Natural Beekeeping International Forum

[What Now?]

We've got 3 boxes on our Warre. Each box has a window. The top to look choka block full. The bottom - nothing at all. Looks to be plenty of busy bees.

Is it time to harvest a small amount of honey? They main question is ..... which box do we take the honey from .... middle or top? When we do take some, we aren't planning on taking a whole box full - some maybe half, and then leave the rest for them for winter.

What do you reckon?

Thanks. Richard.

[catchercradle]

With the Warré the theory is that you always harvest from the top box and add boxes back on form the bottom, though some advocate in northern climes once you are up to two boxes adding at the top as the bees seem more inclined to build comb than move down into a fourth box.

[Dexter's shed]

I am unsure on the dimensions of a warre box, but I bet it's smaller than a national brood box, in which case, I'd be leaving it all for the bees, normal try to leave them a good 40lb to over winter, if theres any left in spring, then pinch some

[Barbara]

When you say "nothing at all" in the bottom box, do you mean no comb or the comb is empty or there is just no honey in the bottom box.

Personally I would be wary of harvesting anything until next year if they only have 2 boxes of brood and stores now. If you are really desperate for a taste of honey though, I would guess a side bar from the top box will be your safest bet to get honey with no brood, but it will probably be a messy job cutting it out and you need to be vigilant for robbing afterwards as a result of any spilled honey.

[What Now?]

This is a great forum. Thanks to you all for such quick and helpful replies.

Barbara - I mean that the bottom box is empty. I put it there about 3 months ago when the only 2 there looked very crowded. Since then they have stayed in the top 2, or the original 2. In the bottom one they haven't even started building any comb .... nowt. They just skip the basement and go straight to the first floor.

I think they swarmed about 6 weeks ago.

Maybe we'll save ourselves a job, and just leave it until spring ..... as Dexters shed suggests.

Thanks folks!

[catchercradle]

If bottom box is empty I would leave it all for them till late spring. I like to keep my warré on four boxes and replace one when I harvest.