Taylor's (or Tailor's?) Cottage Hive

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Headnavigator

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I heard mention today of a 'Taylor's Cottage hive', with reference to beekeeping in the 1940s. The name had a familiar ring to it, but I can't find any reference by Googling for it. Wonder if anyone out there can recall such a thing and tell me more?
 
Taylors used to be a beekeeping supplier.


Yes they were local to me, i remember collecting beehives from their factory in Welwyn with my Grand father in the 60's and bringing them home on the steam train on the Welwyn to Dunstable railway ( both factory and railway long since gone)

EH Taylor of Welwyn once the largest beehive maker in england were taken over by EH £hornes,

i think the Cottager hive was a square WBC type hive, not the one mention in the previous post

from memory the hives on the left in this video at the start are cottage hives, squarer than a WBC

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=902k2HzCO4E[/ame]
 
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I have a cottager hive like this one in my care.

cottager1900small.jpg


It has a WBC look about it but is single-walled and takes British Standard frames.

It was in the possession of the family owning my apiary site and belonged to an octogenarian beekeeper in the family, recently deceased. I'm going to bring it back into service for his grandchildren.

G.
 
Muswell I have just sat and watched the first instalment of your video - what a history lesson! Can't wait to work my way through the others, thank you.
 
i tried to find a old catalogue of EH Taylor in my Bee Bits but could only find this pamphlet

Tks for yr trouble, it looks really interesting but afraid I can't read pixelese - any chance of a translation or a bigger scan, pls? :)
 
Some top tips in the first video

especailly the use of the cover cloth on inspection

I have one brood box with those hand cut outs, fits inside a WBC, very snugly, has remnants of paint on outside, but will not line up with a modified National.
It may have had some extra bits around the base at some time. I use it to put DNs and SNs in when working on the hives.
 
Just when I thought we had it sorted: gone back to source and this is the 'Taylor's Cottage hive' that was being referred to:

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/picture.php?albumid=217&pictureid=1374
(sorry, making a hash of getting the picture in the text)

My informant says "The picture of the cottage hive shows how its brood body has a lift above which means that the super has an outer cover. The advantage is that when the super is taken off in the autumn the lift can be turned upside down to provide a second wall for extra winter protection for the brood box." He thinks that the pictures in the forum here show not a cottage hive nor a WBC but a CDB hive, but looking on Dave Cushman's site a CDB hive is something else again! Had no idea there were so many possibilities.
Anyone written a book on the history of hives?
 
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Top post well worth five stars admin. Top video.
I do like the look of that pic Gavin. I am building a few hives at the moment and that has really set me thinking.
I build my floors to a similar design, but don't know why the porch is done the way it is, could be much simpler, as WBC ? Can anyone save me thinking?
bee-smillie
S
 
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Just when I thought we had it sorted: gone back to source and this is the 'Taylor's Cottage hive' that was being referred to:

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/picture.php?albumid=217&pictureid=1374
(sorry, making a hash of getting the picture in the text)

My informant says "The picture of the cottage hive shows how its brood body has a lift above which means that the super has an outer cover. The advantage is that when the super is taken off in the autumn the lift can be turned upside down to provide a second wall for extra winter protection for the brood box." He thinks that the pictures in the forum here show not a cottage hive nor a WBC but a CDB hive, but looking on Dave Cushman's site a CDB hive is something else again! Had no idea there were so many possibilities.
Anyone written a book on the history of hives?

CDB was an irish hive and look more like your picture , never seen one in any english old books

and has the double super, so i think he is wrong

http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/cdbside.html

http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/cdbhive.html
 
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ALIM0013.jpg


This is one of Taylors products of old .Sorry about the flash bounce!


John W>
 
What a beaut! Being nosy and having a look-around, love the teapot! And the honeypots, but especially your teapot. Brings me out in a wicked fit of covetousness!
 

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