Today's mystery hive

The audience don't look very impressed.

Polyanwood said:

The audience don't look very impressed.

Click to expand...

They keep saying "open the box"... but the boxes are empty?

Hi-rise beehive in Tottenham? - wait for the breeze blocks to start flying...

It's an "Automatic Hive" as used by Oscar Perone in Argentina - complete "leave alone" beekeeping - honey is harvested once a year, apart from that, no interference at all. Apparently large quantities of honey are produced, and they have no disease problems.... In short, the theory is that the large undisturbed brood nest enables the colony to grow to an optimum size, which allows them to become a very large and thriving entity that can deal with anything nature can throw at them in the way of disease, mites etc.
This was being exhibited at the Natural Beekeeping Conference over the weekend, by a couple of people who'd put in a lot of work in translating Perones work, and producing this hive to try out....
There will soon be a Youtube video available of them explaining it all

i wanta see how it looks on the inside

aren't NBKs meant to be all happy, sweetness and light, at one with the world kind of people?

this lot seem as grumpy as a grouping of polystyrene tractor fans.

and not one white floaty dress in sight!

Brosville said:

Apparently large quantities of honey are produced, and they have no disease problems.... In short, the theory is that the large undisturbed brood nest enables the colony to grow to an optimum size, which allows them to become a very large and thriving entity that can deal with anything nature can throw at them in the way of disease, mites etc.

Click to expand...

I wonder whether the Bee Inspector would agree with that sentiment?

I would suggest that it is reasonable that bee inspectors should familiarise themselves with ALL hive types and management techniques - this as far as I know is the first "Automatic Hive" in the country, so it's early days yet as this is really a "prototype" to see if Perone's hive and techniques work in this country - "leading edge" stuff

it's a removable frame hive - no problem for inspecting if needs must surely?

As the video will demonstrate, there are no frames, it is a top bar hive using starter strips only, and as the pinned on labels show, there is a simply vast brood area, with a honey "super" above which are treated as "off limits" to humans.

Link to his website - http://www.oscarperone.com.ar/

Oscar Perone was obviously quite tall, then

drstitson said:

it's a removable frame hive - no problem for inspecting if needs must surely?

Click to expand...

That wouldn't be so bad... it would just be a standard hive with no queen excluder.

Luminos said:

Oscar Perone was obviously quite tall, then

Click to expand...

ex circus stilt walker

Brosville said:

I would suggest that it is reasonable that bee inspectors should familiarise themselves with ALL hive types and management techniques - this as far as I know is the first "Automatic Hive" in the country, so it's early days yet as this is really a "prototype" to see if Perone's hive and techniques work in this country - "leading edge" stuff

Click to expand...

I would suggest it is Mandatory for the inspectors to inspect the contents of the hive particularly the brood (The hands off portion)

VM

At present you may well be correct, but as I said, this is an attempt to find out if they work in this country, I would hope that if they do prove to be as effective as they appear to be in Argentina, that the inspectorate would liase with the users to find ways to satisfy all parties....
My understanding is that they can only insist on an inspection if certain diseases are in the area, and then they should allow the hive's owners to do any disassembly required.

Brosville said:

At present you may well be correct, but as I said, this is an attempt to find out if they work in this country, I would hope that if they do prove to be as effective as they appear to be in Argentina, that the inspectorate would liase with the users to find ways to satisfy all parties....
My understanding is that they can only insist on an inspection if certain diseases are in the area, and then they should allow the hive's owners to do any disassembly required.

Click to expand...

The brood disease incidents in my part of the world are relatively low!
However, (given the density of beekeeping ) the story differs further South ?
If a totally hands off approach were to be trialed in this country ,it would have to be done where the ramifications of any disease out break could be contained, given that the hands off approach would mean the said brood diseases would be advanced and spreading before detection?

VM

I think it's early days yet for the Automatic hive in Europe, the honest answer is that noone knows if they will work as well in this country as they do in Argentina - this is, if you like, a "concept car" to try the concept out in the UK rather than a production model - if they work as well as they are claimed to in Argentina, it would be a case of "what disease? - there isn't any" - time will tell!

My view is that it is one of many brave attempts to find better ways of keeping bees, both in hive design and management techniques, so I'm "awaiting developments" with interest

Brosville said:

I think it's early days yet for the Automatic hive in Europe

Click to expand...

What exactly is automatic about the hive?

Do the supers automatically flush all the bees out, spin, and put the honey in a bucket once a year? Or is it more like collecting maple sap and you just tap into the side?

How often are the brood frames automatically rotated and new ones put in to keep them clean?

Brosville said:

the honest answer is that noone knows if they will work as well in this country as they do in Argentina

Click to expand...

The honest answer is this is nothing new in hive design or bee management.

If you want to be be brave and try what Argentina has - they have AHB in the north, and AHB appears to have less problems with varroa. How about you try and keep them here?