frame direction

[thenovice]

I will throw in a spanner and say it could make a difference in theory. Not that I have tried it. If you are going foundationless, the warm way I have seen them draw out from the middle of the frames and outwards to both ends. I expect that to be different in the cold way where I expect them to draw from the back towards the front. This would mean that the Cold way has more stable comb from the start as they are attached to the corner. Nit picking... I know and probably not even correct.

 

[Finman]

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Our weather seems to go down to -18C. That is cold way.
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[Little John]

It's actually a sensible question, and as such - imo - deserves sensible answers.

This is what CAN happen if foundationless comb is drawn 'cold way' with a solid floor. (With an OMF, sometimes the whole of the bottom two inches or so don't get drawn.)

Plenty of ways of dealing with this - one is to reverse the frame, another is to lift the box up off the floor/away from the entrance (or OMF) by inserting another box (with frames) beneath the box in question - until such time as the comb is fully drawn-out.

Another technique - to avoid the problem at source, and which I'm trying for the first time this year - is by fitting slatted racks to four 8-frame National ('National-Warre') systems I've just built. This is a technique enthusiastically employed by Doc Miller and Killion - but has never really caught on throughout the beekeeping world. Thought I'd give it a try, and see if the extra work involved in building is worth it.

The idea of the uber-wide slat at one end (underneath which is the entrance) is to eliminate any draughts from that entrance. The thinner slats allow maximum ventilation from the OMF positioned directly below them, but again, dissipating any draught by the creation of turbulence.

Don't mind the crap which is talked on here too much - we're coming to the end of winter and many people have become 'stir-crazy' - it happens every year.
LJ

 

[bontbee]

As it doesn't seem to make any difference to the bees, the cold way is more versatile for the beekeeper - you have a choice of two sides to work the hive, rather than just from the back. (Unless you like standing over the entrance!!)

 

[Barbarian]

I prefer to have the frames "warm way" in my National.

If I have a frame of brood which I would like to change ( old, drone cells, badly drawn ) , I place it next to the entrance. The brood is raised but usually the Q does not lay new eggs on this frame.

 

[Finman]

Langstroth has such direction what it has. No need to think.
And i think that no one shoose his hives for frame direction.
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When you have an entrance reducer, it can be cold or warm way. ... Wild open or reduced.

 

[Finman]

If I have a frame of brood which I would like to change ( old, drone cells, badly drawn ) , I place it next to the entrance. The brood is raised but usually the Q does not lay new eggs on this frame.

When I change an old frame from brood box, I let the queen lay it full. Bees eate pollen off. When capped I lift the frame up among honey frames. Bees emerge and frame is filled with honey.

 

[Fusion_power]

The idea of the uber-wide slat at one end (underneath which is the entrance) is to eliminate any draughts from that entrance.

The wide slat at the entrance end is to restrict light coming in the entrance. Bees will draw comb completely to the bottom of a frame so long as it is not exposed to light. I've used Killion bottom boards for 40+ years. They are very useful in hot humid climates.

 

[Hebeegeebee]

It's actually a sensible question, and as such - imo - deserves sensible answers.



Another technique - to avoid the problem at source, and which I'm trying for the first time this year - is by fitting slatted racks to four 8-frame National ('National-Warre') systems I've just built. This is a technique enthusiastically employed by Doc Miller and Killion - but has never really caught on throughout the beekeeping world. Thought I'd give it a try, and see if the extra work involved in building is worth it.


The idea of the uber-wide slat at one end (underneath which is the entrance) is to eliminate any draughts from that entrance. The thinner slats allow maximum ventilation from the OMF positioned directly below them, but again, dissipating any draught by the creation of turbulence.

Don't mind the crap which is talked on here too much - we're coming to the end of winter and many people have become 'stir-crazy' - it happens every year.
LJ

The problem with an 8 frame national is it gets too tall. 3 x 8 frame brood boxes with 7 supers on top is just too tall to make any sense! However an 8 frame box is good for overwintering a nuc.