Natural Beekeeping International Forum

[eussrh]

I have recently installed bees into my Perone hive. To keep them from absconding, I installed a divider giving them approximately 1/5 the total space. The divider has gaps around the edges so they can get to a feeder located in the other 4/5 of the space. After they are established, I was planning on removing the divider

https://www.dropbox.com/s/gx72htzf2nm8sba/Hive%20Partitioning.jpg?dl=0

This got me thinking. Why not partition the space? Especially if it will eventually be populated by two or more colonies. From my experience, big colonies tend to swarm in the spring, regardless of how much space they have. Isn't it more natural for them to make their home in a smaller space? I just worry that in the pursuit of "natural beekeeping", we are trying to force them to do something they wouldn't do in nature.

I'm all for leaving the bees alone, but to me that is independent from forcing them to live in a huge mk2 area.

Sorry to ask so many questions, but nobody in my area has tried a Perone hive.

Thanks, Stephen

[mrcadman]

I have found that placing a colony on standard frames with brood and stores from a nuc will stop them absconding. The bees are still in situ after 18 months. Will be opening for first time in September. Will make video.

I just zip tied the frames from the top bars in the 'bee space'.

[AugustC]

Not really sure what you mean by - "forcing them to live in a huge mk2 area". Bees are, or should be free to come and go as they please. My understanding is that the perone hive ideal holds the brood nest as sacrosanct. This is a low to no managment hive system where bees are free to swarm as and when.

In my opinion I think it would be extremely difficult for the bees to manage in such a large space in my region (North Yorkshire, UK) if only because of heat retention. Perhaps it would be possible after a few seasons of a few colonies building sufficient comb in that large space but it's hard to say. A few people down south have had limited success.

Surely the best way for you to ensure you aren't "forcing" the bees to do anything is build the hive and bait it for swarms. If they come then they have chosen that space.

[eussrh]

[eussrh]