[Mark FrontYardHoney]

I haven't built my Warre boxes and decided to play around this spring with my Langs. I alternated Lang frames with my own top bars to try and guide the bees toward straight comb. It kinda worked. One section the bees decided to build double-depth honey comb off the Lang foundation into the space under the top bar... Interesting. The next top bar was solid with fresh white wax and capped honey... Awesome. The problem was they fastened that comb to the top bars beneath. I thought they bridged it somewhere to the side I couldn't see. So when I lifted the box and the entire comb pulled away from the top bar and flopped on the bars below. Well, that gave me a bit if an early harvest but the question to the group is: How would you try to keep the bees from connecting to the bars below in a true Warre? Especially with bottom supering (nadiring?). Seems like when they are having a good time building comb down they don't wanna stop! Thanks. Mark.

 

[Lostfrog]

I know some folks that use Lang mediums in the Warre fashion, it's just heavier to lift if you harvest by the box. The girls will sometimes connect the bottom of the comb to the next boxes topbars below. It may work for them, but causes problems for us, as you have found out. I doubt there is any way to actually stop them from doing it, heard of some folks greasing the tops of the topbars but without much success. Before you lift the box, run wire or even dental floss slowly and carefully through the box to sever the comb attachments. Go slow so the bees have a chance to get out of the way. Good luck!

 

[Oldtimer]

You cannot stop them from joining the comb. The only reason they would not join it is if they need a bees space for walking to the other side of the comb, or if the hive is just not doing that well. A lang box with much bigger combs is going to be harder to get off without comb collapse, than a warre. You will have to do what Lostfrog suggests.

In Japan they use small hives with boxes not much different size to warres, and they have a tool which is a wire stretched between 2 sticks which serve as the handgrips. They prize the box apart just enough to get the wire in then saw their way through.

One of the reasons frames with bottom bars were invented I guess.

 

[Mark FrontYardHoney]

Thanks. I like the handle idea. Do you guys have this issue in Warre hives too?

 

[Lostfrog]

It happens frequently in a Warre.

 

[Michael Bush]

IF I had a warre' (and I do not) I'd scrape down the tops of the top bars and paint them with FGMO every time I was in the hive. This makes it difficult to attach the comb to the top bars...

 

[Oldtimer]

Ouch! I don't think that would be very nice for the bees!

Warre philosophy is you are not supposed to be "in" the hive very much, other than take honey boxes off or put an empty box underneath.