The WBC Hive - With Cotswold Bees

[@smartassan]

I like the way that tea and cake are an integral part of beekeeping :-)

[@cotswoldbees]

Tea and cake are essential for any beekeeper. The cakes are always one of the highlights of our courses.

[@smartassan]

@@cotswoldbees I agree completely.

[@beebob1279]

Thank you very much. What a beautiful hive. I run Langstroth in the States. I'm trying to build all the different types of hives that there are as sort of a collection. I'll try to design one that would fit over my boxes. I could also use this instead of tarpaper in winter. Very cool.

[@cotswoldbees]

Sounds like a great idea. There are plans on the internet but you will need to make the lifts quite a bit bigger to go around a Langstroth. I hope it works out well.

[@ME_MeAndMyBees]

Here in Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 I have several Hives. No really a Collection. More of an ongoing interest in different Hives for a Hobby Beekeeper ! 😉 I too love Langstroth (was taught on these.) I have x2 Stacked type. And one which is a Horizontal Hive : made from a Ex sturdy Log Box and a Dead Freeezer Lid ! All clad in thick Planking with a liftable Sloping Metal Roof. It has a Brood Chamber of x 15 Jumbo Deep Frames, a Vertical Queen Excluder, and a Super Area holding x10 Jumbo Deep Frames. You lift the (Lid) Roof and have Inner Planks with Port Holes with Plexiglass (Coasters that Tightbond Glued in.) Means you can Inspect Bee Activity without needing a Bee Veil or Suit. Nice. 👍 I also have several UK National Hives x4 Stacks, and numerous Nucs. Also some French "Warre" Bee Hives. These are also really easy to Work. Smaller Boxes are not so Heavy.* And are really easy to make DIY style. Have them in x5 Stacked Box style with a Sloping Roof. A few Nuc Box versions. And one which I raise Queens in using x2 Boxes and a Demaree Board to nuture Queen Cells in, without the lower Box Queen getting to the Top Box. Demarre uses a Double Mesh Floor with a Gap so Bees can't touch through it. A Board to Slide in, to block off the QMP from the Queen in the Base. With "pending QC's" being made in the Top Box. Do try making some Warre Hives. They are really easy to make. 👀 Eg Scrap Timber Planks. I made mine gluing Lark Lumber (offcuts from a Community Garden "Planter Tubs" : Endless supply of x12 inch Scrap going to waste ! Glued x4 Bits together to make each side of Box. Brood and Super are all same Depth. Usually Top Bars are used. But I wanted Frames to Extract in my Honey Spinner (!) So made my own pre-wired Frames : feeding that Larch into a tiny Table Band Saw. Adding Side Wire Holes. And Clamping all together : at the local Men's "Wood Shop" Community Hub ! . . . Most local Towns have these Volunteer 'drop in' facilities. Mainly 'manned' by Retired Joiners : They gave me lots of help too. And a good Cup of Tea too. 🤭 Warre Hives are smaller and lighter than Langstroth and UK National Hives. So easier for the older Beekeeper * re lifting Supers full of Honey etc. And they over Winter very well. Hope this helps. 😎 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝 Happy Beekeeping 2023 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝 A Web based Bee Store are having a massive Sale discount on WBC's. So as they are nearly/ almost half price (end of Bee Season here) guess they want 'Stock' moved. So fancy having x2 White WBC's in my Cottage Herb Garden. 🤗 WBC's are beyond this Lassie's Wood Working skills. So saving £170 ($230) on each WBC, seems a no Brainer. 👍 Or some Retail Therapy good for the Bees and the Beek. 😄

[@DavidFrat123]

You didn't mention cavity lath- this might help clarify things for beekeepers who've never used a WBC before.

[@davidmcdowell-Rowantree-Honey]

Do you need to add a lift for every super you add?

[@Stephen-kx8fz]

Yes

[@youneskh.9173]

Can you swap the inside boxes to national broodboxes?

[@cotswoldbees]

You can but they are a tight fit.

[@rodneymiddleton9624]

Really like the hive but we do not have that type here in the US. Thanks.

[@cotswoldbees]

They are very pretty.

[@benjamindejonge3624]

Seen wbc in South Africa in aircrete, a lovely idea isn’t