Many online sources note that the cost of a Warré hive is about one-third to one-fourth the cost of one standard ten frame Langstroth hive 1. Both hive styles can be purchased premade online, or made on site at UBC. Sources for buying pre-assembled hives online can be found here. The typical cost for a four chamber Warré hive is around $195, while a Langstroth hive costs $260 or more. Building a hive, however, costs much less (especially if labour is readily available!). Through personal communication, we spoke with a UBC student and beekeeper who was able to build several Warré hives himself at around $50 each (Nick Treinen, personal communication, 2012). Introductory workshops for Warré hives also only cost $30, and provide materials to build a small hive (Monique Blais, personal communication, 2012).
A picture of a warre hive. Retrieved from https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2745/4349019479_7aaafd108d.jpg
As Gerard (2004) discusses in Building a Better Bee hive, beekeeping with Langstroth hives can become quite expensive. Each hive contains 50 and 70 frames, costing roughly $3 each (totalling $150-210); moreover, these frames don’t last forever. Another costly investment is the centrifuge or extractor used to separate the honey from the honeycomb: this could cost between $300 and several thousand dollars 2. Top-bar hives are a more economical model as they can cost $25 each, or less 2. Honey can also be collected and separated without an expensive centrifuge2. Finally, the Warré hives don’t demand as much labor or time to produce honey as Langstroth hives 2.
Maintenance costs for both Langstroth and Warré hives are not excessive. An inhabited Langstroth hive with its frames is nearly maintenance-free, but labour is required to keep the frames clean in order to prevent moths from infesting the colony 2 .
As mentioned in the social aspect, honey yield tends to be lower in Warré hives; several sources mention a yield around 8 litres of honey per hive 2. This number depends on many variables such as the number of bees, the availability of forage sources… As 1L of honey is about 1.4 Kg, the hive could produce an extra of around 11.2 Kg of honey that can be harvested 3. At a value of 3.746 dollars per pound 4, the potential revenue from honey sales for a Warre hive would be around 90 $. However, derivatives with value added can be sold from the wax produced by the bees such as wax candles and other artifacts 2 .
Back to economic research topics
1.The Bee Space (No Date). Retrieved from: http://thebeespace.net/warre-hive/
2.Gerard, Robert. June 2004. Building a Better Beehive. Retrieved from:
http://www.acresusa.com/toolbox/reprints/June04_beehive.pdf
3.Convert to (No date). Retrieved from: http://convert-to.com/246/honey-amounts-converter.html
4.Canadian Honey Council. (2009). Production and Value of Honey and Maple Products. Retrieved from: http://www.honeycouncil.ca/documents/Honey%20and%20maple%20production%202009.pdf
5. Image retrieved from: http://www.honeyvillecolorado.com/category/pure_beeswax_candles
What a fantastic initiative! U.Bee.C’s alternative hive, particularly the Warré hive, not only offers a more affordable option for beekeepers but also promotes sustainability and accessibility with its lower cost and maintenance requirements.
If you’re interested in furthering your sustainability efforts, you might find this https://jocalendars.com/carbon-footprint-calculator/ useful for assessing your environmental impact.