Twelve questions on natural beekeeping, Warré hives and Irish bees. No sign-up, no email, no catch. Pick an answer and we will tell you why straight away.
Written by Mike Davies of Boglands Bees, who keeps native Irish black bees in Warré hives at Boglands in Daingean, Co. Offaly.
Book a beekeeping workshop at Boglands Hideaway and you get free lifetime access to all the paid beekeeping courses on the Academy.See the beekeeping workshops or book online.
Want to go deeper? Read Bee Natural, Mike’s book on beekeeping with the Warré hive in Ireland. It is free to read online, chapter by chapter.
1.Who designed the Warré hive?
Émile Warré (1867 to 1951) was a French priest who, by his own account, tried some 350 hives before settling on his design. He described it in L'Apiculture pour Tous.
2.What did Warré call his hive?
He wanted a cheap, simple hive anyone could build and run, so he called it the People's Hive.
3.How many top bars are in each Warré box?
Eight bars at 36 mm centres, in a box 300 mm square and 210 mm deep inside. No frames and no foundation: the bees build their own comb down from the bars.
4.When a Warré colony needs more room, where does the new box go?
This is called nadiring. Bees build downward, so the empty box goes at the bottom and the warm brood nest above is left undisturbed.
5.What fills the quilt box that sits on top of a Warré hive?
The quilt holds dry natural material that insulates the colony and soaks up moisture, so condensation does not drip on the bees.
6.How much do the Boglands Academy introductory courses cost?
All of the Boglands Academy introductory courses are free, including the natural beekeeping Taster and Introduction.
7.Which honey bee is native to Ireland?
Ireland's native bee is the dark European or black bee, Apis mellifera mellifera. It suits our cool, damp climate, and it is what we keep at Boglands.
8.When a colony swarms for the first time in a season, who leaves?
In a prime swarm the old queen leaves with a big share of the workers. The bees left behind raise a new queen from queen cells.
9.About how long does a worker bee live in summer?
Summer workers wear themselves out in roughly six weeks. Bees raised in autumn can live through the winter, for several months.
10.When and where was the varroa mite first confirmed in Ireland?
Varroa was first found in two hives in Co. Sligo in June 1998. Ireland had been one of the last places in the world without it.
11.You think you have spotted an Asian hornet in Ireland. What should you do?
Report it, with a photo if you can, at invasives.ie (the Asian Hornet Reporter). Do not disturb the insect or its nest. Asian hornets prey on honey bees and other pollinators.
12.How can you get the paid Natural Beekeeping online courses free for life?
Book a natural beekeeping workshop at Boglands and you get free lifetime access to all the paid beekeeping courses on Boglands Academy. (Bee Natural is free to read online anyway.)
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Book a beekeeping workshop at Boglands Hideaway and you get free lifetime access to all the paid beekeeping courses on the Academy.See the beekeeping workshops or book online.
Want to go deeper? Read Bee Natural, Mike’s book on beekeeping with the Warré hive in Ireland. It is free to read online, chapter by chapter.
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