Warre style Dadant roof.

[Carl]

Hello all,

We recently populated a Dadant with a nuc and all is going very well.

This style hive is new to me as we previously ran Warre and Top bars. With those in mind i have replaced the Dadant roof as i really dislike the idea of a tin roof especially as we had temperatures at over 40 celcius last year.
So i built a Warre roof that now sits on a Warre quilt box over the Hive. So i am a lot happier heading in to summer and it looks a sight better than pressed tin.
The construction is of red cedar sides, white oak pallet strips for the inner roof ( as i have pallets lying about) and a painted ply top cut down from a previous top bar hive roof. I undercoat the ply to seal it and then use a few coats of metal paint for protection. With this i find in the UK the ply did not need any attention for 9 years, so i will see how it goes here.

The second image is original roof with an anti hornet guard fitted, this is off for the first photo as i am making another for a friend and needed it for measurements.

 

[Carl]

A better view of the roof.

 

[Ian123]

Once you have had a flat roof that you can actually stack stuff on you’ll soon realise pitched roofs are the work of satan himself!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Once you have had a flat roof that you can actually stack stuff on you’ll soon realise pitched roofs are the work of satan himself!

may look good as a garden ornament but totally impractical. An apex roof doesn't keep the hive any cooler than a flat one. If you're worried about overheating - put some insulation over the crown board

 

[user 20297]

Hello all,

We recently populated a Dadant with a nuc and all is going very well.

This style hive is new to me as we previously ran Warre and Top bars. With those in mind i have replaced the Dadant roof as i really dislike the idea of a tin roof especially as we had temperatures at over 40 celcius last year.
So i built a Warre roof that now sits on a Warre quilt box over the Hive. So i am a lot happier heading in to summer and it looks a sight better than pressed tin.
The construction is of red cedar sides, white oak pallet strips for the inner roof ( as i have pallets lying about) and a painted ply top cut down from a previous top bar hive roof. I undercoat the ply to seal it and then use a few coats of metal paint for protection. With this i find in the UK the ply did not need any attention for 9 years, so i will see how it goes here.

The second image is original roof with an anti hornet guard fitted, this is off for the first photo as i am making another for a friend and needed it for measurements.

View attachment 36365

View attachment 36364

Hi Carl. It's possible that UK beekeepers might think that you're just fitting a pitched roof for aesthetic reasons. Having looked at a genuine Warre roof and quilt-box setup recently, I can see your logic with this. But from experience, it's a rare beekeeper who sees any advantage with the Warre setup.

 

[JamezF]

Once you have had a flat roof that you can actually stack stuff on you’ll soon realise pitched roofs are the work of satan himself!

As opposed to Dani's UFEs, that are entirely the work of Stan?

James

 

[Ian123]

As opposed to Dani's UFEs, that are entirely the work of Stan?

James

SATSTAN!

 

[Carl]

Interesting thoughts. I can not say i agree that the tin roof is better in any respect.
the Warre roof provides both heat dissipation from the direct sun with the air gap under the sloping eaves and a solid board top on top of a quilt which assist with temperature regulation in summer and insulation in winter with minimal work.
Yes, it also looks better.
i do not agree with using modern insulation materials around the beehive so i prefer the more natural materials you can use in the quilt.
But, we are lucky in that there are many options to choose, for me this is my preference.

 

[Erichalfbee]

As opposed to Dani's UFEs, that are entirely the work of Stan?

James

 

[user 20297]

Interesting thoughts. I can not say i agree that the tin roof is better in any respect.
the Warre roof provides both heat dissipation from the direct sun with the air gap under the sloping eaves and a solid board top on top of a quilt which assist with temperature regulation in summer and insulation in winter with minimal work.
Yes, it also looks better.
i do not agree with using modern insulation materials around the beehive so i prefer the more natural materials you can use in the quilt.
But, we are lucky in that there are many options to choose, for me this is my preference.

I agree, the flat tin roof is not better in all respects. It is a case of the tail wagging the dog when the advantages of a flat roof are said to be that you can place things on it or can use it upturned when parking boxes during an inspection; the hive is there as a home for the bees and its components should be best suited to their needs in their specific location.

Perhaps not everyone appreciates that Warre was advocating a thick layer top insulation and restricted ventilation back in the day when it appears that the UK "normal" was to keep bees very well ventilated and not to worry excessively about the cold in winter.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Perhaps not everyone appreciates that Warre was advocating a thick layer top insulation and restricted ventilation back in the day when it appears that the UK "normal" was to keep bees very well ventilated and not to worry excessively about the cold in winter.

you'd assume wrong - the obsession with ventilation didn't surface until the ramblings of Wedmore in 1947 the top quilt was around long before warree dreamt up his 'people's hive' crown boards with holes didn't appear until the second world war.