Thank you john.
In the interest of everyone here, and the reality that many read the last few posts, to see what caused one post or another, let me comment on what I have previously stated in this thread....
True...I do not have a Warre hive.
True...I have observed a Warre and have talked in depth about them.
True...I agree with Warre views on hive scent (Only need to discuss painting queens to figure that out)
True...I agree with warre on trapped heat (I have stated many times my views on trapped heat, and why I think top entrances are bad)
True...I agree with his views on limited hive volume for winter. (and have been beat up many times for expressing my opinion that bees do in fact heat up a hive and seek these benefits in looking for a swarm site, etc.)
True...I think Warre had many positive techniques and observations I agree with. And I think that many could benefit from understanding what Warre was saying. Many of these same points can be used or assimulated into other hive types.
But.... It is also true....
I do not agree that this is the one "true" "natural" way of keeping bees that some aggressively promote. There are many successful beekeepers out there.
I do not agree that opening a hive is as detrimental when it's 90 degrees outside, and one must cringe in fear as you open a hive, thinking great damage is being done.
I do not agree that constant undersupering, although valid in that it should suppress swarming, also can be called natural for this fact alone in defining a warre hive. Feral colonies do not have beekeepers supering ANYTIME, and by doing so, you already are not allowing the bees to supercede the queen as often as they perhaps would, thus not benefitting fully to what nature has shown us.
I do not need to have ten years experience to talk about the principles and observations Warre wrote about. As I said, Warre had many observations I clearly agree with. But he was still a beekeeper, viewing techniques and strategies without SHB, v-mites, and many of todays problems. And this idea of opening the hive one time per year, or damage will happen, is something I will not promote. Warre was a beekeeper, and probably made faults just as many other beekeepers did, and proven years later to be wrong. He was not a God!
I did not want to fight over, or debate about a Warre hive. If I wanted that, I could of gone to another site. I asked here, to get a viewpoint, some input, and some feedback from perhaps those that have warre hives, and are not radical beekeepers who promote one style of beekeeping. If that also involves discussing my view, compared to your view, and debating the points involved, that's what a discussion is all about many times.
I love TBH's. And yet, just yesterday I had a phone discussion with another about the pitfalls and negative aspects of TBH keeping. And that is what I will do with Warre hives also. There are good concepts, and bad, about warre hives. To only promote only the positive, without question, with blinders on, is not what we need. We need honest input across the board. The problem, whether about Warre, smallcell, or anything else, if you talk about both positive and negative aspects of any type beekeeping, your seen as an attacker, not really on a practical side of things, but from a personal standpoint, from those that can only agree with keeping bees one way, without respect or wiggle room to not just acknowledge faults of beekeeping in general, but their favored way of self-annoited and biased ways. (how long was that sentence anyways :-D )
Not sure what misinformation Larry was talking about. He only goes on to mention about keeping different hives, and that with all types of hives and styles of beekeeping, there are pro and cons. Something I have said many times over. So I agree with Larry afterall. But I bet I could not talk about both pro and con issues about Warre hives at a few other sites... maybe when :flyingpig: That's why I love it here. :-D
Anyways, sorry for any ruffled feathers.