are yours out playing??

[Poly Hive]

Dear stiffy.

I am not for getting into arguments. I said, and say again this has all been trialled long ago. No I cannot point you at papers. Many papers were pre Web. I was told, and at some point read very old magazines 1900.. odd, where this argument raged. And I mean raged.

It's academic. Was done by academics, and it has been done to death.

I began my comments as a person posted on the strength of 6 hives or so.

I pointed out, politely I thought as (I always try to) not offend.

I agree 1000 colonies is not huge. I would suggest though that if the commercial boys pay it no attention that the wee lads might think twice on the merits of it?

In other words warm way, cold way, is a preference. In reality it makes no odds. Further since OMF it really is of no import.

What does matter? How well a hive works and how many you can get on a lorry. LOL So if you are humphing hives and have the dosh then buy Poly Langstroth. Otherwise buy Poly National.

I do also hope that you are not suggesting that I am stuck in my ways as if there is a better way I am first in the queue. How did I arrive at the way I work? Pretty much by throwing out conventional wisdom (1980's) and following after some expert trail blazers who made their living from their conclusions. I dinna post theories I know what I post just works. It's proven. Might sound big headed but why make mistakes over and over... learn from history the politicians are told and yet we are in Afghanistan... (again)

PH

 

[victor meldrew]

Right on Pete,
I posted some pics a while ago , of some wild comb built into a squirrel box!. the combs were diagonal to the entrance and included 2 or 3 cul-de-sacs .

John Wilkinson

 

[Poly Hive]

Thanks John.

So much rubbish chuntered.

Wild comb is often at 45 degrees.. to their entrance. I could tie that in to poly but will desist... LOL

PH

 

[Stiffy]

Thanks John.

So much rubbish chuntered.

Wild comb is often at 45 degrees.. to their entrance. I could tie that in to poly but will desist... LOL

PH

I didn't know there was an 'argument' brewing just an exchange of ideas, surely this is what the forum is for? Sorry you find some ideas old hat and "rubbish" but many new beekeepers may not have come accross this idea yet?
I for one wouldn't want to impose my ideas on anyone and was just answering a question from another member and gave my observations, rubbish or not.

Some ideas may have been discussed over and over again but this shouldn't exclude them from being discussed again, even if some wise people think there is nothing new to add. May I suggest that rather than a one word answer that some thought goes into a reply and an explanation is given, maybe we could all then learn?


Afghanistan! I have my own views on this, but as this is a bee forum (I think) I will not be discussing politics.

Once again a Merry Christmas to one and all

 

[MJBee]

I'm beginning to regret asking the warm way cold way question
I run Commercial and National hives but over here almost everyone uses Dadant and with Dadant it is cold way only because they are not square
Happy crimble to one and all, remember:-
Keep your words sweet for you may have to eat them. Mike

 

[Poly Hive]

bottom line is it makes no odds esp in la belle France I would have thought.

PH

 

[RoofTops]

At the risk of prolonging this little tiff, the advantage of cold way, which is how, like Dadants, my Langstroths come, is you have two choices where to stand for an inspection. If you have them warm way then you are more or less forced to stand behind the hive. Which is fine but may not be convenient either early in the day or late, when the sun might be in your eyes. With cold way, if the sun is in my eyes I can go the other side and have the light coming over my shoulder, which is best for inspecting combs while still holding them over the hive.

Of course, you can stand anywhere but I find it more convenient to have the frames at right angles to my body.

 

[Stiffy]

At the risk of prolonging this little tiff, the advantage of cold way, which is how, like Dadants, my Langstroths come, is you have two choices where to stand for an inspection. If you have them warm way then you are more or less forced to stand behind the hive. Which is fine but may not be convenient either early in the day or late, when the sun might be in your eyes. With cold way, if the sun is in my eyes I can go the other side and have the light coming over my shoulder, which is best for inspecting combs while still holding them over the hive.

Of course, you can stand anywhere but I find it more convenient to have the frames at right angles to my body.

Tiff what tiff ?
This does prove my point though that if people are put down or dismissed without having a chance to reply there will be tips and tricks that may be missed. There must be many things that people do, probably without thinking, that may help others and the forum is the place to discuss.
Cheers

 

[oliver90owner]

Of course, you can stand anywhere but I find it more convenient to have the frames at right angles to my body.

And if you are unlucky enough to have a hive stand with more than two hives?

Regards, RAB

 

[BKF Admin]

Thanks John.

So much rubbish chuntered.

Wild comb is often at 45 degrees.. to their entrance. I could tie that in to poly but will desist... LOL

PH

If they can bees will draw comb depending on the direction of the magnetic pole.

 

[BKF Admin]

If you have them warm way then you are more or less forced to stand behind the hive. Which is fine but may not be convenient either early in the day or late, when the sun might be in your eyes.

I run all mine warm way as I like to inspect from behind the hive,and like you say,late afternoon I always have to turn my back to the hive to inspect each frame to keep the sun out of my eyes.

 

[RoofTops]

To answer o90o, I often have this when there is a nuc between two hives (as picture below) and to be honest it is a pain. I usually move the nuc onto the ground, which does confuse the returning foragers but allows a quicker and easier inspection than trying to do it in situ.

 

[BKF Admin]

Thats a nice bit of forage in the background Rooftops.

I often do the same and move a Nuc to inspect it,its funny seeing so many foragers after 5 mins trying to work out whats going on,often the hive stand will be covered in bees making a pretty colour from the pollen on thier legs.

 

[oliver90owner]

RoofTops,

Nah, not that. Them what has three or more hives on the single stand!

Regards, RAB

 

[Repwoc]

If they can bees will draw comb depending on the direction of the magnetic pole.

So the difference in behaviour some have observed could be down to the relative alignment with the earth's magnetic field.

 

[Poly Hive]

Yes.

http://www.springerlink.com/content/l07h26606rl7w952/

PH

 

[RoofTops]

o90o, as I said it would be a pain. I've had three hives cross-ways on my portable stands, they fit , but I find it better to add another stand rather than do that as the middle one is difficult to get at and you end up standing too close to the entrance of at least one of the other hives.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Two hives on your stand,facing the same way, cold way, would kind of mess up the moving to the other side of the hive because the sun is in your eyes bit as well,unless you stand on the stand.
Not that it makes much odds,how often do we get sun.

 

[oliver90owner]

RoofTops,

Yeah, I know. That is why all my hives are on their own individual stands. Can't really understand why suppliers advertise hive stands for three hives! That's why I said 'unfortunate enough'!

One needs to remember that, in nature, most bee colonies would not have a 420mm, or more, wide opening and certainly not at 22mm deep all the way across.

We should be discussing frames parallel or perpendicular to the entrance, of course. But not so many might jump in, if that were the case. I like the terms 'warm' and 'cold' ways even if all my hives have the frames parallel to the opening and are on OMFs.

Regards, RAB