Popular Hives

Langstroth   Dadant   Warré   Leyens

Langstroth and Jumbo Langstroth

In 1853 the Rev. L. L. Langstroth of Philadelphia, USA, first described this hive in his book ‘The Hive and the Honeybee’. The essential feature was the systematic adoption of the principal of bee space whereby a gap around the framed combs of 3/16” to 3/8” would prevent the frames from becoming attached to the hive walls. A wider gap would be filled with brace comb and a narrower gap would be filled with propolis. Thus the moveable frame hive was initiated and the principle is still essential in modern hive design. Today the Langstroth hive is probably the most widely used hive around the world, and popular with commercial beekeepers in the UK.

The Langstroth hive is a rectangular, single wall design of external dimensions 20” x 16¼” with 10 short-lugged frames (⅝“ lugs) resting in rebates on the narrow sides.  Top bee space is usually adopted. Because of its popularity numerous variations have been invented so the number of frames varies from 8, 9, 10 or more.

HIVE DATA	LANGSTROTH	JUMBO LANGSTROTH	DADANT
Brood frame	17 9/16″ x 9⅛”	17 9/16″ x 11¼”	17 9/16″ x 11¼”
Super frame	17 9/16″ x 5⅜”	17 9/16″ x 5⅜”	17 9/16″ x 6¼”
Frames / brood box	10	10	11
Cells / brood box	61,000	85,000	93,000
Lug length	⅝”	⅝”	⅝”

The number of cells available in a single brood chamber is approx. 61,000 making this hive suitable for large colonies, but for prolific colonies a deeper ‘Jumbo’ version is available with approx. 85,000 cells.

The diagram shows a cross section of a top bee space hive with one bee space between frame sides and hive wall, under lugs and above frames.  The bees naturally leave two bee spaces between brood frames so they can work on the frames back to back.

Thus the spacing of frames is also critical, normally 1⅜” (35mm) centre to centre in brood chambers.
Spacing in supers can be varied to suit the conditions, plus the bees usually leave one bee space between adjacent capped frames.

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Langstroth   Dadant   Warré   Leyens

Dadant

Charles Dadant emigrated from France to America in 1863. He invented the original Dadant hive which accommodated 10 large frames.

The Modified Dadant (MD) was developed in 1917 from the original Dadant hive and consists of a larger brood box to accommodate 11 slightly smaller frames which are similar to those used in the Jumbo Langstroth hive.

This arrangement gives 93,500 brood cells, making the MD hive the largest standard hive in use in this country. The external dimensions of the brood chamber are 20” x 18½” x 11¾” high, and like the Langstroth, the MD is top bee space with the short lugged frames resting on a rebate cut into the thickness of the narrower sides. Note that the Dadant brood frames are at 1½” spacing (38mm).

Shallow frames are 6¼” high and a super will hold 11 Hoffman frames or 10 Manley frames.

HIVE DATA	LANGSTROTH	JUMBO LANGSTROTH	DADANT
Brood frame	17 9/16″ x 9⅛”	17 9/16″ x 11¼”	17 9/16″ x 11¼”
Super frame	17 9/16″ x 5⅜”	17 9/16″ x 5⅜”	17 9/16″ x 6¼”
Frames / brood box	10	10	11
Cells / brood box	61,000	85,000	93,000
Lug length	⅝”	⅝”	⅝”

Brother Adam at Buckfast Abbey in Devon designed the Buckfast Dadant hive in the 1920s. This consists of 12 standard Dadant frames in the brood chamber and is bottom bee space. The sloping roof design throws off rain water more efficiently than a flat roof but still maintains a flat surface for resting hive parts on (see diagram). When taken to the heather the hives are held together with a metal rod down the centre.

Four of these hives are placed in a square pattern with the entrances oriented north, east, south and west with the beekeeper working the hives from the centre of the square.

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Langstroth   Dadant   Warré   Leyens

Warré Top Bar Hive

In each hive box there are eight top bars which are usually supplied with wax comb guides. The 24mm wide bars rest in a rebate cut into the thickness of the hive wall and are spaced 12mm apart.

The cover cloth rests on the bars in the top box and can be of hessian or other breathable cloth. Above the cloth is placed the quilt which is essentially a shallow box with a cloth base and filled with wood shavings, dried leaves etc to act as insulation.

The roof is placed over the quilt but there is no direct passage of air from the hive to the vents in the roof.

HIVE DATA	NATIONAL 14×12	HIVE DATA	WARRÉ
Brood frame	14″ x 8½”	Brood box cross section	300 x 210mm
Super frame	14″ x 5½”	Honey box cross section	300 x 210mm
Frames / brood box	11	Top bars / box	8
Cells / brood box	54,000	Cells / brood box	39,000
Lug length	1½”	Lug length	Approx 1cm

The essential feature of Warré beekeeping is to reduce disturbance and intervention to a minimum. If a hive box needs to be inspected it can be removed and tilted over with the combs in the vertical plane.

To remove a comb for inspection or honey extraction may require some cutting between walls and comb. Once free, the comb should be lifted gently and placed in a comb holder.

Warré developed his system before Varroa mites arrived in France. The consensus is that long term the bees will adapt to the mite. Mite population can be considerably reduced by artificial swarming techniques and could be further reduced by treatment while the colony is brood-less.

Honey can be collected from brood free combs by using a honey press or other suitable device. The remaining wax is a potentially valuable byproduct.

This hive is not recommended for novices unless an experienced mentor is on hand.

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Langstroth   Dadant   Warré   Leyens

Leyens Hive

George de Leyens developed the hive that bears his name over several decades, based on his observations of the natural behaviour of bees and the principle of minimal intervention, typically 2-3 visits a year.

The hive uses moveable frames 340mm wide x 440mm tall (approx 13″ x 17″). The top bars are butted together to help retain heat inside the brood nest. This height of frame allows the bees to move upwards without hindrance during the winter cluster, as they would naturally in a wild colony, and also allows the colony ample room for expansion.

Frame spacing is conventional with 14 or 20 frames arranged horizontally, hence the description of ‘long hive’. There are many variations on the basic hive design due to its simplicity.

The hive is made from timber up to 32mm (1¼”) thick reputed to give the hive better over-wintering qualities. Legs are usually provided to bring the hive to a comfortable working height for the beekeeper. There are also two entrances provided at opposite sides of the hive to enable different management strategies.

De Leyens advocated a visit during the early part of the year to stock the hive with frames and a further visit in the autumn to remove honey. This was before the arrival of Varroa mites. However, devotees of the hive claim that the lack of disturbance enables the bees to cope with the parasite adequately.

The table below gives figures for the 14 and 20 frame Leyens hives for comparison with a Dartington hive using National 14 x 12 frames.

HIVE DATA	DARTINGTON	LEYENS 14	LEYENS 20
Brood frame	14″ x 12″	13″ x 17″	13″ x 17″
Frames / brood box	21	14	20
Cells / frame	7,250	9,500	9,500
Cells / box	152,000	130,000	190,000
Lug length	1½”	approx ⅝”	approx ⅝”

All brood figures are approximate.

George de Leyens’ book, Keeping Bees in Horizontal Hives – A Complete Guide to Apiculture, was written in 1897 and has been translated and re-printed in 2017 with many of the original drawings. There is a copy in the East Devon Beekeepers library for those who may wish to acquaint themselves with the principles of his hive management.

The two major principles are : using local bees and keeping them in appropriate hives that are gentle on the bees and the beekeeper alike, and require minimal management.

The USA and Spain both have large numbers of Leyens hives today.

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