#Th hive drawit full#
#Th hive drawit plus#

The queen will continue to lay eggs in the hive body while the workers fill the honey supers’ frames with honey.Ī queen excluder is usually not necessary in hives with more than one hive body. The sole purpose of the queen excluder is to restrict the queen from laying eggs in the honey supers. The queen excluder is placed between the deep (brood) box and the honey supers. Queen ExcluderĪn optional device, this metal grid allows the worker bees to pass freely between the boxes, but the larger queen can not. The honey in these boxes is strictly for the bees and not to be harvested for the beekeeper. Inside a deep box is where the bees raise the young and store food for themselves. It is advised to use two deeps in colder regions to provide enough honey storage space for the bees during the winter.

One hive body provides enough space for 50,000 – 60,000 worker bees.ĭepending on climate conditions, the hive body may use one or two deep boxes. The heart of the colony, the hive body’s deep size, provides egg-laying space for the queen. It is placed directly on top of the bottom board, and the hive body is the tallest part of a Langstroth beehive structure. Sometimes called a deep super, brood box, or a deep, the hive body is a wooden box that serves as the living quarters for the colony. Another reason to use an entrance reducer is to protect the hive from cold drafts, keep snow from entering, and prevent mice from entering the hive during the winter months. A small opening gives the bees a better defense against guarding their hive. The purpose of using entrance reducers is to protect a hive from robbing honey bees or weak hives just starting. Usually made of wood, they have a choice of two beehive entrance hole sizes, one small and one large, so that you can make adjustments through the year. Entrance ReducerĪn entrance reducer is a small piece of wood that creates a barrier at the beehive entrance that reduces the opening’s size where the bees enter and exit. In areas that experience cold winter climates, solid wood bottoms help keep the hive warmer and improve winter moisture levels. This helps the bees not to have to work as hard to keep the hive cool. In hot summer climates, the screened bottom allows for better hive ventilation. There is some evidence that screened floors increase brood production and reduce varroa mites’ growth rate. There are two different styles when purchasing bottom boards, including ones with a solid bottom floor or a screened floor. A gap is located at the front to provide an entrance and an exit for the bees.

#Th hive drawit full#

The bottom board of a beehive is the colony floor and the structure that supports the hive’s full weight. Hives should not be placed directly on the ground but instead at least 18″ off the ground on a hive stand.Ī bottom board consists of two side rails with a woodblock across the back. It also makes hive inspections easier with less bending and lifting. It serves to keep the bottom board off the ground, keeps the hive stable, discourages ants and skunks. Parts of a Langstroth Beehive Structure Hive Stand

#Th hive drawit plus#

Upper section: The hive’s top includes the inner cover, which sits on the top box, plus a top cover to protect the entire structure.The great feature about the Langstroth is expanding by adding boxes to support the colony’s growth.

Boxes: Inside the box is where the brood, honey, pollen, propolis, and bees are housed.

This is the entrance in which the bees enter the hive and leave.

Lower Section: The lower section includes the base on which the box sits and the bottom board.

The lower section, boxes, and the upper section. The Langstroth hive can be considered to be made up of three different sections. There are two widths, including the 8 frame or 10 frames. Langstroth hive typically consists of a hive stand, bottom board, entrance reducer, two hive bodies (known as deep supers for brood), one or two supers (known as mediums supers for surplus honey), an inner cover, and an outer hive cover. Langstroth hive configuration allows the beekeeper to stack boxes of various heights. Having removable frames allows beekeepers to cause less disturbance to the bees and to do beehive inspections without destroying the honeycomb structure. Langstroth hives are made by stacking rectangular boxes with removable frames for the bees to build comb. This post will deal with the American version of the standard ten-frame Langstroth hive.

The Langstroth is the most iconic of beehive designs and is the most common beehive seen in North America.