WARRE PEOPLE'S HIVE: More comments relating to the article Warre People's hive in Nigeria (BfDJ105) and discussion in BfDJ106

摘要

Gerhard Pape says nine bars in preference to eight. True it can be done, but the bees need a 12 mm space between combs to enable them to pass each other back to back when on adjacent combs. A pupae only needs 6 mm of comb depth to grow and emerge, butthe bees increase this to 12 mm when using it for storing honey, Therefore the width of a whole comb (front and back) is 24 mm when full of honey. So what do the bees need as a minimum? Well a bee space either side of a full comb of 12 mm. The full honey comb is 24 mm. Warre recommends top-bars 24 mm wide and 12 mm apart, which is the minimum the bees need for honeycomb and bee space.