# first problem i have had with warré



## benji (Dec 27, 2012)

hey every one , i have just started my first warré hive and everything thing has been going great , except due to the fact that my frames are top bar only and have no side bars to the frames the comb is being attatched to the side of the box, ( in future i think i will build with a side bar to the frames to stop this) so far this has been fine as i just loosen it with my hive tool, but being a learner (!) i didnt loosen one properly and 2/3rds of the comb has dropped off to the bottom of the box. if it was just honey comb id take it out but it has brood in it. what should i do ? take it out and let them start again? leave it and will they continue to look after the brood in the fallen comb? lets us know what u thnk !!


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## Maddox65804 (Dec 29, 2011)

Just remove the damaged comb and let them rebuild. It is a minor set back for them unless, or course, the Queen was on the comb that dropped. 

It is very unlikely, they will care for the brood in the dropped comb unless it is very near the nest. And, then they would try to connect it to the nest and make a mess of cross comb. Just take it out.


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## Maryland Beekeeper (Nov 1, 2012)

Fallen comb can be attached to TB's by wrapping with thin cotton string, they will secure it and discard string, hair clips also work.


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## eriklane (Dec 4, 2012)

I read Warre's book. Sound like you just let them attach it, and if you have bars in every box, then you'd simply break off the top box when harvesting. Or you can slice it off with a thin wire thru the gap-but careful about killing bees...I'm not totally finished with the book yet. Sounds very sensible. The goal is not to open the hives. Just let em run and stay ahead of it by adding at the bottom. For what reason do you want to slice off comb from the walls? Just leave it.


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## herbhome (Oct 18, 2015)

I have a tool I made from a long thin screwdriver. I heated and bent the end into an ell shape with it angled slightly. The upper side of the ell is sharpened with a grinder. This allows me to cut the comb loose from the sides without damaging the comb. Sometimes the comb attaches to the top bar beneath it and this requires slightly raising the box to slip the hive tool along the bottom of the comb to break it loose. Honey comb is always tricky and kind of fragile but brood comb is fairly easy.


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## Chuck Jachens (Feb 22, 2016)

Warre Hives are not designed to remove the comb unless your going to harvest honey. I appreciate your enthusiasm and hope you read as much as you can about the management of your warre hive. You can also ask questions on the warre hive section of the forum.


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## lostboy (Feb 20, 2016)

I have not gotten my bees to put in my warre hives, arriving next month but in response to eriklane my state inspector said he needs to remove frames to inspect. I made my topbars with a leg going half way down the depth of the box. I spoke with a warre keeper a county over and she said the inspector made a mess during his inspection with the comb attachment so not opening the hive and letting them run is not an option here. Hopefully my modified frame will make removal easier. But what do I know. Just noticed, this was a 2012 post, back from the dead.


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## deknow (Jul 17, 2006)

The only problem is that the only real significant difference between a Lang and a Warre (at least as far as I can determine), is that a Lang uses side bars and beespace to keep attachments away from the sides.


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## Chuck Jachens (Feb 22, 2016)

Frames are an option, I have seen half frames for mating nucs that the Warre boxes could be sized for.

The inspector part makes it tough with a pure Warre hive. Outside of the management difference between a lang and a Warre hive, the primary differences is the Warre top has the quilt box, pretty peaked roof, and the wall thickness. Warre hive should be 1.5 inches to 2.0 inches thick wood sides. A lang is 5/8 inches to 3/4 inches. 

The thick sides and the quilt are to mimic a tree cavity. The peaked roof provides better ventilation and less heat gain than the flat lang top.

Bottom line is to use frames so you can inspect the individual combs. You will also need to keep on top of cross combing until they get the box drawn out. Let us know how it turns out.


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## herbhome (Oct 18, 2015)

Frere Warre had a good design but he didn't have the plethora of problems we have to deal with today. Inspections are necessary but should always be kept to a minimum no matter what style hive one uses. Also in many states removable comb frames are the law. The laws were passed to force skep hives out of use. Most of what one needs to know with a Warre can be ascertained by looking down between bars and tilting the boxes up one by one and looking underneath. The thing about side bars that concerns me is it can provide a hiding place for SHB or other pests. Not so much in a Langstroth as the bee space will allow bees to chase 'em out.


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## jadebees (May 9, 2013)

herbhome said:


> I have a tool I made from a long thin screwdriver. I heated and bent the end into an ell shape with it angled slightly. The upper side of the ell is sharpened with a grinder. This allows me to cut the comb loose from the sides without damaging the comb. Sometimes the comb attaches to the top bar beneath it and this requires slightly raising the box to slip the hive tool along the bottom of the comb to break it loose. Honey comb is always tricky and kind of fragile but brood comb is fairly easy.


Make this tool, with heavy wire, with a bend on each end. Flatten both, sharpen one to push, one to pull. 5 gal. bucket handle is a good size. If I could post pics with this mobile phone, I would get one on here. It's an old fashioned tool, called a "burr comb tool". The thin section fits between the bars, right against the walls. Any frame is easily removed, even the tricky end ones. They are easy to make with a hammer, & grinder.


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## lostboy (Feb 20, 2016)

I have a hive tool for the warre that came with kit from the warre store, it's suppose to be pretty good, I'll find out soon enough. Deknow, the beek with the warre's lives in Worcester county, she was the one telling me about the inspection, I was given her contact info by Ken, the inspector.


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## woodfloorpete (Mar 23, 2015)

I make full frames for my Warre hive and it is fantastic, no attaching to the sides and I can move comb around. I know it's not in the true spirit of Warre, but I treat it as a small Lang. I use a IPMBB, a quilt box and a Warre style roof. Kinda of a mix and match.


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## Delta Bay (Dec 4, 2009)

If you make one frame per box placed to the outside, this will allow you to remove that comb to make room to work. A ham knife then can be used to detach the remaining combs for inspections. A dummy board on the outside position will also give a working space which would be more inline with the Warre' principle. My feeling is if you're going with frames just use five frame Langstroth equipment.


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## herbhome (Oct 18, 2015)

8-frame medium lang is essentially the same volume as a warre box.


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## woodfloorpete (Mar 23, 2015)

I know this is an older thread Benji that has been revived and i would be curious to hear how you are doing now with Warre or did you switch. One important thing to keep in mind when you are cutting comb away from the box side is to try and cut up instead of down. There is less chance of breakage that way.


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