Hello everyone, I have recently started spending a lot of time in Switzerland for various projects and wanted to use my store of Warré hives that I was given from my mentor. In anticipation of the new bee season next year, my initial inquiries near Zurich and beyond suggest that the Swiss have no Warré experience at all. In order to start with local some bees/queen for next year, I am thinking of ordering a Mini-Plus and simply zip-tying them to the top bars of the Warré. I have no experience with Mini-Plus though, so if anyone has some better suggestions or can point out some foibles in my plan, I would be extremely appreciative.
Warré in Switzerland
- Thread starter Seburai
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I think it’s a great plan, I cannot imagine how you could make life more difficult for yourself, I hope it’s a retirement plan because you want to be kept busy 
Just a small point, if you hope to use local bees and no one else is using Warre, how’s that going to work ?
Just a small point, if you hope to use local bees and no one else is using Warre, how’s that going to work ?
Boston Bees
Bumblebee
Just order a package of bees and tip them in. In spring of course. Assuming there is a package supplier that will deliver to your area.
Or make life easy for yourself by selling the Warre hives online and buying framed hives.
Or make life easy for yourself by selling the Warre hives online and buying framed hives.
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A “mentor” giving Warré hives away should ring warm bells, no?
Maybe pass them on in a similar fashion?
They might end up in Drew’s shop in Conwy
Maybe pass them on in a similar fashion?
They might end up in Drew’s shop in Conwy
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Use the same hives as the locals use.
Use the Warrés to warm your chalet
As others have suggested – initially at least - stick with the hive type that locals are using. The Apisuisse organisation is the main one, but as I am sure you know CH has associations/groups that represent the various bee interests people have, all should be able to offer you a lot of information.
Hahaha, I love the honesty, and I understand the concern. I should also add that I have been using Dadant and Langstroth for years, and I suspect that my mentor is testing me with the Warré as my next learning chapter. He is 75 now and too frail to really be in the field after a few operations, so as his protégé he wants to pass all his knowledge on to me in any way he can. I committed to being his willing pupil and will try to master everything that he tasks me with. I should add that one positive aspect is that the Warré hives all come with proper wired frames inside them.
My attitude is that every experience is a welcome experience which will further my understanding of my own shortcomings and hopefully bring me yet another micromillimetre closer to understanding the world of bees.
I thank all of you for your thoughts and comments and heartily welcome anything that comes to mind, especially if it furthers the cause of beekeeping and the survival of bees in general.
Keep the thoughts and ideas coming
My attitude is that every experience is a welcome experience which will further my understanding of my own shortcomings and hopefully bring me yet another micromillimetre closer to understanding the world of bees.
I thank all of you for your thoughts and comments and heartily welcome anything that comes to mind, especially if it furthers the cause of beekeeping and the survival of bees in general.
Keep the thoughts and ideas coming
Boston Bees
Bumblebee
Hahaha, I love the honesty, and I understand the concern. I should also add that I have been using Dadant and Langstroth for years, and I suspect that my mentor is testing me with the Warré as my next learning chapter. He is 75 now and too frail to really be in the field after a few operations, so as his protégé he wants to pass all his knowledge on to me in any way he can. I committed to being his willing pupil and will try to master everything that he tasks me with. I should add that one positive aspect is that the Warré hives all come with proper wired frames inside them.
My attitude is that every experience is a welcome experience which will further my understanding of my own shortcomings and hopefully bring me yet another micromillimetre closer to understanding the world of bees.
I thank all of you for your thoughts and comments and heartily welcome anything that comes to mind, especially if it furthers the cause of beekeeping and the survival of bees in general.
Keep the thoughts and ideas coming
Fair enough.
I would populate the Warre in spring with a package or a swarm then.
rolande
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Miniplus to warre works well. Done it several times now. Just get on with it. 
Best trick is to stagger the miniplus frames a little to limit the chance of slabs of comb being built across the ends of the bars as happened here:
Best trick is to stagger the miniplus frames a little to limit the chance of slabs of comb being built across the ends of the bars as happened here:
Superb, that's extremely encouraging, thank you. I love the photos, I am looking forward to stepping into this new realm of methodology (and all the accompanying hiccups that I will be going through).
Much appreciated.
Nirakaro
New Bee
There's an old saying that the only advice that's ever welcome is advice that's been asked for; but it seems that the beekeeping world didn't receive that memo. I don't think the OP was seeking advice on what kind of hives to use.
I have three hives, two horizontal top bar and one Warré. I'm very happy with them, and don't have any desire to use framed hives like I did long ago. A sizeable minority of beekeepers like top bar hives, but I'm very hesitant about posting here because of what seems to be an old guard who are very dismissive of this approach. The world is divided, as they say, into people who know that they're right.
Other forums that I use, for other hobbies, are friendly and accepting of difference: I think there are many regulars here who could take a lesson from that.
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And many users here have that rare trait called a sense of humour
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I have used warres and TBHs.
I then saw the light : and went Langstroth.
The Judean People's Front vs the People's Front for Judea were amateurs compared to beekeepers.
I KNOW I am ALWAYS right .
(Until I am wrong )
To avoid any upset, this is written with tongue in cheek.
But there are reasons why non conventional hives never became universally popular- See the abomination called a National Hive.
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This forum is what it is.
I don’t think we need lessons from other fora.
We like to keep it lightly moderated
You shouldn’t take everything seriously
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No ... I think you are missing something here ...
a) I don't think there is an 'old guard' with fixed ideas or who are dismissive.
b) I'm a bit off the wall with my beekeeping and I've never found (certainly in recent years) anyone being dismissive of my wayward ideas.
The vast majority of people on here do run framed hives of one sort or another but there are a lot who also operate top bars and warres.
This is generally a friendly forum .. advice is given and of course it is given with personal experience - if you post on a public forum you can expect to have a variety of responses - they may not be what you would like to hear but - they are someone else's opinion and you have to accept their validity. As long as posts are not personal or aggressive ... you can take it or leave it.
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bingevader
Field Bee
Is he/she?!
Isn't there?!a) I don't think there is an 'old guard' with fixed ideas or who are dismissive.
The first 5 responses aren't exactly positive (some non-sensical and one from a moderator), even if you try your best to see them as light hearted or tongue in cheek.
I have Warré hives and love them.
Best off looking here:
http://www.bee-friendly.co.ukand going from there, even if you want to keep your hives in a different fashion.
There's a link to a google group too, with members who are very helpful and openminded.
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I must moderate my nonsense then.
bingevader
Field Bee
Easy now, I did separate you out from the nonsense with the addition of the 'and'. However, if the mentor keeps Warré hives, why wouldn't they suggest someone use them?
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I rather think you may be a little prejudiced ...Is he/she?!
Isn't there?!
The first 5 responses aren't exactly positive (some non-sensical and one from a moderator), even if you try your best to see them as light hearted or tongue in cheek.
I have Warré hives and love them.
Best off looking here:
http://www.bee-friendly.co.ukand going from there, even if you want to keep your hives in a different fashion.
There's a link to a google group too, with members who are very helpful and openminded.
I have no issue with anyone using any style of hive but, looking at the OP's circumstances, I rather feel that the first five posts were actually constructive - albeit with a little humour thrown in. If you read the original post and thought about it ... the OP is set on making life difficult for themselves ... plunging into a Warre experience in a country that does not use Warres and seeking advice about grafting frames into a different frame size ... you only have to look at the photos at Post #9 from Rolande to see how well that works !
So ... no I don't think that there is a problem .. the OP responded positively and sensibly to the posts ... so I see nothing wrong. Perception as well as beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
