{"id":358,"date":"2017-11-24T15:52:17","date_gmt":"2017-11-24T15:52:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\/?page_id=358"},"modified":"2026-08-30T16:04:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-30T15:04:10","slug":"popular-hives","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\/?page_id=358","title":{"rendered":"Popular Hives"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<style> h2, h3, h4 {color: green;} \r\n\r\n#ednavgrid {display: grid; grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fill, minmax(100px, 1fr)); grid-gap: 2px; align-items: stretch; }\r\n\r\n#ednavgrid > div > a {display: block; padding: 5px; color: #125c97; background-color: #ddd; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;}\r\n\r\n#ednavgrid > div > a:hover:not(.active) {background-color: #bbb;} \r\n\r\n.image-container12 {display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; justify-content: center; align-items: center;} \r\n.card12 { padding: 5px; display: inline-block; } \r\n.card12 > p { font-size: small; color: green; text-align: center;} \r\n.card12 > img {border-radius: 5px; }\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/style>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"langstroth\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\/?page_id=358#langstroth\">Langstroth<\/a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/strong>&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\/?page_id=358#dadant\">Dadant<\/a>&nbsp;<\/strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\/?page_id=358#warre\">Warr\u00e9<\/a>&nbsp;<\/strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\/?page_id=358#leyens\">Leyens<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Langstroth and Jumbo Langstroth<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 1853 the Rev. L. L. Langstroth of Philadelphia, USA, first described this hive in his book \u2018The Hive and the Honeybee\u2019. The essential feature was the systematic adoption of the principal of <strong>bee space<\/strong> whereby a gap around the framed combs of 3\/16\u201d to 3\/8\u201d 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 <strong>moveable frame hive<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Langstroth hive is a rectangular, single wall design of external dimensions 20\u201d x 16\u00bc\u201d with 10 short-lugged frames (\u215d\u201c lugs) resting in rebates on the narrow sides. &nbsp;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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<style> .edHiveTable { width: 100%; text-align: center; background-color: #FFFFEE; border-collapse: collapse; } .edHiveTable td, .edHiveTable th { vertical-align: top; padding: 10px; border: 1px solid #daa520; }<\/style>\n\n\n\n<table class=\"edHiveTable\">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr style=\"background-color: #daa520; color: white;\">\r\n<th style=\"width: 25%;\">HIVE DATA<\/th>\r\n<th style=\"width: 25%;\">LANGSTROTH<\/th>\r\n<th style=\"width: 25%;\">JUMBO LANGSTROTH<\/th>\r\n<th style=\"width: 25%;\">DADANT<\/th>\r\n\r\n<\/tr>\r\n\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\">Brood frame<\/td>\r\n<td>17 9\/16&#8243; x 9\u215b&#8221;<\/td>\r\n<td>17 9\/16&#8243; x 11\u00bc&#8221;<\/td>\r\n<td>17 9\/16&#8243; x 11\u00bc&#8221;<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\">Super frame<\/td>\r\n<td>17 9\/16&#8243; x 5\u215c&#8221;<\/td>\r\n<td>17 9\/16&#8243; x 5\u215c&#8221;<\/td>\r\n<td>17 9\/16&#8243; x 6\u00bc&#8221;<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\">Frames \/ brood box<\/td>\r\n<td>10<\/td>\r\n<td>10<\/td>\r\n<td>11<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\">Cells \/ brood box<\/td>\r\n<td>61,000<\/td>\r\n<td>85,000<\/td>\r\n<td>93,000<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\">Lug length<\/td>\r\n<td>\u215d&#8221;<\/td>\r\n<td>\u215d&#8221;<\/td>\r\n<td>\u215d&#8221;<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"image-container12\">\r\n\r\n<div class=\"card12\">\r\n\r\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"Cross section of a top beespace hive\" src=\"https:\/\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Hive-Langstroth-detail.jpg\" alt=\"Cross section of a top beespace hive\" width=\"136\" height=\"635\">\r\n\r\n<p style=\"max-width: 136px;\">Cross section of a top beespace hive<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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 \u2018Jumbo\u2019 version is available with approx. 85,000 cells.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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. &nbsp;The bees naturally leave two bee spaces between brood frames so they can work on the frames back to back.<br><br>Thus the spacing of frames is also critical, normally 1\u215c\u201d (35mm) centre to centre in brood chambers.<br>Spacing in supers can be varied to suit the conditions, plus the bees usually leave one bee space between adjacent capped frames.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator aligncenter has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"dadant\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\/?page_id=358#langstroth\">Langstroth<\/a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/strong>&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\/?page_id=358#dadant\">Dadant<\/a>&nbsp;<\/strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\/?page_id=358#warre\">Warr\u00e9<\/a>&nbsp;<\/strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\/?page_id=358#leyens\">Leyens<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Dadant<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Charles Dadant emigrated from France to America in 1863. He invented the original Dadant hive which accommodated 10 large frames.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <strong>Modified Dadant<\/strong> (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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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\u201d x 18\u00bd\u201d x 11\u00be\u201d 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 1\u00bd\u201d spacing (38mm).<br><br>Shallow frames are 6\u00bc\u201d high and a super will hold 11 Hoffman frames or 10 Manley frames.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<style> .edHiveTable { width: 100%; text-align: center; background-color: #FFFFEE; border-collapse: collapse; } .edHiveTable td, .edHiveTable th { vertical-align: top; padding: 10px; border: 1px solid #daa520; }<\/style>\n\n\n\n<table class=\"edHiveTable\">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr style=\"background-color: #daa520; color: white;\">\r\n<th style=\"width: 25%;\">HIVE DATA<\/th>\r\n<th style=\"width: 25%;\">LANGSTROTH<\/th>\r\n<th style=\"width: 25%;\">JUMBO LANGSTROTH<\/th>\r\n<th style=\"width: 25%;\">DADANT<\/th>\r\n\r\n<\/tr>\r\n\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\">Brood frame<\/td>\r\n<td>17 9\/16&#8243; x 9\u215b&#8221;<\/td>\r\n<td>17 9\/16&#8243; x 11\u00bc&#8221;<\/td>\r\n<td>17 9\/16&#8243; x 11\u00bc&#8221;<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\">Super frame<\/td>\r\n<td>17 9\/16&#8243; x 5\u215c&#8221;<\/td>\r\n<td>17 9\/16&#8243; x 5\u215c&#8221;<\/td>\r\n<td>17 9\/16&#8243; x 6\u00bc&#8221;<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\">Frames \/ brood box<\/td>\r\n<td>10<\/td>\r\n<td>10<\/td>\r\n<td>11<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\">Cells \/ brood box<\/td>\r\n<td>61,000<\/td>\r\n<td>85,000<\/td>\r\n<td>93,000<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\">Lug length<\/td>\r\n<td>\u215d&#8221;<\/td>\r\n<td>\u215d&#8221;<\/td>\r\n<td>\u215d&#8221;<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Brother Adam<\/strong> at Buckfast Abbey in Devon designed the <strong>Buckfast Dadant hive<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"image-container12\">\r\n\r\n<div class=\"card12\">\r\n\r\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"Buckfast Dadant Hive\" src=\"https:\/\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Hive-Buckfast-Dadant.jpg\" alt=\"Buckfast Dadant Hive\" width=\"220\" height=\"264\">\r\n\r\n<p style=\"max-width: 220px;\">Buckfast Dadant Hive<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator aligncenter has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"warre\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\/?page_id=358#langstroth\">Langstroth<\/a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/strong>&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\/?page_id=358#dadant\">Dadant<\/a>&nbsp;<\/strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\/?page_id=358#warre\">Warr\u00e9<\/a>&nbsp;<\/strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\/?page_id=358#leyens\">Leyens<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Warr\u00e9 Top Bar Hive<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<style>\r\n\r\n.container {\r\n   display: flex; \r\n   flex-wrap: wrap; \r\n   justify-content: center; \r\n   align-items: center;\r\n}\r\n\r\n.card1 { height: auto; width: 30%; padding: 5px 30px; display: inline-block; } \r\n.card1 > p {font-size: normal; color: green; text-align: center; } \r\n.card1 > img {border-radius: 5px; }\r\n\r\n.card2 { height: auto; width: 600px; padding: 5px 30px; display: inline-block; } \r\n.card2 > p {font-size: normal; color: black; text-align: left; } \r\n.card2 > img {border-radius: 5px; }\r\n\r\n<\/style>\r\n\r\n<div class=\"container\">\r\n\r\n<div class=\"card1\">\r\n\r\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"Warr\u00e9\" src=\"https:\/\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Hive-Warre.jpg\" alt=\"Warr\u00e9\" width=\"200\" height=\"477\">\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n<div class=\"card2\">\r\n\r\n<p style=\"max-width: 500px;\"><strong>Top Bar hives<\/strong> take many forms and their origins date back hundreds of years. The <strong>Warr\u00e9 hive<\/strong> is a top bar hive, usually referred to as \u2018The People\u2019s Hive\u2019 in France where it was designed by Abb\u00e9 \u00c9mile Warr\u00e9 (1867 &#8211; 1951) and described in his book <i>Beekeeping for All<\/i>.<br> <br>\r\n\r\nAs the hive does not use conventional frames like the other hives described so far the calculation of the number of cells available for brood in each hive box is approximate. The National hive figures are given for comparison.<br> <br>\r\n\r\nAs can be seen from the illustration the Warr\u00e9 hive consists of a tower of identical hive boxes plus floor, top bar cover cloth, quilt and roof.<br> <br>\r\n\r\nThe usual procedure is to introduce bees into a single box. When more space is required a second box is added below the first, called nadiring. This process can be repeated as often as required.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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.<br><br>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.<br><br>The roof is placed over the quilt but there is no direct passage of air from the hive to the vents in the roof.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<style> .edHiveTable { width: 100%; text-align: center; background-color: #FFFFEE; border-collapse: collapse; } .edHiveTable td, .edHiveTable th { vertical-align: top; padding: 10px; border: 1px solid #daa520; }<\/style>\n\n\n\n<table class=\"edHiveTable\">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr style=\"background-color: #daa520; color: white;\">\r\n<th style=\"width: 25%;\">HIVE DATA<\/th>\r\n<th style=\"width: 25%;\">NATIONAL 14&#215;12<\/th>\r\n<th style=\"width: 25%;\">HIVE DATA<\/th>\r\n<th style=\"width: 25%;\">WARR\u00c9<\/th>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\">Brood frame<\/td>\r\n<td>14&#8243; x 8\u00bd&#8221;<\/td>\r\n<td>Brood box cross section<\/td>\r\n<td>300 x 210mm<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\">Super frame<\/td>\r\n<td>14&#8243; x 5\u00bd&#8221;<\/td>\r\n<td>Honey box cross section<\/td>\r\n<td>300 x 210mm<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\">Frames \/ brood box<\/td>\r\n<td>11<\/td>\r\n<td>Top bars \/ box<\/td>\r\n<td>8<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\">Cells \/ brood box<\/td>\r\n<td>54,000<\/td>\r\n<td>Cells \/ brood box<\/td>\r\n<td>39,000<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\">Lug length<\/td>\r\n<td>1\u00bd&#8221;<\/td>\r\n<td>Lug length<\/td>\r\n<td>Approx 1cm<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The essential feature of Warr\u00e9 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Warr\u00e9 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This hive is not recommended for novices unless an experienced mentor is on hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator aligncenter has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"leyens\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\/?page_id=358#langstroth\">Langstroth<\/a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/strong>&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\/?page_id=358#dadant\">Dadant<\/a>&nbsp;<\/strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\/?page_id=358#warre\">Warr\u00e9<\/a>&nbsp;<\/strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\/?page_id=358#leyens\">Leyens<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Leyens Hive<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>George de Leyens<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The hive uses moveable frames 340mm wide x 440mm tall (approx 13&#8243; x 17&#8243;). 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Frame spacing is conventional with 14 or 20 frames arranged horizontally, hence the description of \u2018long hive\u2019. There are many variations on the basic hive design due to its simplicity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The hive is made from timber up to 32mm (1\u00bc\u201d) 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<table class=\"edHiveTable\">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr style=\"background-color: #daa520; color: white;\">\r\n<th style=\"width: 25%;\">HIVE DATA<\/th>\r\n<th style=\"width: 25%;\">DARTINGTON<\/th>\r\n<th style=\"width: 25%;\">LEYENS 14<\/th>\r\n<th style=\"width: 25%;\">LEYENS 20<\/th>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\">Brood frame<\/td>\r\n<td>14&#8243; x 12&#8243;<\/td>\r\n<td>13&#8243; x 17&#8243;<\/td>\r\n<td>13&#8243; x 17&#8243;<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\">Frames \/ brood box<\/td>\r\n<td>21<\/td>\r\n<td>14<\/td>\r\n<td>20<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\">Cells \/ frame<\/td>\r\n<td>7,250<\/td>\r\n<td>9,500<\/td>\r\n<td>9,500<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\">Cells \/ box<\/td>\r\n<td>152,000<\/td>\r\n<td>130,000<\/td>\r\n<td>190,000<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\">Lug length<\/td>\r\n<td>1\u00bd&#8221;<\/td>\r\n<td>approx \u215d&#8221;<\/td>\r\n<td>approx \u215d&#8221;<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">All brood figures are approximate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">George de Leyens&#8217; book, <strong><em>Keeping Bees in Horizontal Hives &#8211; A Complete Guide to Apiculture<\/em><\/strong>, 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The two major principles are : <em><strong>using local bees<\/strong><\/em> and keeping them in <em><strong>appropriate hives<\/strong><\/em> that are gentle on the bees and the beekeeper alike, and require minimal management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The USA and Spain both have large numbers of Leyens hives today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"image-container12\">\r\n\r\n<div class=\"card12\">\r\n\r\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"Leyens hive\" src=\"https:\/\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Hive-Leyens6.jpg\" alt=\"Leyens hive\" width=\"550\" height=\"430\">\r\n\r\n<p style=\"max-width: 550px;\">Leyens hive<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator aligncenter has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<style>\n.dropbtn {\n  background-color: #008000;\n  color: white;\n  padding: 10, 16px;\n  font-size: 20px;\n  border: none;\n  cursor: pointer;\n}\n\n.dropbtn:hover, .dropbtn:focus {\n  background-color: #015307;\n}\n\n.dropdown {\n  position: relative;\n  display: inline-block;\n}\n\n.dropdown-content {\n  display: none;\n  position: absolute; left: 133px; top: 2px;\n  background-color: #8fbc8f;\n  min-width: 70vw;\n  overflow: auto;\n}\n\n.show {display:block;}\n<\/style>\n<div class=\"dropdown\">\n  <button id=\"myBtn\" class=\"dropbtn\">More hives&#8230;<\/button>\n  <div id=\"myDropdown\" class=\"dropdown-content\">\n\n<div id=\"ednavgrid\">\n<div><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\/?page_id=301\">Which Hive?<\/a><\/div>\n\n<div><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\/?page_id=305#national\">National<\/a><\/div>\n\n<div><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\/?page_id=305#national-14-x-12\">14 x 12<\/a><\/div>\n\n<div><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\/?page_id=305#wbc\">WBC<\/a><\/div>\n\n<div><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\/?page_id=305#commercial\">Commercial<\/a><\/div>\n\n<div><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\/?page_id=305#smith\">Smith<\/a><\/div>\n\n<div><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\/?page_id=358#langstroth\">Langstroth<\/a><\/div>\n\n<div><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\/?page_id=358#dadant\">Dadant<\/a><\/div>\n\n<div><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\/?page_id=358#warre\">Warr\u00e9<\/a><\/div>\n\n<div><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\/?page_id=358#leyens\">Leyens hive<\/a><\/div>\n\n<div><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\/?page_id=368#dartington\">Dartington<\/a><\/div>\n\n<div><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\/?page_id=368#beehaus\">Beehaus<\/a><\/div>\n\n<div><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\/?page_id=368#topbar\">Top Bar<\/a><\/div>\n\n<div><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\/?page_id=368#flow\">Flow hive<\/a><\/div>\n\n<div><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\/?page_id=368#rose\">Rose hive<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<script>\n\ndocument.getElementById(\"myBtn\").onclick = function() {myFunction1()};\n\nfunction myFunction1() {\n  document.getElementById(\"myDropdown\").classList.toggle(\"show\");\n}\n<\/script>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Langstroth&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Dadant&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Warr\u00e9&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Leyens Langstroth and Jumbo Langstroth In 1853 the Rev. L. L. Langstroth of Philadelphia, USA, first described this hive in his book \u2018The Hive and the Honeybee\u2019. The essential feature was the systematic adoption of the principal of bee space whereby a gap around the framed combs of 3\/16\u201d to 3\/8\u201d would prevent the frames &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\/?page_id=358\" class=\"more-link\">Read more<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Popular Hives&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":301,"menu_order":12,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"inspiro_hide_title":false,"inspiro_hide_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-358","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Popular Hives - East Devon Beekeepers<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Langstroth, Dadant, Warr\u00e9 and Leyens hive described\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\/?page_id=358\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Popular Hives - East Devon Beekeepers\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Langstroth, Dadant, Warr\u00e9 and Leyens hive described\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\/?page_id=358\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"East Devon Beekeepers\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-30T15:04:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Hive-Langstroth-detail.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"16 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\\\/?page_id=358\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\\\/?page_id=358\",\"name\":\"Popular Hives - East Devon Beekeepers\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\\\/?page_id=358#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\\\/?page_id=358#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/Hive-Langstroth-detail.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-11-24T15:52:17+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-08-30T15:04:10+00:00\",\"description\":\"Langstroth, Dadant, Warr\u00e9 and Leyens hive described\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\\\/?page_id=358#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\\\/?page_id=358\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\\\/?page_id=358#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/Hive-Langstroth-detail.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/Hive-Langstroth-detail.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\\\/?page_id=358#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Get Started\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\\\/?page_id=136\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Which Hive?\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\\\/?page_id=301\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"Popular Hives\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.eastdevonbk.co.uk\\\/\",\"name\":\"East Devon Beekeepers\",\"description\":\"A Branch of the Devon Beekeepers&#039; 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