Doing More With Less: Treatment-Free Beekeeping With The ZEST Hive (and introducing the James Hive)

Рет қаралды 3,334

Ай бұрын

You will find a lot of free stuff on my site at biobees.com including plans for top bar hives.
My books, including The Barefoot Beekeeper and Managing a Top Bar Hive (the workshop manual for balanced beekeeping), are available here - biobees.com/books.php
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Пікірлер: 18

@williamsummers6438 Ай бұрын

I suggest that the blocks where exposed be painted with bitumen paint and the angles set down on mastic. I still prefer the full ZEST, version as simpler to work, but James had a load of wood hives to use up and it does that very well.

@peterbustin3662 Ай бұрын

NIce one Phil, you haven't aged. Keep them coming.

@BarefootBeekeeper Ай бұрын

You should see the portrait of me in the attic...

@ximono 29 күн бұрын

Looks a bit like the standard hives we have in Norway, made of thick insulated XPS. Except we use a mesh floor and a low entrance, but it could easily be adapted to the James system. Interesting design!

@iowalayensbeekeeping Ай бұрын

I tried to fine the light block here in the US but only found what I thought was a commercial producer in Florida but didn't find a supply channel. I'm sticking with Layens for now.

@PaulCoughlin Ай бұрын

Good vudeo of something different.

@BarefootBeekeeper 29 күн бұрын

Glad you liked it!

@honeybeesforsale 29 күн бұрын

Great video!

@Majorme2 Ай бұрын

Thanks…

@BarefootBeekeeper 26 күн бұрын

How I built a ZEST hive video - kzfaq.info/get/bejne/brGSobuht9Gplok.htmlsi=-fMsPHwxOysHkQ17

@Majorme2 Ай бұрын

Wish we could get the supplies for a zest hive here in the US

@BarefootBeekeeper Ай бұрын

I'm thinking that there must be alternative materials that could be used. I have just built a long frame hives using urethane foam insulation board - video coming up soon.

@T.S.Beez01 28 күн бұрын

vino farm in Canada, has a very similar set up to the "James hive" though he uses "Langstroth" hives, brood box is extra deep, made of wood & insulation, rather than "lego blocks" with standard Langstroth supers added for spring & summer.

@Majorme2 Ай бұрын

No mite treatment..how are you achieving this.

@BarefootBeekeeper Ай бұрын

Listen carefully to James: it's all about the humidity.

@ximono 29 күн бұрын

@@BarefootBeekeeperAnd selection for varroa resistance I suppose? James mentioned measuring mite load and mating queens with whatever drones are in the area, so it sounds a bit like what Reinertsen has been doing here in Norway to achieve a highly resistant bee without any treatment. A large/wide gene pool is the key. He calls his bees mongrels too, and while they're not as docile as Buckfasts, they're definitely very nice and manageable (though more variable).

@BarefootBeekeeper 4 күн бұрын

@@ximono neither Bill nor James do any selective breeding, but rely on the apparent effect of the high humidity of the hive to keep mites under control. I have written a full review of Bill's book, including a discussion of the humidity controversy, which should be available soon on my site at biobees.com.