Modern beekeeping is distinguished by the use of bee houses of various designs. Not surprisingly, beginners are puzzled over the question of which hive is the best.
Only experienced beekeepers who have already mastered the basic techniques of keeping bees and have decided on their needs, capabilities, and preferences can finally decide on the choice.
The content of the article
- 1 Where to start your search
- 2 Bee house design
- 3 Vertical houses
- 4 Horizontal houses
- 5 Number of frames and sizes
- 6 Key point of choice
- 6.1 General conclusions on the topic
Where to start your search
The question of choosing a suitable bee house can be roughly divided into two parts:
- which hive is best for bees;
- which hive to choose for a novice beekeeper.
Usually the answers don’t match!
For example, it is well known to beekeepers that multi-hull structures ensure the natural development of bee colonies. For thousands of years, these insects lived in the hollows of trees – their house was vertical.
Accordingly, with the vertical installation of additional buildings, life in the hive comes close to living in nature. Families are strong here, willingly participating in honey harvest and bringing a lot of nectar.
But for beekeepers, such a design is rather a minus. When filled with fresh honey, the body weight is 60 kilograms or more. One person cannot cope with such a load. You will have to resort to someone else’s help or use a lift.
But a beginner does not always have like-minded people in the family, and not everyone succeeds in assembling a home-made lift with their own hands. The factory version costs money, which also may not be available (especially if the apiary is a weekend affair, that is, in essence, another hobby).
Therefore, for a start, it is worth deciding what kind of hives for bees are. And only after reading this information, make any conclusions.
Bee house design
Keeping honey bees in a frame, familiar to modern man, hive dates back to 1851.
This year, the renowned beekeeper Langstroth designed the first frames adapted to be hung inside the hive. This engineering solution made it possible to extract the honeycomb without any problems – a small gap of 0,7-0,8 cm remained between the frames.
The principles of assembling a bee house according to the Langstroth method are the basis for the design of any modern hive. In the same century, other scientists-beekeepers invented a honey extractor (1865), an artificial foundation (1857) and a method of fixing it.
Interesting fact: According to Russian tradition, the authorship of the first frame hive is attributed to Pyotr Prokopovich. Two more well-known beekeepers are also vying for the championship. Among them are Jan Jerjon and August von Berlepsch. Prokopovich proposed an innovative approach to the construction of bee houses in 1814. However, it was Langstroth who received a patent for a similar invention almost 40 years later. Its design has become the most popular and widespread in the world.
Vertical house from Cebro
There are two main types of bee hive designs:
1.Vertical – that is, with the arrangement of nesting combs and half-frames of honey stores (extensions) in several tiers.
The main advantages of such content:
- ease of use – less time is spent on servicing the bee colony than when using other structures;
- more output of marketable honey;
- it is easier to combat swarming (carried out as the number of tiers increases);
- brood is not steamed from stuffiness in summer.
2.The horizontal design implies the expansion of the nests horizontally. New honeycomb frames are gradually being installed in the house.
Main advantages:
- ease of inspection;
- behind a blind partition (diaphragm), you can hold a core or a small cut;
- with abundant honey collection, shops for honey are installed on top.
Vertical houses
Vertical hives (popularly, risers, verticals) are:
Multi-hull – formed from 5-6 separate “floors” or from three buildings and three store extensions. There are 10 honeycomb frames in each section.
More about the multi-body system:
Multihull hives – the secrets of keeping bees
Multihull hives – appearance, design
Double-hull – having two tiers or a body with two extensions. There are designs for 24 and 12 frames.
Dadan-Blatt hives (popularly Dadans, Dadanov hives) are similar in design to two-hull houses. The classic is a house from one building with 12 cell frames and a store extension with twelve half frames. This is exactly what the beekeeper of French origin Charles Dadant developed. There are also constructions for 10 honeycomb frames. Instead of one store, a full-fledged body or 2-3 extensions can be installed on them.
More about Dadanovsky hives: Dadanovsky hive – features, advantages, manufacturing
Comparison of Dadans: Dadan hives for 10 and 12 frames – which is better and why
Beehives Cebro, consisting of a nest with two additional buildings for 10 cells, and two bodies for 5 cells. The nest accommodates 14 frames.
Horizontal houses
Horizontal or single-hull hives (popularly sunbeds) are of several types:
Ukrainian – standard houses for Ukrainian beekeepers, approved at the state level and containing 20 frames.
Houses for standard 24 frames – one of the most common designs.
Houses with rotated frames – that is, having the honeycomb turned 90 degrees to the standard position in the lounger. The size of such a frame is 300 by 453 millimeters.
Houses for 16 frames, consisting of one body and one or two store extensions with 16 semi-frames. They are similar in design to the risers assembled from two bodies with 24 or 12 socket frames.
How to assemble a hive-lounger with your own hands
Number of frames and sizes
The number of frames in one hive, as can be seen from the description above, directly depends on the size of the bee hive, that is, on its design and configuration.
Below are the sizes of frames, half frames and their number with a complete set of houses.
Multi-body standard:
- external dimensions of each case – 496 mm (sidewall length), 445 mm (front and rear wall length), 250 mm (height);
- frame dimensions – 435 by 230;
- the number of honeycombs – 10 pieces, only 50-60 frames (5-6 cases).
Double-hull (more often found on 12 honeycomb frames):
- external dimensions of the cases – 530 mm (length of sidewalls, front and rear walls), 370 mm (height);
- frame dimensions – 435 by 300;
- dimensions of half frames – 435 by 145;
- the number of honeycombs – 12 or 24 nested, 12 or 24 half frames;
- the number of honeycombs with two extensions – 12 or 24 nested, 24 or 48 half frames.
Dadanovski:
- external dimensions of the cases – 530 mm (length of sidewalls, front and rear), 370 mm (height);
- frame dimensions – 435 by 300;
- dimensions of half frames – 435 by 145;
- the number of honeycombs – 10 or 12 nesting honeycomb frames, 10-12 or 20-24, 30-36 half frames; or two cases for 20-24 nest honeycomb frames.
Cebro:
- body (at the base) – 640 by 722 mm;
- frame dimensions – 435 x 300;
- the number of honeycombs – 14 nesting and 30 frames in extensions.
In the picture: 1 – socket, 2 – sections for 10 frames, 3 – sections for 5 frames.
Ukrainian sun loungers:
- body dimensions – 830 length, 440 width, 600 mm height;
- dimensions of a standard frame – 435 by 300;
- number of honeycombs – 20 pieces.
At 24 sotoramki:
- external dimensions of the body – 870 lengths, 530 widths;
- frame dimensions – 435 by 300;
- number of cells – 24.
At 16 sotoramok:
- internal dimensions of the case – 615 x 450 x 330 mm;
- frame dimensions – 435 by 300;
- dimensions of half frames – 435 by 145;
- the number of honeycombs – 16 nesting, 16 or 32 semi-frames.
Key point of choice
The question of which hive to choose cannot be answered unequivocally. Much depends here:
- on the physical capabilities of the beekeeper;
- from his presence at the apiary (someone visits exclusively on weekends, others live near the point);
- from the characteristics of honey collection in a particular area – its duration and strength;
- from the selected breed of bees (for example, Caucasian bees purposefully develop a nest horizontally).
General conclusions on the topic
Plank beds for 20 or 24 honeycomb frames are the simplest houses in design. When they are kept in the apiary, there is no need to move heavy bodies, which allows beekeepers to save their back from overstrain.
But on such hives, during a plentiful bribe, an additional store or a full-fledged building is still installed (which significantly complicates maintenance!). Of course, this practice comes with time. For beginners, to get acquainted with the fishery, at first, one hull is enough.
Once again about the pluses of sun beds:
- there is the possibility of keeping two families in one house through a blind partition;
- or family maintenance and layering, nucleus.
In fairness, it is worth noting that single-body horizontal beekeeping is advocated by many experienced beekeepers of retirement age, who, for physical reasons, find it difficult to work with risers.
When kept in loungers for 16 honeycomb frames, the risk of swarming increases – bees are reluctant to go to the extension, since before that the family developed horizontally. Therefore, this type of hive, with all the ease of working with it, cannot be called the best.
Of the risers, the Dadanov hive is the easiest to operate. It is easier for a beginner to get used to it, since you can use only one store extension. Half frames with honey are relatively light. And it will be easier to cope with the inspection of a small nest without the help of a partner.
Interesting fact: The prototype of risers (verticals) in nature are empty tree trunks – hollows. And the sunbeds evolved from the decks scattered on the ground. However, it is the vertical development that bees (with the exception of certain breeds) prefer more than being in sunbeds.
