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Thread: Experience Russian beekeeper Vladimir Khomich.

  1. #21
    Senior Member Jon's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by gavin View Post
    And a very welcome one, Fidan. At least your English is good enough for you to recognise it as humour.
    Sorry again Fidan but I can assure you it is friendly!

  2. #22
    Senior Member Mellifera Crofter's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by fidan View Post
    ... Vladimir Khomich my friend. I'm looking for on the Internet beekeepers who use such beehive. On your forum is not found. My question - Does anyone uses the hives? ... Vladimir says about himself on his website. In Russian - http://pchelhom.ucoz.ru/
    In English by Google - http://translate.google.com/translat...hom.ucoz.ru%2F
    Thanks Fidan - your English is just fine (probably better than mine).

    No, I've not seen hives similar to Vladimir's being used in the UK. One-box systems are used. The most well-known one-box hive system is Langstroth all-mediums (frame depth is 6.25" or 157mm and the top bar is 19" or 48.26cm long). (A Langstroth medium box is the same size as a Dadant shallow). Below is one of my Langstroth all-mediums:

    Q. Whitebeam_cr.jpg

    Some of the others include:

    The Rose Hive system - but that's not a popular hive because parts aren't readily available. The Rose hive is almost the same size as a National (the hive that Neil illustrated) but the boxes are shallower than the National brood box and deeper than the National supers.

    A lot more popular than The Rose Hive is the Warré. People often make their own Warré hives. The outside dimensions for a Warré are, I think, 340mm x 340mm and, looking at your friend's website and his plans for The Alpine Hive, I think the Warré is the closest to your friend's hive design but the boxes are deeper. (Anybody - please correct me if I'm wrong! I'm not very good at reading plans. I need to see things in front of me.)

    I'm not surprised that Vladimir's Alpine Hive and the Warré have similar outside dimensions because I notice that Vladimir refers to Roger Delon's climate-stable hive. I tend to think of Roger Delon and Warré as having had very similar aims - am I right? I also agree with them. I think those dimensions are ideal for a healthy colony: as winter progresses, they only need to move higher and higher - they don't have to cross cold frames from left to right to get to their food and, I think, are less likely to suffer from isolation starvation.

    So why don't I have Warré hives .... I still have to make them! Perhaps I will. With my present hives (National and Langstroth) I try as much as possible to compensate by reducing the space with dummy boards.

    However, unlike the Warré, Vladimir's Alpine Hive has the more usual, contemporary design similar to, say, a Langstroth all-medium hive. I found the Langstroth all-mediums difficult and clumsy to handle. I think the boxes are too large. I'm now in the process of changing to Nationals. Looking at Vladimir (is it Vladimir in the video?) manipulating his hives, it seems a lot easier as the boxes are so small and easy to lift. I'm not sure I would like that many boxes in a hive though. Perhaps handling that many boxes might become easier with more experience - I don't know. (I'm starting my fourth year of beekeeping and still think of myself as a novice.)

    I'm pleased you told us about your friend's website. It's fascinating. What about yourself? What hives do you have? And is The Alpine Hive a popular hive in your area?

    Kitta
    Last edited by Mellifera Crofter; 08-01-2013 at 12:55 PM.

  3. #23

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    Hi gavin, Neils, Jon, Kitta .
    Very glad to communicate with you. Nothing prevents understand each other, even my unimportant English.


    Thanks for linking the video, very interesting. I can't say that I recognise the hive type in the video though the principle of using boxes all the same size for brood and honey isn't that unusual but this:
    Thank Neils. These hives have some advantages too. I like the low box.


    is it Vladimir in the video?
    Yes it is.


    Thanks Kitty. Yes you are right. Vladimir hives like hive Warri. Inner dimensions of 300x300 mm. Height of 108 mm. Weight of the box with about 8 kg of honey. Quickly sealed cell. Honey from honey plants are different in different boxes. One box - one nuc.

    (I'm starting my fourth year of beekeeping and still think of myself as a novice.)
    I am too.
    I have a few dadant. And a few hives like Vladimir. They are very comfortable for me. I am in love with this hive. But they are still not popular.

  4. #24
    Senior Member prakel's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by fidan View Post
    I have a few dadant. And a few hives like Vladimir. They are very comfortable for me. I am in love with this hive. But they are still not popular.
    Hi Fidan, how do you find that these little hives compare to your dadants over the course of the year? Myself, I've started to work my dadants differently to how I've previously used them; I now reduce the number of frames in the brood chamber and add a shallow box above as I see a far faster build up if the bees are allowed to move up rather than being forced to work out towards the side walls.

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    I've watched most of the video, it's really interesting. Thank you.

    I quite like the idea, shown near the beginning, of collecting catkins to provide pollen but I'm not so sure about running syrup into an open trough although I can see it would save time.

    I noticed, I think, that these hives don't have crown boards (a board between the colony and the roof).

    Do you, by any chance, know what the blue flowers are at about 15 mins?

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    Fidan,

    How does your year compare to ours? I know Russia covers a large area and there's going to be differences, but we think here of Russian winters being long and cold, do you do anything in particular to insulate hives? When do you start to gear up for spring and make preparation for winter?

    I gather you've had varroa for a lot longer than we have, what's a typical russian treatment plan? Do you se thymol, Formic acid, oxalic acid, something else?

  7. #27

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    Hello all forum users.


    Hi Fidan, how do you find that these little hives compare to your dadants over the course of the year? Myself, I've started to work my dadants differently to how I've previously used them; I now reduce the number of frames in the brood chamber and add a shallow box above as I see a far faster build up if the bees are allowed to move up rather than being forced to work out towards the side walls.

    The size of the hive 300x300 mm cut is more natural for the bees. There is an opinion. But it is questionable. I can say that this keeps the hive easier temperature. This is especially noticeable in the spring.
    Vladimir says that bees can successfully contain any type of hive. But this it is more convenient. I think so too.


    I noticed, I think, that these hives don't have crown boards (a board between the colony and the roof).
    Yes it is.


    Do you, by any chance, know what the blue flowers are at about 15 mins?
    Wow .. I'm like a schoolboy in the exam ..
    Let me know the name. Then I will answer and you will take the exam ...


    do you do anything in particular to insulate hives?
    Someone leaves a hive in their places. Someone takes them omshanik. Pleasant Russian word "omshanik." This is the construction of hives. More often underground. Sometimes half underground. Sometimes the ground. Omshanik gives stability. In November, set the hive in omshanik. In early April, set the hive in its place.

    what's a typical russian treatment plan? Do you se thymol, Formic acid, oxalic acid, something else?
    Yes. The same methods. There are proponents of environmental practices. Adding herbs to the smoker. But I have no such experience. I think that without chemicals is now impossible. BUT we reduce immunity bees. Once for it will have to pay something.

  8. #28
    Senior Member prakel's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by fidan View Post
    I can say that this keeps the hive easier temperature. This is especially noticeable in the spring.
    Vladimir says that bees can successfully contain any type of hive. But this it is more convenient. I think so too.
    I imagine that you're refering to colony build up during the Spring which is basically what I've found by engineering a 'chimney' effect - given the opportunity bees like to go up and down. My own strain of bee is more than capable of filling a 11 comb dadant hive but they're quicker at laying out an equivalent amount of comb spread over a smaller base area. At least, this is what I've observed so far.

    I may still take the plunge (not this year) of changing over to a one size box and allowing the brood nest to take a more vertical format.

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    Quote Originally Posted by fidan View Post
    Do you, by any chance, know what the blue flowers are at about 15 mins?
    Wow .. I'm like a schoolboy in the exam ..
    Let me know the name. Then I will answer and you will take the exam ...
    I'm sorry, I didn't mean my question to sound like a test.

    We saw a lot of these flowers during the summer, when we were in north east Europe. They were busy with bees. I have been trying to find out what they are.

  10. #30
    Senior Member Mellifera Crofter's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bumble View Post
    ... We saw a lot of these flowers during the summer, when we were in north east Europe. They were busy with bees. I have been trying to find out what they are.
    Perhaps somebody can help Fidan with his exam(!), and give Bumble a reply. Here's the flower:

    blue flowers - Fidan 15-19_cr.jpg

    Kitta

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