# Here I go, all in



## lostboy (Feb 20, 2016)

So, new guy here, been reading and learning, talking to local beeks, built two warre hives off plans from biobees that came out decent. Yesterday I ordered two packages of bees from a beekeeper who lives nearby and is the head of the county beekeeping association, they're coming mid April. I also talked with the guy who inspects hives for the state, of course there's no warres in my county but he put me in contact with a woman in the next county that has two warre hives and is making a go of it. His big concern is cross combing, said the other woman is doing a good job but it still happens and it makes a mess of her hive when he inspects. I built two 4 box hives so I'll give it a go, I'm thinking of adding two legs on my top bars like the sweet valley bars to make removal possibly easier but haven't decided for sure, wish me luck.
Tom


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## thehackleguy (Jul 29, 2014)

Tom, Good luck! Just remember to get in them often when they are building comb so you can "fix" anything they start to get off track. While building hives this weekend I decided to change my Warre' design. I really like the Warre' hive for many reasons but one thing I DON'T like is having the combs built to the walls, for me it is because I want to be able to split, find the queen, transfer brood, or do other manipulations as needed. My new Warre' boxes are now 13.75" x 13.75" x 9.5" deep, so they are the same width and depth as a standard Langstroth Deep, having them this size I can use 8 modified frames in my broodnest so I can do the manipulations that I want. 

Have fun!


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## lostboy (Feb 20, 2016)

Thanks for the good wishes, by 8 modified frames you mean warre frames with side legs? It seems like some guys modify their warre's so much to be like langs that they mind as well have a lang. I really like the warre design and the whole reasoning behind it but having to have it inspected with frames being removed can make it's design a drawback. Having said that I'm sure (hoping ) the experience and learning curve will get me through some of these concerns I have. Having someone a phone call away with 3 years of warres under her belt is nice, we'll see how it goes.
Tom


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## thehackleguy (Jul 29, 2014)

Well, it depends on what you feel are the advantages of the Warre' design. I've had many people ask me if they can buy nucs in a Warre' style hive....my answer is no, because I can't reliably find the queen when I want to and make sure she would be in the box I sell to the customer, they could buy a whole hive but that would be in the range of $3-400 and transport of such a hive would be much harder than with one box. Also making spits is hard, you can do box splits but again you won't know which one has the queen for a little bit and you will have a harder time finding/ checking on the new queen. 

I like the vertical nature of the Warre' and I like the quilt box, I overwintered a hive with virtually no stores last year in a Warre' and they had no problem getting to the feed, the cluster was always directly in the center of the box. I also run 8 frame Langs, and I like them also. If I were not planning on offering Warre' hives and nucs I would stick with just one hive.

My frames this year are full frames made with Spehar frame ends. http://www.guerillabeekeepers.com/gbk/content/6-spehar-beekeeping-frames

The other reason to have a Warre' hive is for a garden or hobby hive they look awesome.


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## lostboy (Feb 20, 2016)

I was also first drawn to the warre by how nice it looked, it had character, then more reading found it to be also more natural for the bees with less intensive management, also a plus because April to November my work week could be 70hrs, I'm layed off the rest of the year. I guess it's just the possibility of cross combing and this need for the state inspector to pull frames that has me concerned, I'm sure I'll work it out and it'll end up not being that big of an issue. Thanks


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## jadebees (May 9, 2013)

An old fasioned tool , called a bur comb tool, basically a small blade forged on a heavy wire, will easily separate the comb from the sides of any type hive. It is a neccesity with topbar hives. If I could post photos to this site from this mobile phone I'd do it. I just can't find that upload/post/find file/ button on the site. Perhaps moderator doesnt want too many photos on here? I have several, I make them, and give them to beeks for gifts. But I cant post a single pic here.


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## lostboy (Feb 20, 2016)

I have a hive tool I bought from a warre hive company, supposed to be designed for these hives, kind of a sharpened L shaped on one end , you slide it down between the combs and it slides along the wall cutting free the combs.


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## JConnolly (Feb 21, 2015)

Good luck.

Last summer I decided I'd do some experimentation with a different hive style this year. I decided to go with a Warre. 

I run 8 frame mediums because I'm not keen on wrenching my back any more. I also put a quilt box on my hives last fall and they all made it through the winter and they are booming. Where I live state law requires that frames be removable, so my Warre isn't going to be much different from my 8 mediums, but, I'm going for it anyways.

I can see already I am going to have to make splits, so I am building my Warre this weekend. I'll put it out as an early swarm trap, JIC.

My plan is to use the method shown here in this thread to pre-draw a couple of starter frames of comb in my other hives and then move them to the Warre so that it will hopefully help the bees start straight comb.

Good luck and please keep us posted of your progress.


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## lostboy (Feb 20, 2016)

I've been adding legs to my top bars, hopefully it'll make fame removal a little less traumatic for inspections. Thanks for the link, gotta say the info and help I find on this forum is just great, way better than the $400 a local beek wanted to charge me for mentoring, and I haven't even scratched the surface.


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## jadebees (May 9, 2013)

Thanks for the link, gotta say the info and help I find on this forum is just great, way better than the $400 a local beek wanted to charge me for mentoring, and I haven't even scratched the surface.[/QUOTE]

I thought I was pushing it, by asking the folks I show the ropes to, to help in my tiny beeyard. Free. I guess thats a new profit center for that guy.


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## thehackleguy (Jul 29, 2014)

lostboy said:


> way better than the $400 a local beek wanted to charge me for mentoring, and I haven't even scratched the surface.


WHAT??  :lpf: :scratch:

To bad you are not near me, I just like to chat and hang out in the apiary......I mean I'd do it for $200


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## jbeshearse (Oct 7, 2009)

thehackleguy said:


> WHAT??  :lpf: :scratch:
> 
> To bad you are not near me, I just like to chat and hang out in the apiary......I mean I'd do it for $200


Just remember, if you are lucky, you get what you pay for.


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## Chuck Jachens (Feb 22, 2016)

It would be better to spend $200 on books and a membership to a local bee club. I have found that I can get most of my information free on the internet and just reading what is out there. Granted there is a lot of duplication, but it also gives you an appreciation of the range of possibilities. 

Beekeeping is highly dependent on local conditions. I know someone with 10 plus hives about 6 miles away and doesn't feed or minimumly feeds. I have 4 hives and there is not enough forage to keep them all going. I think 2 hives is the capacity for where I live without heavy feeding mid to late summer.


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## lostboy (Feb 20, 2016)

$200, for a deal like that, I might commute. I have two packages of bees coming and live in a rural area, across the street is a old farm, like late 1700's old, that is still in the original families name but is not being farmed. It's mostly over grown fields , some of them they still hay, no pesticides in use, also I border a power line right of way , tons of golden rod , sumac, honey suckle and the such, and I have a 100 or so acres of woods and wet lands behind my house. Hopefully enough to keep those two hives busy.


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## divermike (Mar 9, 2016)

Lostboy, you and I could be in the exact same boat. I made my Warre's and have ordered my bees, I did modify mine a bit, legs on the bars, windows and a bottom and top screen. Bees coming in April, I would love to compare notes with you.


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## lostboy (Feb 20, 2016)

Sounds like a plan Mike, I'm kind of excited and nervous at the same time about this whole thing. Mostly I'm worried about messing up and losing all my bees although it seems that happens frequently, also I work for a major paving contractor so once I start back to work they own me, sometimes 12hr days with 4hr commutes, time becomes limited. This week I built a ktbhive with some wood I had, based on novascotia bees design, thought another hive just incase things go good would be nice to have and those hive really interest me, I guess we'll see how it goes.


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## Houstonbees (Jul 7, 2014)

Hello lostboy, others. I run several Warre hives here in Houston. I would suggest the book by David Heaf---"Natural Beekeeping with the Warre Hive, A Manual" Also check out the website "Biobees.com" (a website out of England) that has a large group of members that use Warre hives and British "Nationals" (very similar to Langstroth). Biobees website also has a link-over to the original manual written by Abbe Emile Warre(1867-1951), The People's Hive. It'd worth the read for the information in the PDF format.


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## lostboy (Feb 20, 2016)

Thanks for the info, I have David Heaf's book, good info in there. I've also been all through that biobees site, that's where I got my plans plus some of the variations I built into my hives like the sump for the bottoms an the short side legs on my topbars, which will hopefully help with less attachment to the sides for inspections. I also have Les Crowder's book on the ktbh, had the wood and the time, so I built one this week and it looks great. Maybe Ill get some bees into that and be able to compare, two of my kids who have their own homes in rural areas with gardens and chickens have expressed interest in having a hive, we'll see where that goes.


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