Novel small frame format

[Paulypaul]

Stumbled across this YouTube video of a fella looking at a cheapo US Langstroth hive and a new fangled 3d-printed "Hex hive".
I don't have a 3D printer and have no desire to make a rickety plastic hive. What was interesting was the arrangement of consistent-size small frames within the hex hive, around a central column.
Seems to me it could be relatively straightforward (famous last words) to make in timber.

I know bees will happily nest in most cavity formats, and the volume of each box looks a bit bigger than a 6-frame nuc, but the idea of a column, with that consistent mini frame size, does look interesting. If nothing else from a novelty/experimental POV.

 

[pargyle]

There's always one ...

 

[Sutty]

I'm sure they will be so much happier because it's a hexagon!
At least the frames look all the same size!

 

[JamezF]

Sometimes, "Because I can" is not a sufficiently good answer to the question "Why?"

James

 

[Garry R]

There's always one ...

After a couple of miles this was the man who reinvented the wheel. Apparently the bruises on his backside are healing nicely!!

 

[enrico]

Personally I quite like the look of it.

 

[sipa]

Bees won't like it !
Do you ever see a similar configuration occurring naturally with honey bees ?

 

[Sutty]

Bees won't like it !
Do you ever see a similar configuration occurring naturally with honey bees ?

How often do you see a square box in nature?
At least it's closer to a cylinder/hollow tree, so thermally fairly efficient.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

At least it's closer to a cylinder/hollow tree, so thermally fairly efficient.

not if it's just thin plastic

 

[Sutty]

not if it's just thin plastic

True, hopefully there is insulation in those walls.

 

[sipa]

It's the divergent angles of the combs that's the problem.

 

[Moobee]

It’s the Betamax of the beehive world…

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

It’s the Betamax of the beehive world…

it's not that good

 

[Parsonage Bees]

This image came up on my Twitter feed. Honeycomb in sort of the same configuration.


Dr. Lizzie Swarbrick, an architectural historian, I think at University of Edinburgh who is researching Rosslyn Chapel would like to know why you would make the extra effort to hollow out a space ideal for honeybees in the pinnacles of the chapel. One of the 'weird' things people have found at Rosslyn is honey oozing down the walls.