national to langstroth

[dannygolf1959]

hi guys/girls.
I have national beehives but someone bought/gave me a new langstroth hive.
It looks great and I want to use it but how do I do a split from my nationals to the new langstroth.
I know how to do a split but what I mean is,how to I get them to fit in the different size langstroth....laymans terms help would be appreciated.

 

[Murox]

Cut a piece of plyboard the size of langstroth but to sit on top of national with a big hole in the middle and put langstroth on top - let the bees self populate and later remove the national.

 

[madasafish]

hi guys/girls.
I have national beehives but someone bought/gave me a new langstroth hive.
It looks great and I want to use it but how do I do a split from my nationals to the new langstroth.
I know how to do a split but what I mean is,how to I get them to fit in the different size langstroth....laymans terms help would be appreciated.

If you want to split your existing hive and put National frames into a Langstroth, then you can cable tie a National DN4 frame inside a Lang Deep... Tie the top bar of the National under the top bar of the Lang. You will possibly have to cut the ends off the National topbar to fit - but I did it 3 years ago so cannot recall..dry run first.... The bees will draw wild comb in the gaps so to avoid that you can:
cut the ends off the National top bar (a wood lopper is ideal - no sawing recommend due to bees)
Place the Nat topbar inside the lang with one side adjacent to one Lang side.. And place foundation in the gap at the other side...

(when I did this, I did not bother.. with filling the gaps)

Dummy down the space in the Lang to reduce the space to be heated..

If you think the steps through first before you do it and write down what you will do and how you will do it.. (cutting ends of frames with bees on the frames can be fun) and what tools you will need, it makes a complex task much easier..

I found cutting frame ends with a lopper easy: just clamp the frame to a post (very securely top and bottom - I used woodworking quick release clamps) and cut the protruding ends but you might want to do it with assistance.

 

[Ian123]

Cut a piece of ply a couple of inches bigger than your largest external dimensions on both boxes, so that should be langstroth lenth national widith. Put another national box on to sheet and draw around internal edge of box. Then simply place lang box over your national lines/shape and cut out the area they overlap. If you want them up quick then cut out a comb of sealed brood from the national frame and rubber band into and empty langstroth frame

 

[Walrus]

hi guys/girls.
I have national beehives but someone bought/gave me a new langstroth hive.
It looks great and I want to use it but how do I do a split from my nationals to the new langstroth.
I know how to do a split but what I mean is,how to I get them to fit in the different size langstroth....laymans terms help would be appreciated.

Before going down that road are you really sure that you want to run two different types of hive? It can be a right pain. Good luck anyway

 

[Poly Hive]

Two different hive types are a total PIA the only thing worse is 7 which I have suffered from in the past.

Standardisation is the way to go.

PH

 

[madasafish]

I am all in favour of encouraging langstroth usage...

 

[Poly Hive]

Pity your not closer as I have a large dustbin literally full of top bars and some sidebars which need a Lang person to use up.

PH

 

[tidymeup]

Perhaps the best thing to do is convert everything over to Langstroth, it's easy to go from national to Langstroth by cable tying your national frame to a Langstroth top bar.

Just make sure you keep on top of the brace comb they will build on the sides of the national frame or use some timber to fill the gap.

 

[mbc]

hi guys/girls.
I have national beehives but someone bought/gave me a new langstroth hive.
It looks great and I want to use it but how do I do a split from my nationals to the new langstroth.
I know how to do a split but what I mean is,how to I get them to fit in the different size langstroth....laymans terms help would be appreciated.

Shook swarm, save the faffing.

 

[dannygolf1959]

thanks people for the help,

 

[Wingy]

I am all in favour of encouraging langstroth usage...

Another pro Langstroth here. Started with Langstroth by mistake but it’s the best mistake I’ve made in a while lol

If considering an artificial swarm then why not prep the Langstroth with all new foundation except 1 frame, just have a top frame bar. Then Langstroth onto old hive spot, move old hive away to 1 side take a frame of brood with the Q and fix to Langstroth top bar as described above, swarm control and move over to Langstroth no issues.
Then decide what your doing with the National. Sell it with bees and buy more Langstroth kit