Where can I get "Golden mean" top bar hive plans

[Durbin]

Hi all.

I'm new to the sport, but looking forward to getting my first swarm next year.
I've got a national hive in bits waiting for me to build over the winter but I also fancy having a top bar hive as well.

I've heard about "Golden mean" hives, which incorporate the golden ration (Phi) in to the design but cant find any plans.

Can anyone help?

Thanks

 

[Erichalfbee]

Google put up lots of links.
Plans for sale here
http://www.backyardhive.com/backyardhive_beekeeping_shop/

 

[Anduril]

google put up lots of links.
Plans for sale here
http://www.backyardhive.com/backyardhive_beekeeping_shop/

$9.95

 

[ugcheleuce]

I've heard about "Golden mean" hives, which incorporate the golden ration (Phi) in to the design but cant find any plans.

I considered the golden ratio for top bar hives for a while, after seeing a design that uses it, but I came to the conclusion that it is just hocus pocus. You're far better off with a design that is practical than one that is theoretical (or spiritual).

But if you choose to do this, then first decide what you consider the correct "golden ratio" is:

The plans for Corwin Bell's golden ratio hive are not on the web, but I took the information contained on their web site and came to the conclusion that the dimensions of it are as follows:

Top: 18" (457 mm)
Bottom: 9.9" (251 mm)
Height: 8" (203 mm)
Length: 34" (85 cm)
Angle: 63 degrees
Comb area per bar per side: 512 cm2

Samuel

 

[Durbin]

Thanks Samuel.

I came across the plans on backyardhive but $30 (including shipping) was a bit steep for some plans.

The only reason I was considering the 'golden' hive was for the aesthetics as the ratio is generally visually pleasing. Not in to the 'spiritual' aspects.

I want a top bar hive and a national to start so I can compare the two and get as much experience as I can.

Now to get some experience in power tools (I'm not very practical.... Yet)

 

[ugcheleuce]

I've heard about "Golden mean" hives, which incorporate the golden ration (Phi) in to the design but cant find any plans.

Oh, wait, as far as I know, the Einraumbeute is a golden ratio hive (it's not a top-bar hive, though).

The frames are golden ratios and the long side of the hive is also a golden ratio (as far as I remember). There were "plans" on the web but the link is now dead, so here attached is the PDF that used to be at that link.

The Einraumbeute is also marketed as the "Golden Hive" by some, and can be made to look very nature-friendly, although plain wood is just as good.

There is a short version of the Einraumbeute sold in the Netherlands, by a guy named Grasstek, who practices anthroposophic beekeeping. If Google Translate supports Dutch, you can read about it.

I also built a hive that looks similar to the Grasstek hive, for very little money (see the DOC file in the attachments, but recheck the measurements if you decide to give it a go). I called it the "modified fruit grower's hive" because it was a modified version of a hive called the "fruit grower's hive" from the 1930s. Its frames are golden ratios, but since it is shorter than the Einraumbeute, the long sides of the hive are not golden ratios.

Samuel

 

[Durbin]

Thanks for that.

I was referring to the top bar hive like the one for sale on backyardhive.com though.

The hive you've put the plans up for looks like the Perone hive. I would link to it but as I'm new here the forum wont let me.

Googling "Make a Perone Hive - BioBees" will take you there though

 

[ugcheleuce]

The hive you've put the plans up for looks like the Perone hive.

I'm familiar with the Perone hive, but the Einraumbeute is nothing like the Perone hive, particularly in the way it works. The Einraumbeute is essentially a framed hive just like the British National, except that you don't super it and that its nest expands horizontally, just like the top-bar hives. The Perone hive consists of two chambers, with the lower chamber being for "wild comb" (no frames, no top bars, just as the bees would do it in nature) and the upper chamber having top bars or even frames. The Perone hive is a hands-off hive (the beekeeper does not interfere with the bees) whereas the Einraumbeute is a hive in which the beekeeper actively participates in bee life.

But okay, if you're specifically looking for a top-bar hive, then the Einraumbeute is not the best solution.

 

[Durbin]

Thanks for the info. Its nice to look at other hives than just nationals and langstroths. I'm enjoying learning at the moment. The top bat hive seems the simplest to have a go at building

 

[madasafish]

I have a LOT of TBHs and some langs,

the Golden Mean I investigated and concluded it was bull excrement.

I use Biobees design - which is simple and cheap to make.. and works. with minor modifications to keep out wasps... and insulation.. and floorboards and roof hinges...

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

the Golden Mean I investigated and concluded it was bull excrement.

'Golden Means' is just a formula used in cabinetmaking to make sure the dimensions of the table/door/object is pleasing to the eye. Don't think the bees will be much fussed by it.

 

[ugcheleuce]

The Golden Mean I investigated and concluded it was bull excrement.

I agree. 'Golden Means' is just a formula used in cabinetmaking to make sure the dimensions of the table/door/object is pleasing to the eye. Don't think the bees will be much fussed by it.

Yes, sure, but the OP had said so himself -- he wants the golden mean hive specifically for the pleasing looks and not for any bee-related benefits:

The only reason I was considering the 'golden' hive was for the aesthetics as the ratio is generally visually pleasing. Not in to the 'spiritual' aspects.

So the question becomes which view the OP will most likely be looking at the most, and that side of the hive should have a golden mean shape. I'm not sure if that can be accomplished in a top-bar hive, since the hive is typically positioned with one of the corners facing forward.

 

[Durbin]

After looking around a bit I've decided to go with the plans I have already (which is the biosbees one).

Thanks