Usual to overwinter on 2 BBs; 3 goes between those, perhaps 4 on top a while later to accommodate a spring flow, and 5 under 4 for the main flow. If 6 is needed, it goes on top to save energy.
I run 14 x 12 so overwinter on a single brood box - a well stocked 14 x 12 will usually have enough stores to see them through to spring - indeed, sometimes. I'm taking frames of stores out in spring.
Like this ? -
Here, most just use boxes the size of a national super- both for brood and honey. It's a pretty good OSB system to be fair.I tried OSBs as I liked the idea of just one size of box but a) the box itself is very heavy, b) it takes 12 frames, not 11 so there's no saving of weight there and, so, c) I can't lift them when full of honey!
I use deep nationals as supers to get comb drawn, but have to go the the faff of removing a couple of frames when they're full just to shift them. Nice to have the comb, though
Yes, the Rose box is partly ply and while that may save on production costs, it is a heavy & thermally inefficient material, and bear in mind that ply doesn't last that long. Until someone makes a poly Rose (ie. never) the Abelo 11-frame National brood box is a light, thermally efficient alternative that will last 40+ years.
Maybe he doesn't nadir. If the aim is to give laying space at the base, adding a box in-between or on top will have a similar effect, in that the bottom box will then be lower in the stack, and nectar shifted up.
Tim mentions nadiring as if he is doing it, hope you can access the comments on this link.....
Warrehive does not have movable frames. If it has, then it is propably Langstroth in worldwide.Portuguese reversivel hives (used widely in the south) are run - as I understand it - on a Warre-like system, but in boxes (not dissimilar to nationals in size) with moveable frames. That is to say they generally use a single size of box, no excluder, and under-super.
... So it's clearly viable as a commercial 'method'.
Like @pargyle , I am experimenting - both with a standard Warre, and with foundationless nationals, run on similar principles (and with solid floor, XYZ intrances etc...).
Whilst I've only been running the latter for a couple of years, my initial thoughts are that the bees seem more settled. Swarming is minimal, and Queens are not getting replaced as frequently. Maybe just coincidence.
On the honey quality (from the Warre), whilst I think you'd be hard-pushed to assert it contained beneficial compounds equivalent to Manuka, the fact that the comb has previously been used for brood, and the fact that, when crushed, pollen in any cells bleeds out into the honey in great quantity both mean that the resulting honey I have extracted is super, super rich and aromatic. I've had it described to me as 'honey to the power of ten' and 'honey on steroids'.
Of course, those who choose not to believe me are welcome to opine that it's all bollocks
Lots of warres are ran with frames in Europe to the extent that holtermann and icko carry them as standard stock. Time moves on
Progress
To me progress is 120 kg honey per hive.
From the 5th edition of Warres book, copied from the bio bees website (my highlight):
Yet people have made money with warres, it's the individual that makes it work or not, my point has consistently been that I don't think the warre methodology as promoted by some fans of the system will ever be scalable on a commercial basis but if you give me a box I'll make queens, bees and honey no matter what size or shape the box is.
