Brood Box sizes

[Black Comb]

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Jumbo is impossible to handle.

doesn't give me any problems.

 

[itma]

Noted that you are considering an Allotment site, this is your first hive and you are considering building it yourself from marine ply.

I don't know your skills or your awareness of the precision required, but I'd suggest that you might think of starting with a flat-pack, and then build more bits yourself, to fit with and work with the basic bought-in starter kit.
If nothing else, the flat pack lets you see how much carpentry is involved, and it should also get you up and running faster.

A ply 14x12 hive, full of bees and honey, is not something to lightly consider shifting from site to site on foot. Its heavy!

Personally I'm intent on moving to 14x12 (which shouldn't be a major upset), and likely plastic.
But its important for you to remember that while others might have firm ideas as to what fits their bees/location/skills/physique/budget/network/aesthetics/etc that is not automatically the best compromise for you.

 

[Finman]

The proven bait hive volume of choice is 40litres - ie similar to one natinal or LS brood box.
er.

I thought that too. Bees' instincts have eveloped to accept that size space but modern, breeded colony needs 200 litres space.

When I started beekeeping, very normal hive size was 40 litre brood + 20 litre box for honey.

Langstroth was coming to our country and breeded queens from other countries.

with old fashion hive we got 15-20 kg honey. With modern hives and queens we got even 100 kg and average yield 50 kg.

Migrative beekeeping needs a certain type hives and it gove really good yields.

It was very easy to decide what hive to use if you want good yields.

Good queens is a key word. Not a brooding box size.


it depends where youput that exqluder, and in what time of summer.
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[drstitson]

precisely finman -

wild colonies would find a single box ideal for their purposes

whilst those managed by man for optimal yields of honey and reduced swarming are a different story.

 

[Finman]

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Yes, swarming is a purpose of bee's life.
Some one said to them:"Swarm and cover the earth".

 

[user 6228]

The proven bait hive volume of choice is 40litres - ie similar to one natinal or LS brood box.

However, that is how bees work naturally - big enough to ensure adequate stores for winter and small enough to ensure that brood nest reaches "maturity" at an appropriate point in the season for swarms to have best chance of settling somewhere and establishing themselves ready for winter and parent colony to recover.

A question I 've wanted to know : what behavioural thingy make them keep their colony size small in the wild yet keep growing in managed hives?

 

[drstitson]

IMHO - simple - in the wild they choose their space. 40l suits them best as they get to an ok size and swarm every year.

kept bees don't choose their home. so limit is colony/queen vigour.

 

[RoofTops]

A question I 've wanted to know : what behavioural thingy make them keep their colony size small in the wild yet keep growing in managed hives?

It is a mixture of two main factors I think, with respect to managed colonies. Firstly, the type of bee and selection of bees with low swarming and high productivity and secondly, the management of the colony by the beekeeper, specifically to avoid swarming by manipulations such as artificial swarms, demareeing etc.

It wasn't always like that, in the days of skep beekeeping the beekeepers actively encouraged swarming as that was how they increased their stocks.

And of course "natural" beekeeping is not a long way from that method as some (most?) practicing this approach let the bees swarm as they want and take no action to control it. This will keep the colony on the smaller side compared to a managed conventional hive.

In the wild the survival of the species depends on them throwing off swarms which survive through to the next season. Building up a super-sized colony doesn't help the species if it gets killed when the tree falls down. Better to have several smaller colonies than one large one. The queen's pheromones play a big role in this, as the colony gets bigger her pheromones become more diluted and the swarming instinct kicks in. Ditto as the queen gets older.

 

[drstitson]

"It wasn't always like that, in the days of skep beekeeping the beekeepers actively encouraged swarming as that was how they increased their stocks."

still like that in the home of ligustica RT!!!! non-moveable frame hives may have been officially banned some years back but swarming as a source of increase/loss replacement is the order of the day - probably why most colonies only ever have 1 super (even allowing for monofloral harvests).

 

[Finman]

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The simple answer to old beekeeping style was that European Black bee was mad to swarm.
Even if it had 4 frames in colony, it obeyed its natural call:" swarm and cover the earth".

When combs are solid, you cannot change the queen and you cannot breed the stock or use selection.

 

[Aggravated]

Many thanks, as suggested I have got a flat pack hive to copy, and I have most of the tools and skills to complete the hives, I hope. I am thinking of building them in 12mm WSB waterproof plywood, with tanalized soft wood battons
Regards

Paul

 

[drstitson]

you might like to rethink the tanalised bit - ok for hive stands NOT for hives.

 

[johna]

Many thanks, as suggested I have got a flat pack hive to copy, and I have most of the tools and skills to complete the hives, I hope. I am thinking of building them in 12mm WSB waterproof plywood, with tanalized soft wood battons
Regards

Paul

You might also like to think in terms of 3/4" --- 18mm ply to keep the important INTERNAL dimensions correct,otherwise your beespaces will be too large and the bees will brace comb everything into one solid mass.