So I know this is somewhat late, but I just stumbled upon this thread today. Info about Perone hives:
Tel's got the right idea - the hive is bigger than other types because the idea is that when bees have a large amount of space (280 L Perone says) they can perform at their maximum potential. My husband and I are part of a network of friends who have Perone hives here in southern chile and we also know Oscar Perone personally. About the hives, Prime swarms are ideal, but we've also experimentally transferred nucs and a Langstroth into the hives because out of the 11 occupied hives in our network, only 3 attracted swarms. Our hives are currently going through their first winter, (we've got a northwest USA like climate) though we have friends further north than us around Santiago who are in their third year of using Perone hives with success. (no CCD, no Varroa) The Perone is designed to be non intrusive; that's why there are two parts: the bees' part (for the brood and the hive's reserves) and the beekeeper's part, which is harvested once a year at night by a red light, red, because the bees cannot detect this color. The Perone hive is more of a long-term investment; you usually won't get honey harvests until your second or third season, though some people do have some really incredible yields their first year.
One of the most important things about building a Perone is making sure that you accurately space the top bars so that there's 33 mm from the center of one bar to the center of the next. The bars are 24 mm wide with gaps of 9 mm in between. Perone believes the spacing of the bars is key to temperature control; since the centers of the comb will be closer together (than in other types of hives) the bees can cluster closer together in the winter to generate heat. Another thing Perone utilizes in PermApiculture is the placement of beehives on telluric crosses - points where electromagnetic lines such as Curry or Hartman Lines intersect. There are various beekeepers who believe bees naturally locate their homes at such points because the electromagnetic energy there benefits them and plays a role in their formation. Again, I know some beekeepers who swear that their hives do best when placed on these crosses. Our hives here in Chile are also located at such points.
For pictures, videos, and some more info you can check out www.peronehive.com
or you can go straight to this introductory video that my husband and I made:
Nice to have found this site. Tel, I hope next year you get a swarm for your Perone hive.
