I use Danish Polystyrene hives which are 2 inches thick and so -
The objections to rectangular beehives seem to centre on the difference between the warm brood nest and th cold corners of the hive which provide the dreaded varroa parasite a cooler place in which to lurk.
In the well insulated modern poly hive there should be very little heat difference anywhere in the hive.- The pillow used by the eponymous Emile Warre may only be to keep a damp hive drier.
Polystyrene hives do not have a condensation problem - whatever
However there are other factors which beekeepers do not as a rule consider
- The effect of the earth's magnetic field on the direction that the freeform combs are built
- The vibrational quality of a natural freeform comb.
Despite a century of intensive research on the honeybee - the thrust of their investigations, have been and are still, hampered by the very way beehives are set up.
Thanks to the beespace and the imposition of foundation clad frames into hives by the Clerics there was no reason to think otherwise in order to investigate the possiblity of natural combs being used as soundboards.
or the warping out of magnetic alignment of natural comb.
I now wonder if the use of ferrous metal in hives is a good idea any longer?
In a well propolised, hermetically sealed hive it seems to me that the very idea of topbars is also irrelevant.
I have been wondering for some time now if either
- a board with say a dozen or more inch wide perforations in it or even
- woven willow twigs would provide the bees with a "base" upon which to build their combs
In these sad times of Destructive pests [including so-called beekeepers] the least disturbance to a beehive the better.
The weight of the hive found by gently hefting it a little will give some idea of the honey content.- The observation of the bees at the entrance should be a good enough guide to their activity
There is absolutely no need to open a hive at all until the late spring when the day temeperature is over 10'C.
then
Assuming the nest is not in the top box a clearer board should be inserted under it to get the bees out of the honey store. and at the same time a new hive body with well waxed board or latticework is inserted below using a pulley system to quietly lift the hive
