My eco solution to rat problems

[daj198]

Has anyone got any experience/advice about WBC hives? From what I've read on various websites, they're good in terms of insulation because of the double layer due to the "lifts" but this can be a pain when inspecting as you have to remove them. Another downside is that they only have space for 10 frames in the brood box compared to 11 in the national.

 

Is there anything else important about WBCs that I should know? Do you think only having 10 frames will be a problem?

 

Thanks

[beesontoast]

You already have a handle on the biggest issues with the WBC - mainly the extra woodwork (more storage, more maintenance, more painting...) and the smaller boxes mean you will almost always have to run a double brood box or at least brood-and-a-half, which causes a lot of extra disturbance for the bees and hassle for you.

 

A friend of mine likes the way they look, so he runs Nationals inside WBC lifts. Why he gives himself all that extra work is beyond me.

 

IOW - they look good in the garden, but have limitations as practical hives.

[Guest]

As beesontoast says really. You can make a brood box for 14 x 12 frames but you will probably need extra lifts for a good productive colony. So might as well put national boxes inside - just not as much clearance.

 

They are not so bad if you only have, say, a couple, and there is plenty of space around each of them - the lifts need space when you remove them and can be useful in that a couple or three can be used to stand the hive boxes across on the diagonal. I don't like brood and a half as you are always worrying if the queen is going to get lost and splitting the brood horizontally always stirs the bees up more than a single brood. OK a strong colony on 14 x 12 can need extra laying space too, at times with some strains.

 

I believe they can be better for wintering (I have wintered smaller colonies in WBCs than Nationals), but the Nationals were not insulated like the WBCs (I packed polystyrene sheets around the brood and super they were on).

 

If you are an ornamental beekeeper they are ideal. For honey production, migratory or queen rearing, they are less satisfactory. I have stopped using mine. I run two Dartingtons (wooden version, not the plastic) in the garden and 14 x 12 Nationals for hedgerows, fields and such-like.

 

I might just use mine this year - I might stand a 14 x 12 nucleus hive inside the lifts for extra insulation. Nuc has a 1/2 super on it as well as a part OMF, so should be OK all winter without further attention, if kept away from draughts.

 

It is also reported that the insulation slows colony development in the springtime - slower than a really well insulated polyhive (warms up from internal heat) and slower than a National which will warm more quickly in the spring sunshine.

 

They do look the part in an ornamental or flower garden. There is no other hive with the charisma of a well decorated WBC.

 

So reiterating beansontoast - workhorse or decoration. Your choice.

 

Regards, RAB

[chickenanne]

I had similar thoughts before getting my hives. I do think they are incredibly pretty, and was tempted despite the drawbacks mentioned above. Small points in addition to the above:

- they tend to be more expensive to buy (more woodwork) but then personally I spend time (and some money) on making my garden and house look nice (to my eyes at least) so the cost difference wasn't a deal-breaker for me.

- they look like everyone's idea of a beehive, so if they can be seen by passers by then they are very likely to realise it's a hive (my hive is not in my garden and frankly could pass, to the un-informed at a distance, for a stack of old boxes!), not always good from a security/hassle factor standpoint.

- they aren't as portable as some other types, so if you wanted to move them (eg for rape, heather, blossom, or because of a poor temperament whilst you were waiting to re-queen or whatever else) that would be more of a pain.