Using frames in a horizontal hive?

[taurus]

Something I came across recently has me pondering. I was talking to a chap who loves making things out of scrap material. Some of his creations are brilliant and he is very clever with his hands.

His wife wanted to try keeping bees and asked him to make her a hive. He looked at what he had in his shed and planned to make her a top bar hive - but then figured getting the bees into it was going to be a problem as her course was using Nationals.

So he simply made a top bar style box but with the shape and dimension to take BS frames. Apparently it works very well - though it's early days.

It got me thinking - I have a dodgy back and shifting heavy boxes can be tricky, especially the varying heights of boxes that the conventional layout produces. I have access to a secondary site and am pondering making something similar to what he's created as an experiment.

Maximising honey production isn't my main concern - so just kind of thinking out loud about the idea.

 

[Erichalfbee]

You could look at plans for a Dartingtin which is a long 14x12
Long Lang’s are popular in The States and there are plans online for those too. If you’re into plastic then there’s always the Beehause

 

[Hivemaker.]

http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/longhive.html

 

[taurus]

Thanks. As ever there's nothing new under the sun. Sounds worth exploring just for the fun of trying it. I'm definitely not into plastic! We have a building project which I'm sure will result in enough off cuts to make something out of

 

[alldigging]

We've got one. Husband built one for a friend last year and then put one together for me. Roof is a bit unwieldy though.

 

[Millet]

Make a side Entry long hive and pull the frames towards you, it would save the owld lumber region.

 

[bjosephd]

Google around a bit and you’ll find plans, pictures, and ideas (long hive, horizontal hive, deep hive, etc)

My plan is to construct one this coming season. I appreciate that bees in nature in their trees ‘prefer’ to work in a vertical fashion, which is why I am going to use the deepest frames I can find (langstroth ‘jumbo’).

However if you use the same standard frames as all your other standard hives, I have read that horizontal hives can potentially be quite prolific (with bees, not honey) and so can make a very good donor hive.

I do umm and arr however about where to the entrance(s).

 

[pargyle]

https://www.flickr.com/photos/99514363@N06/albums/72157634865981506

 

[bjosephd]

https://www.flickr.com/photos/99514363@N06/albums/72157634865981506

That’s a good lookin’ box. Nice work.

 

[oliver90owner]

Roof is a bit unwieldy though.

There are several options for roof construction - ranging from simple pent to gable. The gable is easily constructed in two halves.

Even the pent roof could be constructed as an eke (for insulation) and a lightweight cover over.

 

[enrico]

https://www.flickr.com/photos/99514363@N06/albums/72157634865981506

Really impressed, the more you look at it the cleverer it is. Possibility of three way split etc.
Might give it a go later in the year!
Thanks for sharing
E

 

[pargyle]

Roof is a bit unwieldy though.

There are several options for roof construction - ranging from simple pent to gable. The gable is easily constructed in two halves.

Even the pent roof could be constructed as an eke (for insulation) and a lightweight cover over.

Actually it's a really easy to use roof ... hinges up and the chain holds it in positon .. the frame hanger inside the roof is really useful for photography.

It's also double skinned with insulation and I have shaped celotex blocks that fit under the pent as well.

But .. the downside is that you can't put supers on it. It's never been a hive for massive honey production but it really does create big colonies and it's a great donor hive for frames of brood and honey for other colonies etc.

Very heavy though ... not an easily moveable hive. Two strong blokes when there are bees in it ...

 

[pargyle]

Really impressed, the more you look at it the cleverer it is. Possibility of three way split etc.
Might give it a go later in the year!
Thanks for sharing
E

Yes.. it's a great hive for splits, so easy .. I have three or four dummy/division boards .. just stick a divider in, make sure there's a frame of eggs either side, open up a second entrance and off they go ...

There's usually a bit of space in there as well so room for spare frames, etc.

 

[bontbee]

Roof is a bit unwieldy though.

I was gifted a TBH without a roof, so I made a (slightly) pent roof out of celotex. Seems to do the job and, although the hive is 4' long and wide enough to take national frames attached to top bars (aids introduction of BS nucs), it's a doddle to lift off* single handedly as it's so light.
*unless the wind's up, then I go sailing across the apiary...

 

[applejack33]

Horizontal hive

Think about bees building comb between joist timbers under a floor in a house. They don't mind it being long / horizontal when it is / was their choice of abode.

 

[Finman]

Guys have tried horizontal hives, and they have found that bees have difficulties to arrange horizontal honey stores.

Second thing is increased swarming

.

 

[pargyle]

Guys have tried horizontal hives, and they have found that bees have difficulties to arrange horizontal honey stores.

Second thing is increased swarming

.

Rubbish ....the bees manage the honey perfectly well ... arcs of honey over the brood and they fill the outer frames of the hive with honey.

Yes, they produce big colonies and there's always the chance that a big colony will swarm but no more so than any big colony in a vertical hive...

If they have honey either side of the brood nest coming into winter you just rearrange the frames of food to one side of the brood so that they eat their way through the stores in one direction.

My long hive is very well insulated and so there has never been a problem with them painting themselves into a corner.

 

[Finman]

Yes, they produce big colonies and there's always the chance that a big colony will swarm but no more so than any big colony in a vertical hive...

.

That is true. 2 swarms per year.
.

 

[Beefriendly]

the bees manage the honey perfectly well ... arcs of honey over the brood and they fill the outer frames of the hive with honey.

You are confirming what Finman says, that they have trouble managing the honey stores. They prefer to store vertically above the brood frames in a temperate climate, but have no where to store it in a long hive; unless you add a super above.
Tell me you get 10 frames of honey only either end of the brood nest and I'll reconsider.
In our British climate bees preferred natural nest arrangement is a vertical nest.
Very different in the tropics where heat retention in winter and clustering are much less of an issue.

 

[Finman]

.
50 years ago half of Finnish hives were long hives. Now you cannot find any.
Brood frame size was 30 x 30 cm.
.

http://www.antikvaari.fi/naytatuote.asp?id=1249823

Drawings from year 1945
.