the lower boxes) - just look in a targeted fashion.
The brood never goes above the box #5 - naturally - all above is honey (naturally separated) - no QEs are practiced as not necessary.

Just look here for the exact specs:
https://www.google.com/search?q=уле...AUIEigC&biw=1920&bih=938#imgrc=kVvXL_FCRbjzjM


This Siberian guy (Aleksandr Loginov) is a real deal in the 300x300 mini world.
He runs ~50 units (as in winters ~50 units),
He typically winters the units in 3-4 boxes max if in shed; the wintering video has many details demonstrated.
I studied and understood the wintering config for these 300x300 minis - stupid simple and very effective (will not discuss now).

In the summer, the # of course doubles and triples (tons and tons of 1-2-3 mini box nucs - I LOVE this standardization - like I said - a single box/frame, *properly dimensioned*, does it all - from honey to queens and anything in between; ... butches few units for royal jelly production too - that basically kills the colonies as he describes).

He took the ideas of the original inventor of this particular design (this guy, Vladimir Davydov - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkNX2WBDy9g)
.. and took it further.
They have annual beekeeping conferences at his place - mostly around alternative beekeeping (alternative as in different from conventional Dadant/Lang models).

Aleksandr Loginov is a very good presenter (sorry - no English - but skip around and make sense out of the video).
I keep track of him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdm-olIR2g8


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## GregB (Dec 26, 2017)

GregV said:


> For this particular model, the standard frame is height is 102 mm.......


This guy runs his 300x300 variant on a standard shallow Dadant frame (whatever it is - 145mm, I recall), BUT shortened to fit the 300x300 architecture.
(this is the same guy who treats his mites with artemisia essential oil - Ruslan Kobzar - also an original design of his own - a single box/frame for everything and to protect his own injured back MOST IMPORTANTLY).

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=+северо-крымский+улей


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## Thameside Honey (Jul 5, 2021)

I know Alexandr in person, as we are from the same place by birth. - I'm a Russian Siberian myself, has been in the UK for eight years.
Hi helped me to build my first small format hives last winter, consulting me via Watsapp and over the phone.
He has been running the small format over 12 years so far in solo. This year he's got over 120 hives.
He prouses honey, comb honey, proposes, as well as Queens and small format nuc colonies for sale for locals.


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