French home made hive

[Plenty of honey]

Hi, I just wanted to share this hive with you. Its made my a local french beekeeper, who makes all parts by hand. The over all shape mimics that of the Skep, "or cloche" and each frame is of differing sizes.
According to him the colonie has a more natural shape so it expands better in the spring and by adding another section on top you can see how the bees go up, in a kind of super.
Personally, he admitted extraction was a bit difficult, and i would imagine it would be slow, but for the bees themselves, i imagine its a pretty comfortable environment. The middle frames actually are very similar to the standard "Voirnot"
Overall i was very impressed with this guys work. You need to be a good beekeeper to work this hive!!

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/attachment.php?attachmentid=12372&stc=1&d=1442509169

 

[Honeybeeco]

Thank you for sharing the picture, it's looks very interesting and it's nice to see what other countries are using.

Can you please tell me what material it's made from, as I can't see 100% from the pictures.

Thank you.

 

[Finman]

You need to be a good beekeeper to work this hive!!

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/attachment.php?attachmentid=12372&stc=1&d=1442509169

a good beekeeper would not play with that toy. No one has afford to that. Not even make them.


Langstroth has been nursed 150 years. Bees have accustomed to that formulation. Perhaps they have Langstroth hive genes,

.

 

[dexter's shed]

You need to be a good beekeeper to work this hive!!

I'd say the word was not good but gullible

 

[Madge]

...

Can you please tell me what material it's made from, as I can't see 100% from the pictures. .

I don't know, of course - but it looks heavy and as he'd need a super for that size hive - well ...

It looks like a mortar mix with straw or hemp pieces, so I would guess lime mortar with hemp. Am I right?

 

[Plenty of honey]

I don't know, of course - but it looks heavy and as he'd need a super for that size hive - well ...

It looks like a mortar mix with straw or hemp pieces, so I would guess lime mortar with hemp. Am I right?

Surprisingly its not as heavy as you might imagine and yes its made of compressed ready chopped straw type fiber thats put in to a mould and the result is what you see.
The super is just another body , exactly the same as the base.
I wanted to post two pictures, the second, showing the super in position, but it seems i have used too many bytes in the first one. I will try again.
I dont disagree with Finmans comments, but there are people around who like to play with different ideas.
Isn't That how we got to where we are today???? I think So!
This guy who made these is a delightful character, who believes in not being that duckling, following the one in front, with his nose up the other ones backside!!
He's turned around and looked the other way!!!
I won't ever be making something like this, i dont have time! but its still great to see someones ideas, actually tried out and they did what they said they were going to do and not just talked about it!!!

 

[Michael Palmer]

Cute. I'll have to get a copy and add it to my museum apiary.

 

[Finman]

Cute. I'll have to get a copy and add it to my museum apiary.

Do you have flow hive already there?

Perhaps you should name some room as "future room"

 

[B+.]

Do you have flow hive already there?

Perhaps you should name some room as "future room"

....and a lot of us will have to swallow our words if that ever takes off

 

[Finman]

....and a lot of us will have to swallow our words if that ever takes off

i need not. When I got 100 kg in one month, do you think that it flows through the pipe. What kind of barrel I need behind the hive, when the rippen honey flows via 4 frames.

Do you think that I buy 50 flow frames per hive?

Perhaps you get 15 kg/year via those pipes, but not 100 kg or 150 kg.

.

 

[Michael Palmer]

Do you have flow hive already there?

Perhaps you should name some room as "future room"

What? You think I'm a rich man?

 

[dpearce4]

What? You think I'm a rich man?

you must be your a beekeeper

 

[Madge]

Surprisingly its not as heavy as you might imagine and yes its made of compressed ready chopped straw type fiber thats put in to a mould and the result is what you see. ...

Well, yes - perhaps not so surprising because, as far as I can see, it's mostly chopped straw (or hemp?) with just a coating of mortar (I would guess lime) to act as a binder and that is quite insulating.

Do post the second photo.
Kitta

 

[Madge]

Cute. I'll have to get a copy and add it to my museum apiary.

Are the hives in your museum apiary also occupied with bees? Do you have photos?
Kitta

 

[Michael Palmer]

In my dreams until I retire.

 

[Madge]

In my dreams until I retire.

That's a good place for some apiaries.

 

[Michael Palmer]

Sweet dreams, eh Kitta?

 

[Ely]

I'd say the word was not good but gullible

Those in glass houses...