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When people first take up beekeeping, they seek - not unreasonably - some certainty in what is in reality an imprecise activity, for beekeeping is just as much an art and a craft as a science. And so there often follows a search for 'The' perfect hive, and 'The' best approach to adopt, and so...

Wasn't a criticism of yourself. As if ... Just a 'heads-up' for anyone with a slow connection - and a bit of a dig at those sites which are so unnecessarily 'graphics-heavy'. :) As to the article's content ... I'm not entirely sure what's of value there. It's a good summary I guess of the...

1.5" was popular many years ago, and is still recommended for some hives (Dadant, I think). The 35mm Hoffman frames that just about every supplier sells these days is a compromise between brood spacing and stores spacing - so arguably it's not an ideal spacing for either. Spacing also depends...

BS1300-1960: Total width 18+1/8" 11x 1.5" frames = 16.5" Add 2x 3/4" walls (1.5") = 18" Leaving 1/8" clearance. LJ

Be advised - that the webpage: http://beekeepinglikeagirl.com/is-the-flowhive-bad-for-bees/ contains 25Mb of data - one graphic alone is 8Mb. Somebody clearly needs to learn how to construct efficient webpages ... LJ

It took me ages to find a site which gave me what I wanted: sun vs. rain etc AND the wind strength and direction for several days - all on one page. Then I found: http://www.theweatheroutlook.com Have a look - you'll need to enter your location. I tend to keep it on the '16-day setting', but...

Well, as already pointed out - you clearly know what the issues are here - so is it really down to other beekeepers to make that decision for you ? There is another issue I'd like to comment on. You appear to have only one hive. When that colony swarms, as it most certainly will at some point...

I've just realised - anyone coming across this thread without having read my earlier posts on the subject, wouldn't know the full story. So ... Some considerable time ago, I was intrigued by the Russian 'Alpine' Hive (a Warre variant) which was being successfully employed by commercial Russian...

LJ

Yes - it's absolutely true - which is why most beehives used by 'natural beekeepers' don't provide anywhere near 'natural' conditions. Likewise arranging top-bars at different spacings for brood and stores - this just doesn't happen in nature. The nearest design I've yet found to achieving how...

I hope you're not suggesting that sort of mess is in anyway typical of foundationless beekeeping .... Here's a shot of what happened when I stored some Warre boxes - upside-down - outside, for lack of storage space. Unbeknown to me, a swarm moved in - and with the top bars upside down, there...

I don't know the answer to that particular question, as there's Leylandii hedging around this apiary - but I've placed a sheet of 1"x1.5" wire mesh over a fresh water source (to keep the birds off), and they fly through that ok - albeit with token hesitancy. LJ

Absolutely. The bees get to draw comb to the cell-size they want (rather than what the beekeeper wants), and will draw drone cells as and when they need them, rather than hunting around to draw wild drone comb in any spare nook or cranny they can find. And - foundation is one less thing a...

The combs were only ever 'cold-' or 'warm-' way relative to the entrance. With the advent of OMFs (which are often left fully open), the technique/procedure of changing comb direction became pretty-much irrelevant. LJ

Crack open the boxes a little when you're ready - just enough to show a small gap - then slide a sheet of thick polythene (ex polytunnel type-thickness) over the resident QX. Then, when the magic has happened - slide it out again. Simples. Zero cost. LJ

Lucky beggars ... A brisk and bl##dy cold North wind yesterday over here, and a touch of the 'white grass' this morning: LJ

According to the forecast, we're due for a sharp frost in the wee small hours of tomorrow - so that'll knacker the plums which have just set ... LJ

But a foundation press works by pressing in such 'dimples' - and then around each 'dimple' a raised area is thus created - and it's those raised areas which - as you say - encourages the bees to drawn on them. What I had assumed - from what little knowledge I've gained, in the absence of...

Many thanks for explaining the various 'breeds' of plastic foundation - much appreciated. LJ

Some time before Xmas I set about converting some unused Warre boxes into a form which would take standard National DNx frames - maintaining exactly the same hive volume and comb area as the framed-hive championed by Emile Warre in the 5th Edition of his book 'Beekeeping for All' - the only...