In the swing

[mbc]

ICKO sell a mini plus frame based on the same interlocking idea (for the Swienty version I think, but I understand that the top bar length is the same as for Lyson's) -the connection looks better than that on the type currently sold by Park which I always found a little too tight a fit for my own liking.

http://www.icko-apiculture.com/en/ap...mini-plus.html

admittedly not much use if you're buying the Lyson boxes complete with frames but just a heads up that the option is out there.

Tres interesting!
Seems to be advertised for the Lyson miniplus.
Did you ever ascertain if the swienty and lyson miniplus hives are interchangeable?

[drumgerry]

Do you get a Mars bar for earliest laying queen Jon?! Or can anyone beat you with an earlier one?

I think the Mars bar should be reinstated for earliest current year laying queen as opposed to the perfect Draw-wing plot of yesteryear! What do you say Gavin?!

[Jon]

I am sure Pete Little has beaten me by weeks but it is cheating to live in Devon.

[prakel]

Tres interesting!
Seems to be advertised for the Lyson miniplus.
Did you ever ascertain if the swienty and lyson miniplus hives are interchangeable?

Not yet, the Lyson frames are just a little deeper (I've been told) but share the same top bar length. Maybe we could ask Jon to post some close up photos of his new Swienty box with some measurements (hint!) when he's not too busy.

Failing that, I am going to bite the bullet and order in some of the Swienty boxes -I like the fact that the individual components can be purchased separately (I've also heard that the floors -only- of the wooden mini-plus hives which are used quite a lot on the continent are interchangeable with the poly version. They cost pretty much the same as the poly floors).

I reckon I'd be happy to make my own insulated roofs which would save about £5 initial outlay on each hive (almost enough to buy a second brood) if done as a spare-time hobby through the winter, in the meantime a slab of kingspan would work equally well.

[Jon]

The swarm I got into a Payne polynuc in the garden 2 weeks ago is now rehoused on 25 apidea frames in a stack.
It had laid up 4 frames and had brood sealed already and this was added to the top box of another colony minus the bees.

Look at this monster which had the audacity to arrive in my garden.
Now marked and clipped and rehomed with her yellow spawn in the stack.

yellow queen1.jpg yellow queen2.jpg yellow queen3.jpg

Thankfully no sign of a single yellow drone.

[prakel]

Nice looking queen....if you lived in the South of England

[Jon]

I'll post her to you later if you want her!

[prakel]

expect she'll be worn out after stocking several hundred apideas!

[Jon]

Looks like she could fill about 3 brood boxes!

Here is the new home:

apidea stack.jpg

[Mellifera Crofter]

Mine are mostly in mini plus hives, but also apideas, kielers and split national brood boxes, they all work well and I'm looking forwards to seeing how successful they each are. The mini plus were the easiest and cheapest in resources to set up as I'd overwintered a few so just needed to dismantle all the bees and brood from them in to lots of separate units.

I'm confused by the various sites selling 'mini plus' hives. Swienty's mini plus hives don't look like Abelo's mini plus hives. Are the differences just in appearance, and not in function? Which ones are you using, MBC?

Kitta