Week 1 - Different types of Hives and dimensions

Learning to build a beehive

For this project, I will have to research which types of wood and materials will be best for use and whether they will be safe to use with bees. I need to draw a detailed design of the hive, with correct measurements and then follow this through the construction process to completion. I may have to adapt and change the design as I go, as there will be certain factors I need to be aware of; such as the amount of room needed for the bees to move around and maintain the hive temperature, especially important during Winter when there is less activity. There needs to be adequate ventilation, for health and prevention of disease but the correct amount of space for the bees to work and be able to build comb etc. The joints are especially important as they have to be strong enough to support the weight of honey and also to withstand the frequent interruption of being opened up, propolis removed and frames lifted out and inspected on a regular basis, so there are lots of different things to consider.

I need to start by researching what styles of hive are available, look at the positives and negatives and work out which is going to be best for me in my apiary. From there, I can look at materials, the environmental credentials of them, availability, cost, design and construction, identifying any problems that might crop up along the process. The following are examples of the types of hives currently available, detailing the pros and cons of each:


British Standard (National Hive)

Advantages of a British Standard Hive are: 

·    Its lightweight and has handles to make it easy to carry and produces a lot of honey

·    Its cost-effective and is widely popular, so spare parts can be found and is cheap.

·    Has plenty of space and more can be added.

·    
Equipment is widely available for this type of hive and honey extraction is easy


https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/356553.image0.jpg


Langstroth Hive

Advantages of a Langstroth Hive are:

·    The style of the hive makes it easier for collection of honey and removal of frames

·    Its standard size, so you can put parts of this hive and put onto another hive and it should fit.

·    Easy to move, can be taken apart and moved with ease

·    They are designed to minimize drone (male bees) production and maximize honey and brood (baby bees) production

·    Has better ventilation than the top bar hive and allows the bees to cluster (group up to keep warm well in winter)

Disadvantages of a Langstroth Hive are:

·    When full with honey, it can weigh a lot. 

·    Bees prefer rounded structures, but the Langstroth hives have a rectangular shape, so beekeepers will have to move the outer frames to the centre in order for them to be used.


https://www.pinterest.com/pin/352054895843335705/

 

 Warré Hive

Advantages of a Warré Hive are:

·    The hive is meant to mimic a hollow tree which helps colonies cope with winter and also helps the bees build comb.

·    The hive also has an insulating box with sawdust and cotton

·    If the boxes are added in, with time the honey production can be compared to a Langstroth hive.

Disadvantages of a Warré Hive are:

·    The pieces aren’t universal so can only be used on other Warré hives.

·    Honey-extraction isn’t as easy compared to the Langstroth hive, as most equipment for honey extraction is designed for Langstroth hives and the British standard hive.

·      
There is no place for a front feeder which will feed the colonies in colder months.


 https://morningchores.com/beehive-plans/


Top-Bar Hive

Advantages of a Top-Bar Hive are:

·    It's easy to work with, a frame usually weighs between 3 to 7 pounds

·    You don’t have extra pieces of the hive, you just have to block off part of the hive until the colony needs more space.

·    With this model, bees suffer less disruption as work with the hive and the design is best for pollination

       https://opimedia.azureedge.net/-/media/images/men/editorial/articles/magazine-articles/2015/06-15/how-to-start-beekeeping-what-all-the-buzz-is-about/top-bar-hive-jpg.jpg    

                                                             

Disadvantages of a Top-Bar Hive are:

·    It’s harder for colonies to regulate the temperature of the hive meaning its more difficult for bees to cluster together in the cold weather and colonies are more likely to die out.

·    Making honey is more difficult in this type of hive and standard equipment is not readily available for top-bar hives.

·    Rearing queens is a lot more difficult in this type of hive.


How this helped me?

This initial research helped me as these hives are what is available to buy and therefore what most beekeepers in the UK use; it also highlighted the strengths and weaknesses of each design and whether I could take all these points (or some of them) on board when building my own hive? From looking at what I have found I believe that the British standard Hive is the best option for me. The equipment for it is widely available in the UK and it is also the same type of hive as the two hives that I have at home and so I am familiar with the layout and how it works; this will help me when building, as I can compare.

The Most Common Types of Beehives And Their PROS & CONS! (beekeepinggeek.com)



The hive to the left is the wooden British standard hive that I have at home. This is why choosing this design of hive, will be more beneficial for me as I can use the frames I already have built and they can be recycled easily again once the honey has been extracted - without worrying whether they will fit or not. 

This will make the process a lot more efficient and prevent any mistakes happening at the hive; it is important to have a calm, organised environment when working with bees! I also already have the tools required for this style of hive.


The hive to the right is the other style I have, but instead of wood, this hive is made out of polystyrene. Although this is the same 'style' of hive as the wooden one it varies in different attributes. For example, it is a lot lighter than a wooden hive and is also warmer for the bees, but a wooden hive is stronger, more hardwearing, more attractive and provides more protection.

For wooden hives, wool can be placed inside the lid to increase the warmth of the hive, this makes it more adaptable and so maybe more preferable than a poly hive. As for the polystyrene hive it can not copy the strength and protection that the wooden hive can provide and is why it is not as favourable amongst beekeepers but as we live in north Cumbria, we do not get a lot of warm days and so this is main advantage for me.

As insulation can be easily added to the wooden hive, it makes sense to choose this option, making it easier to construct, with all the other benefits also and looks nicer!


National Beehive Dimensions and statistics found online

External dimension - 18 1/8" square

Brood body depth - 8 7/8"

14” x 12” brood body depth - 12 ½"

Super depth - 5 7/8"

The brood area is 2200 sq. ins.

No. of worker cells 50,000

Bottom Bee Space


Frames sizes

Top Bars – 17” long

Bottom bars – 14” long

Deep sidebars – 8 ½” long

14” x12” sidebars – 12” long

Shallow sidebars – 5 ½” long

Foundation sizes

Deep – 13 7/16” x 8”

14 x 12” – 13 7/16” x 11 ½”

Shallow – 13 7/16” x 5


Hive dimensions & Plans – Devon Beekeepers' Association


Video on making a hive

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0007g97/junk-rescue-series-2-16-bedside-furniture



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