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There is an intersting development here in Sweden is that some beekeepers don't use the box-type hives anymore and instead opts for a "log"-hive, basically an elongated coffin on legs ment to simulate a hollow log. These don't use frames, only thin wooden strips on ledges near the lid, nor do they have any type of seperation of nursery combs from honey combs. Honey production is lower and harvesting is much harder so this style of beekeeping tends to be more hands off. Instead the primary function is using bees as polinators. This can be a great way to start beekeeping with very little investment.

Even easier, and maybe more inpactfull, is to bury small clay pots upside down in your garden with the little hole in the bottom (now top, since the pot is upside down) exposed. If you are lucky bumblebees will move in. There are even colony building bumblebees where I live. Bumblebees are superior polinators as they are more resilient to cold and rain. Where I live the (italian) honeybees stay inside the hive if there is even a chance of rain, while the bumblebees will go out in any weather.

Ah yes, this has gained some appeal in the US as well (we call them top bar hives). I had one for several years and it was really cool how the bees would freestyle their wax comb designs (shape, period, cell size, regularity) since they didn't have the usual constraints of foundation or a frame like you find in a normal hive. Worth experimenting with as a beekeeper - a little harder to do as you said, but also cheaper.

I used top bar hives for a while and now use Warre style, which is sort of a blend of langstroth and top bar. It’s frameless, but in stacked boxes, where you harvest the top box all at once (brood should be at the bottom).

Top bar hives, now I know what words will work when searching. In case you harvested honey, how did you extract it? I hear bare combs are hard to centrifuge as the comb breaks apart. Some people use fruit presses here.

Yes, that's pretty much how you do it. Since there's no frame to mechanically support the comb during centrifuging, you pretty much have to crush the comb and strain the honey from it.

Because of the lack of mechanical support, it can also make working top bar hives difficult in hot summers -- the heat is just enough to soften the wax if it's out too long, and it can really compromise its structure. Makes for a good extra challenge :)

I'd think you'd also have an easy time cutting it up to sell as comb honey.

That style is not very popular here as our honey tend to crystalize and set very quickly. This comes down to what flowers the bees have access to, and what ratio of fructose and glucose sugars those flowers produce. I guess we get more glucose here in the north, but honey from for example accacia flowers stays runny forever. This style of honey is popular with our middle east immigrants, I guess that's what they are used to from home.

We have lots of bumblebees on our property in Norway. We just leave some parts of the garden completely untouched, with a rich variety of wild plants growing, and they’ll move in there and seemingly thrive well.

I've done something similar. At the side of the house I had a patch of around 50m^2 (I think...). Last year in spring I sowed a bunch of wildflower seeds bought from a local garden supplies store. It already bloomed quite nicely last summer but this spring it has already turned into an explosion of colorful flowers.

Also doesn't require much maintenance so far (which was one of the goals for that patch :) ). Before sowing it last spring I had it covered up for the winter with this tarp that still allows water through, after carefully removing all the weeds and plowing it in the fall. This year, as spring was slowing setting on, I removed the bigger pieces of dead material and sowed some extra seeds on bald spots. Still waiting if that is taking hold.

I'm pretty happy with how it turned out so far, as are the (humble)bees, butterflies, ...

This is a great strategy

> If you are lucky bumblebees will move in.

Does this potentially attract other hole-dwelling insects like yellowjackets?

I hang a fake wasp nest in my yard, it keeps wasps away but doesn't impact honeybees. (I recently bought a nice looking wicker one, but used to just hang a brown bag that looked like a nest)

> I hang a fake wasp nest in my yard, it keeps wasps away but doesn't impact honeybees. (I recently bought a nice looking wicker one, but used to just hang a brown bag that looked like a nest)

Thanks! Seems like a reasonable approach. We had thought about doing this, though the only wasps we have around are relatively harmless mud daubers.

Wow, that actually works?!?

Yeah it works for me. 2 years ago I ran the lawnmower over a ground nest (I didn't realize was there) and got stung 15+ times...I did a bunch of research and read that wasps will avoid competition and build their nest at least 100-300ft from the closest large nest. Last year there were no nests that I was aware of in my yard.

Well yes. I'd put a brick over the pot if that happens.

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