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Warre Beehives: A Natural Approach to Beekeeping

The Warre beehives, named after its inventor, French monk Abbé Émile Warré, is a unique approach to beekeeping that focuses on simplicity, ease of management, and mimicry of honeybees’ ideal natural environment. This hive design has gained popularity among beekeepers who prioritize natural and hands-off methods.
Key Takeaways:
- Warre hives use top bars instead of frames, allowing bees to build their own comb.
- The design is based on the natural behavior and environment of honeybees.
- Warre hives require minimal maintenance and are cost-effective.
- They promote chemical-free beekeeping and regular comb cycling.
What is a Warre Hive?

A Warre hive is a vertical top bar hive that uses bars instead of frames. These bars often come with a wooden wedge or guide from which the bees build their own comb, just as they would in nature. The Warre hive’s design emphasizes simplicity, ease of management, and the replication of honeybees’ ideal natural surroundings. This approach has been found to be the most hands-off of any hive design, making it a favorite among natural beekeepers.
Why Use a Warre Hive?
Advantages of Warre Hives:
- Hands-off approach: Ideal for beekeepers who prefer minimal intervention.
- Simple management: Managed by the box rather than individual combs.
- Lightweight: Easier to handle and move.
- Natural: Allows bees to build their own comb without chemical-laden foundations.
Warre hives are perfect for beekeepers seeking a low-cost, low-maintenance hive design. With a Warre hive, there’s no need for frequent inspections, expensive honey extractors, or chemical foundations. The management involves adding extra boxes to the bottom (nadiring), ensuring regular comb harvesting and cycling, preventing old comb from accumulating environmental toxins.
Warre Beehives:History of Warre Hives
Abbé Émile Warré developed the Warre hive after over 50 years of research. He studied more than 300 hive designs, from traditional straw skeps to the modern Langstroth hive. Warré’s focus was on simplicity, ease of management, and natural qualities, such as the building of natural comb and the retention of nest scent and heat. He believed in minimal intervention, advocating for hive management only a few times a year, rather than frequent inspections.
General Hive Management
Warre hives are designed for minimal maintenance. The primary management technique involves adding empty boxes to the bottom in the spring and harvesting full honey boxes from the top in the fall. This method ensures a continuous cycle of new comb, promoting a healthier environment for the bees.
Special Features of Bee Built Warre Hives

Bee Built offers Warre hives with unique features that set them apart:
- High-Quality Materials: They use top-quality, FSC® certified lumber, ensuring durability and environmental consciousness.
- Viewing Windows: Allows beekeepers to observe the bees without disturbing them.
- Durable Construction: Rabbet joints and screws provide superior quality.
- Copper Top: An optional feature that improves the hive’s lifespan and appearance.
For more information on Warre hive management, click here.
Warre Beehives: Deep Dive into Management Techniques

Warre beehives, with their unique design and philosophy, require a distinct approach to management. The traditional techniques differ significantly from those of other hives, emphasizing minimal intervention for the health and productivity of the bee colonies.
Warre Beehives:Traditional Management Techniques
The core philosophy behind managing a Warré hive is minimal intervention. Abbé Émile Warré believed that the less a beekeeper interfered with the hive, the stronger and healthier the bee colony would be. Over time, however, this philosophy has been misinterpreted by some to mean that hives should never be disturbed, except for enlarging the hive or harvesting honey.
While Warré did find modern beekeeping methods intrusive and potentially harmful to bees, his primary concern was the frequent inspections and manipulations of the brood chambers in framed hives. He was not against occasional checks but was against very frequent disruptions of the brood chamber.
Problems with Standard Rectangular Hives
The standard rectangular (often referred to as Langstroth) beehive has its set of challenges:
- Temperature Regulation: Adding boxes with dead air space above the brood nest can make it harder for bees to maintain the brood’s temperature during cooler nights.
- Natural Behavior: Bees naturally work downwards, contrary to the popular belief that they prefer working upwards. In standard beekeeping, bees are forced to build upwards, which is not their natural inclination.
- Old Combs: The combs in the deep hive bodies of standard hives become black and contaminated over time, posing health risks to the brood.
Warré’s approach of adding hive bodies under the brood nest addresses these issues, ensuring healthier bee colonies.
Benefits of Warré’s Approach
- Fresh Wax: As bees build downwards, the brood nest moves into freshly constructed wax, ensuring cleaner environments for the bees.
- Temperature Maintenance: Adding boxes below the brood nest doesn’t negatively impact its temperature, ensuring the brood doesn’t get chilled.
- Natural Behavior: This approach aligns with the bees’ natural behavior of building downwards.
In spring, beekeepers typically add two hive bodies between the floor assembly and the existing hive bodies. This early addition prevents potential swarming and ensures the bees have enough space to grow and thrive.
Warre Beehives:Warré’s Book and Techniques
Warré’s book, “Beekeeping For All,” provides comprehensive insights into his beekeeping techniques. However, the book, being translated from French, can be lengthy and sometimes confusing. The essence of Warré’s technique is to prioritize the well-being of the bees, dispelling common myths and misconceptions about his methods.
Advanced Insights into Warre Beekeeping

The Warre hive, named after its inventor Emile Warre, is a vertical top bar hive that is simpler in design and management than other beehive systems. Its design aims to mimic the natural conditions that bees prefer, making it a popular choice among natural beekeepers. Here, we delve deeper into some frequently asked questions about the Warre hive, offering insights that both novice and experienced beekeepers might find valuable.
1. Compatibility with Other Hives:
Warre hive bodies and accessories are designed to specific dimensions. If built to the correct specifications, the parts should be compatible with other Warre hives. The inside dimensions of each box should be approximately 300mm square, and the rebates for the top bars or frames should be at least 1cm x 1cm. The height of a standard Warre hive body is about 210mm.
2. Top Bars vs. Frames:
Traditional Warre hives use only top bars. Emile Warre believed that bee colonies thrived better in top bar hives and that frames could be problematic. However, there are advantages to using frames in Warre hives, and they are available for those who prefer them.
3. Adding Hive Bodies:
There’s a misconception that adding hive bodies to the bottom is challenging. In reality, a Warre hive can be disassembled box by box when adding new boxes to the bottom. Typically, two hive bodies are used during winter, and in spring, after most of the stores are consumed, these can be easily lifted to add new boxes.
4. Hive Lifts:
While some might think a hive lift is necessary, it’s often more cumbersome than helpful. The hive’s weight, especially when filled with honey and bees, makes it stable, and a lift might not be required.
5. Hive Construction Material:
The choice of wood is crucial. Inland red cedar is commonly used for its durability and resistance to pests. It’s similar to western red cedar but has a slightly different appearance due to its growth location.
6. Hive Size:
While starter kits might come with two hive bodies, beekeepers might need more, especially during the colony’s first year. Warre himself mentioned having a hive that was seven boxes high!
7. Hive Orientation:
The orientation of the hive bodies, whether parallel or perpendicular to the entrance, can influence air circulation. If using a screened bottom, airflow won’t be affected by the orientation. However, with a solid floor, positioning the top bars parallel to the entrance can keep the bees warmer.
8. Hive Entrance Size:
There are times, like during honey harvesting or when introducing a new bee colony, when the hive entrance should be reduced to prevent robbing or to provide added security to the new bees.
9. Overheating Concerns:
Overheating can be a concern in hot climates. To prevent this, ensure the hive isn’t overcrowded, adjust the sawdust in the quilt for better ventilation, and avoid obstructing the screened bottom.
10. Feeding New Colonies:
When starting a new colony, feeding is essential. A 2:1 sugar to water ratio is recommended, though some beekeepers use a 1:1 mixture in spring. Monitoring the feeder and ensuring a continuous supply of syrup is crucial for the colony’s growth.