Who uses the Rose Hive method ?

[Jimy Dee]

Can any on answer this please - using the rose method do you end up with one narrow long brood area extending over a few boxes rather than a more compact brood area confined to one box as per more traditional beekeeping ?

 

[Madge]

Whether you use the Rose method or just don't use a queen excluder, the likely shape might be like a rugby ball standing upright. But then, as I've described earlier, you can move brood down and honey frames up and change the shape of the brood nest so that it spans over fewer boxes.

 

[Madge]

PS: I think the queen often likes to move up if she has a chance to do so - so capping the brood area with a honey box helps.

 

[masterBK]

I use double brood nationals and have noticed that the shape of the brood nest varies between colonies and this seems to be an inherited factor as sister queens often have the same shape. Some are spherical and others more rugby ball like. However the latter vary with some with a vertical rugby ball shape and others with a horizontal shape. If the vertical shape and you keep them in a single national then loads of pollen put into the 1st super. Presumably the shape used by your strain of bee should where ever possible match the shape and size of the broodchamber you give them or rather vice versa.

 

[Finman]

PS: I think the queen often likes to move up if she has a chance to do so - so capping the brood area with a honey box helps.

When you have too much ventilation, downstairs is cold and brood area tends to move up.

 

[BrianO]

When you have too much ventilation, downstairs is cold and brood area tends to move up.

What is too much ventilation ?

 

[Finman]

What is too much ventilation ?

I follow proper ventilation from amount of ventilating bees on entrance.
I have solid bottoms and entrance reducers and upper flying holes. Normally 2 upper holes are open.

When day is good and there about 5 bees ventilating in entrance, ventilation is good. From this you see that 15 cm x 1 cm entrance is good enough. Then you have a mesh floor, which is 30 cm x 40 cm opening.

From supers I can see that if I have upper entrance open, bees do not store nectar near opening. It tells that Place is too cold.

After main yield I put again an entrance reducer and the queen goes down to lay among pollen stores. So they rear winter bees from pollen what they have stored into lowest box during main flow.

.

 

[andydormer]

Does the book include measurements to make your own?

 

[Finman]

.
Rose method...... A hive without excluder? Lack of excluder should not be a problem.
Too much ventilation or too cold hive is a problem. Too cold means too that the colony has plenty of empty space where the heat escapes.

In spring problem comes (to bees) when you add an empty box over the brood hive. 100% more space to heat at once. And nights are cold.

 

[Madge]

Does the book include measurements to make your own?

Yes, but he uses plywood on two sides.

 

[BrianO]

.
Rose method...... A hive without excluder? Lack of excluder should not be a problem.
Too much ventilation or too cold hive is a problem. Too cold means too that the colony has plenty of empty space where the heat escapes.

In spring problem comes (to bees) when you add an empty box over the brood hive. 100% more space to heat at once. And nights are cold.

Sounds logical, especially in northern climes such as is for us with cold spring and even summer nights.

So.... What to do ??

Like the Rose hive method as in large brood area, unrestricted drone rearing , no QE ,, but with 4 nationals might be to much expense and trouble...

A good compromise perhaps , to limit the disruption and allow me to continue on without having to change frames, hives. To switch to double broods, but presuming with this setup would still need QE .

 

[DulwichGnome]

Sounds logical, especially in northern climes such as is for us with cold spring and even summer nights.

So.... What to do ??

The Rose method is doable with standard boxes, if you can lift a full box of honey and you can extract a standard frame.

It's worth trying in shallows, about 6 will do, just have a 'spare' on the bottom in the spring and be quick to put on others when the flow starts.

Mike.

 

[Ely]

Rose hive dimensions seem fairly sensible. Unfortunate that they are sold in ply.

 

[BrianO]

You say 6 shallows , meaning supers ?

6 stacked at one time to provide abundant space for brooding and then no QE ?

 

[MuswellMetro]

Rose hive dimensions seem fairly sensible. Unfortunate that they are sold in ply.

the thick Pine ends go well in a wood burner though that's once the ply splits and laminates

 

[DulwichGnome]

You say 6 shallows , meaning supers ?

6 stacked at one time to provide abundant space for brooding and then no QE ?

The one colony on shallows (6") over winter on 3 boxes, I replace the bottom one in the spring and add with the flow as discribed for the Rose method. You may need 8 if the flow is good.

Mike

 

[3bees]

The one colony on shallows (6") over winter on 3 boxes, I replace the bottom one in the spring and add with the flow as discribed for the Rose method. You may need 8 if the flow is good

I am hoping to run a few hives using the Rose Method this year. Full brood boxes are just too heavy for me so I intend to use shallows.

I know it this is a 'how long is a piece of string question', in your experience, how quickly do you need to add shallows, during a 'flow?

I have an out apiary so getting the right equipment, to the bees, at the right time can be a headache.

 

[DulwichGnome]

I know it this is a 'how long is a piece of string question', in your experience, how quickly do you need to add shallows, during a 'flow?

In my experience, there are lots of things which will make a differance. The main one is probable the time of the year. However you can put a box underneath to give them some spare room.

Mike.

 

[Obee1]

I'm thinking of trying the rose hive method this year. At the moment I run a double brood box system but will attempt the switch over by inserting a rose box in the middle and then when the brood chamber reaches into the rose box reversing places with the bottom (national) brood box. This way the national brood boxes gradually work their way up the stack until they contain only honey and are harvested. All new boxes added will be rose ones. Reading the book it seems a very good method of bee management. My main concern though is those thin ply walls in the colder months. Am wondering if I could incorporate insulation in or on the outside the of the walls.

Obee

 

[DulwichGnome]

You don't need to use his boxes if you don't want to. I use cut down poly boxes which over winter well.

However the system was developed in Ireland and if they over winter there... You could clad them in kingspan in winter?

Mike.