A warm drift is called the placement of frames in the hive parallel to the notch. In this case, the cells of the honeycomb will be directed to the front wall. Most bee houses are designed for cold skidding, when the side strips of the frames are facing towards the entrance slot.
The content of the article
- 1 Advantages and disadvantages
- 2 Basic installation methods
- 2.1 Maratov’s hive with a corner tap
- 3 experience
- 3.1 16 frames and a store
- 3.2 Sunbeds on 20 frames
- 3.3 Swarming
- 3.4 Improved Chaikin Method
- 3.5 Layers and quiet change
Advantages and disadvantages
Using a warm drift has both advantages and obvious disadvantages.
Pros:
- good wintering – fewer bees die (V.A.Nestervodsky, experimenting in the apiary of the Ukrainian Agricultural Academy, noted a 28% decrease in the death of insects in comparison with traditional hives);
- accelerated development in the early spring period – more brood is grown, since the uterus evenly sows the cells, gradually moving deeper into the house, and does not run from one edge of the nest to the other;
- no drafts and maintaining the optimum temperature, which is especially important for young animals;
- accelerated construction of honeycombs – cells are erected immediately over the entire area of artificial foundation and twice as fast (according to the observations of E.K.Eskov in 1981)
- the method has proven itself well when keeping bees in pavilions – there is no need to push the hives into the central aisle, since they can be accessed from the back wall.
Cons:
- difficulties with re-equipment of hives – not every structure can be redone;
- difficulties with rearranging the frames – in some cases, beekeepers change hives to change the type of drift;
- an increase in the swarm mood, if the drift is not changed on time, is observed in the second half of spring and summer;
- poor drying of honey frames during the main bribe.
Interesting fact: The inventor of the frame bee house P.I. Prokopovich practiced precisely the parallel installation of honeycomb frames relative to the tap holes.
Basic installation methods
Typically, beekeepers combine a cold drift with a warm drift using a hive design.
There are two classic ways to do this:
- The holes are motionless – only honeycomb frames are repositioned.
- The holes are mobile and move 90 degrees relative to the honeycomb frames.
The first method can be implemented exclusively in bee houses with a square cross section.… For example, in Dadanov’s hives, which will fit 12 frames by 435 mm with a distance between them (streets) of 12 mm.
Rearranging the framework is a laborious process that only enthusiastic beekeepers can handle. Therefore, this practice is rarely resorted to both in amateur and industrial apiaries.
The second method is used more often, since it is much easier.… To change the type of skid, it is enough to close the front entrance slits and open the side ones. After that, the whole house is turned 90 degrees so that the flying insects can return to their native nest without any problems.
In the Dadanov hives, equipped with a detachable bottom, the hulls turn 90 degrees in the same way, but in relation to the bottom (the lower entrance slot is in the harness here). It will be more difficult with an integral bottom – you will need to install a side tap.
Maratov’s hive with a corner tap
There is another interesting way. It was proposed by Maratov, who in 1929 equipped the bee houses with angular entrances – the slots were not in the center, but strongly shifted to the side.
This imitation of the life of a bee colony in a hollow, when the combs are often at a slight angle to the entrance slot, was called mixed drift.
Such a hive for a warm skid and the experience of working with it is as follows:
- On the front plane of the house, two holes are made (round tap hole). One is placed traditionally – in the center, and the second at the same height, but made offset to the corner.
- In summer, the side (corner) hole is kept closed, realizing a cold skid.
- In the spring, on the contrary, the central hole closes – instead of it, the corner hole opens. In this case, several honeycomb frames located closer to the entrance are on a cold drift. And the rest move to the skid position according to the warm type – they are at an angle to the entrance. This is mixed placement.
Insects do not have any difficulties with orientation in space, since both entrance holes are located close to each other and are in the same plane. There is no need to move the bee house or change the position of the honeycomb frames!
In contrast to the two traditional methods, keeping bees according to Maratov does not require additional labor costs – the drift changes in a matter of minutes simultaneously in all bee houses.
Interesting fact: Under natural conditions, bee colonies living in hollows orient the combs relative to the entrance to the hive according to the strength of the nest. In strong families, this is a cold skid position. In medium-strength honeycombs will be rebuilt at an angle, as in a mixed drift according to Maratov. And in the weak, a drift is practiced according to the warm type.
experience
When drifting on a warm type, the beekeeper saves his time. There are beekeepers who practice the year-round keeping of bees on combs installed parallel to the entrances. They fight the natural dispersal of insects using contradictory methods. And at the same time, many note that more honey is pumped out than with traditional content.
16 frames and a store
Maintenance and care of bees according to the method of V.M. Kovaletsa implies the use of 16-frame hives with one store extension. The extension holds 12 standard-size honeycomb frames (not half frames). This is the best option for a stationary apiary.
The autumn revision here does not require the classical formation of the nest, in which honey and beech honeycombs move. In a warm bee house (that is, with a warm type of drift), you will have to remove only extra honeycomb frames that do not have brood. For this, a dividing board is installed and behind it, just in front of the tap hole, the honeycombs taken from the nest are placed.
Letkovye slits are covered depending on the strength of the nest. The hives are insulated only with mattresses, spread on canvas under the covers.
Forage stocks are four rear full-copper frames and six half-honey-filled frames. In total, up to 25-26 kilograms are required per colony. The beehive frames remain in the same position where the bees themselves placed the “bread”.
Feeding is provided only if necessary. The need for additional food is identified at the end of August when families are examined. After feeding, there is no need to open the nest and check the sealed honey!
During wintering, the club slowly moves back and up. Usually, by the spring revision, up to four stern honeycombs remain intact. These reserves last until the first abundant natural flowering dandelion flowering when shops are set up.
Spring inspection is performed quickly enough. The canvas and boards are lifted from behind. The presence of honey on the fourth honeycomb and brood on the fifth or sixth are checked. If you need to add honeycombs during the development of the family, the club is found where the ceiling is warmer. It is above him that the boards are raised. This method allows you to avoid hypothermia of the bee colony (it occurs in 10-15 minutes).
An important point: Do not install a separating diaphragm, limiting the bee club from the back wall. In this case, the family, during the winter movement, will find itself in the empty gap of the house. The dividing board must always be in the front!
Sunbeds on 20 frames
The 20-frame loungers are suitable for pavilion housing using the warm drift method. The tap hole is located in them on the end wall.
Insects hibernate on ten honeycomb frames. The hives are transferred to the winter house. Additional insulation is not required for bee colonies. On the contrary, it is necessary to increase ventilation by bending the lap back along the entire length of the nest by about 2-3 cm. Beech stocks are in the covering frames – the first, second and tenth. Recommended stocks of honey are from 20 to 25 kilograms for wintering.
Exhibition and revision takes place at the end of March. The hive is divided into two sections by an insulated diaphragm that does not reach the bottom – there is a small passage under it. There will be dryness behind the dividing board.
As the bee colony grows stronger, the workers themselves will begin to penetrate the department with the land. When installing foundation or land, the nest part can be left unopened.
Swarming
Layers are made to avoid swarming. For this, two or three brood frames are selected. The nest is then formed at the back of the house. 7 brood honeycombs and two sushi are left here. One foundation is installed immediately behind the land. One or two honeycomb frames with printed brood at the exit and the maximum possible supply of sushi are placed in front.
The only drawback of such anti-combat measures is the lack of land space. When migrating, honey has to be pumped out often and constantly monitor the presence of a bribe. If there is even a small constant supply of nectar, the bees are busy all the time and do not start swarming.
The rest of the methods of fighting the swarm instinct will be classic:
- nests are always expanded at a faster pace;
- the entrance gaps are opened in time as the bee colonies become stronger;
- all ventilation valves are opened, and insulation and laps are removed with the onset of a warm pore.
Improved Chaikin Method
A hive sunbed on a warm skid according to the modernized Chaikin method is a standard house for 20 honeycomb frames, in which the entrance holes are made from the end side. There are additional vent valves at the top with a diameter of 1,8 mm.
The colony hibernates near the wall opposite the entrance gap. Expansion is made from back to front – dryness and foundation are always substituted from the side of the tap hole. The uterus sows, starting from the honeycomb located closer to the entrance. And fresh honey is stored in the back. When pumping out, it is removed, and the nest is moved back again without changing the position of the honeycomb frames.
The main disadvantages of the method (according to the team .):
- slow warming up of the hive in spring (bees start work later, by noon);
- leaflet security weakened.
Layers and quiet change
If you need to replace the “queen”, do the following:
- sowing together with the uterus is installed from behind, immediately behind the honey reserves;
- the brood of different ages in the front of the nest stimulates the bees to lay queen cells here;
- after the flight of the new “queen”, a quiet change of the queen takes place without the participation of the beekeeper.
Layers are formed in a similar way. The only difference is that before the withdrawal of the new uterus, a deaf diaphragm is installed. The ready-made layering at the discretion of the beekeeper can be transplanted into a new house or combined with the parental family.
The most attractive feature of the warm content is the profit made at the end of the season. When honey is pumped out, the yield will be 25-30% higher than in a traditional “cold” house.
