How to Choose the Right Hive for Your Business?

Beekeeping as practised today is commonly referred to as rational. But why does it take this name? Basically because so-called rational hives are used, i.e. honeycomb hives that allow the rearing, inspection and harvesting of honey without destroying the nest and combs built by the bees. Mobile honeycomb hiveThe invention of this type of hive was a real revolution for beekeeping. It dates back to the mid-1800s, when the Langstroth hive, named after its inventor, was created in America. At the same time, in Germany Berlepsch devised a similar hive, which today is known as the German hive. The difference between the American and the German hive lies in the way the combs are extracted: from the top for the former, from the back for the latter. Nowadays, the most common are the American type, which all have common components: a bottom, a nest, honeycombs, a coverlet and a roof.

The Langstroth hive was the first rational beehive to be produced thanks to the work of Reverend Lorenzo Langstroth, a native of Philadelphia. He noticed that the bees had between 9 and 7 mm of space in which they could move freely. Specifically, nest spaces smaller than 7mm were all filled with propolis, while in those larger than 9mm the bees built wax bridges. This space was later renamed 'the bee space'. Langstroth applied these observations to the creation of the beehive that was named after him. He thought of inserting removable frames inside the hive, ensuring that between honeycomb and honeycomb, once built, there would be a space of 8mm, allowing the bees to move and not occlude this space. The introduction of this innovation made the beekeeper's work much easier. The Langstroth model is widespread in America, while in Europe it has been modified several times.

A first choice that has to be made is between a vertically developed hive and a horizontally developed one. Langstroth, Dadant-Blatt and Warré fall into the first group, while the Top-Bar into the second. The difference between the two is the way the hive 'grows'. In vertically developed ones, the honeycombs are added on top of the nest, while in horizontally developed ones, supports are added next to the brood frames. Although the Top-Bar is still considered to be a more "sustainable" type of beekeeping that meets the needs of bees, vertical hives are much more practical and useful for those who make beekeeping a profession. Vertical hives are easier to manage and allow a clear division between nest and production honeycombs, which is not possible with the Top-Bar. In addition, honey extraction procedures are also much simpler with ver

Another important consideration to make concerns the concept of modularity. The more hives one decides to own, the more having uniform material that can be interchanged and used for different purposes can be a real advantage. The possibility of vertically adding honeycombs one after the other is an example of modularity, as is the interchangeability of parts, the square-shaped nests (Dadant-Blatt and 12-frame Langstroth) and, finally, the feature that mainly distinguishes the Langstroth from other hives, the having nests and honeycombs of the same size. The highest level of versatility is therefore with the 12-frame Langstroth with nest and honeycombs of the same size, and the lowest level with the Top-Bar or similar hives with horizontal development.

Finally, one must also consider whether one wants to practise nomadism or not. If so, it is necessary to opt for hives with 10-frame nests, which will therefore be rectangular and lighter, and equipped with all those devices that facilitate the practice of nomadism. Here too, you can choose the model that best suits your needs. The classically defined nomadic hive has a porch at the front, which is closed with a metal grating during transport so that ventilation of the hive is still possible. However, it can be inconvenient during transport, and many beekeepers prefer to use nomadic hives without a porch to facilitate their positioning on trucks and the like.

We have already talked about the origins of this beehive, now let us analyse its characteristics and see how it differs from the others. The Langstroth hive has a nest measuring 46.5x38x24 cm. The arrangement of the frames is "cold", i.e. they are placed perpendicularly to the entrance wall of the hive. Nest and honeycomb have the same size, which allows, in the phase of maximum expansion of the family, to have a nest developed on two different modules. This modularity also allows easy division of the family, as well as the wintering of only one of the two parts. The advantages of the Langstroth hive are many. The fact that the nest and the honeycombs are the same size allows for greater flexibility in the management of the hives and equipment. Langstroth hives are easily transportable and their design favours a lower production of drones with a clear advantage in brood and honey.

Stocks and pollen are also better distributed. Finally, the ventilation process is easier. On the other hand, the modularity of this type of hive can also be a disadvantage. The honeycombs of the same size as the nest weigh a lot and beekeepers using Langstroths must also be equipped with machinery to lift the honeycombs, which are too heavy to be moved by hand. Furthermore, its rectangular structure is not really suitable for bees, which naturally build long, rounded combs. Finally, wintering can be difficult when the nest settles in between the two modules used during the summer for family expansion. Due to its conformation, the Langstroth is best suited to locations with a mild climate and abundant flowering.

The Dadant-Blatt was born as a modification of the Langstroth and therefore has many sides in common with the latter. Compared to the Langstroth, it has a greater height (31cm instead of 24), but retains the cold frame distribution. The Dadant-Blatt comes in either a 10-frame version for nomadic beekeeping or a 12-frame version for sedentary beekeeping. In many respects, it is much more practical than its 'ancestor'. The honeycomb is not built to the same dimensions as the nest, but in height it is exactly half the size (17 cm). The honeycomb is therefore much smaller than the nest and also than the Langstroth. This allows the beekeeper to produce honey even from smaller blooms and not risk being mixed with other, larger blooms.

Moreover, being smaller, it contributes less to heat loss and cooling in the nest, as well as being significantly easier to handle and move. The disadvantages, on the other hand, are that it is less modular than the Langstroth. For example, it must be ensured that there are combs available for both the honeycomb and the nest, which have different sizes, whereas this problem does not arise with the Langstroth. Furthermore, the procedures for dividing the family require more care and effort than with the Langstroth. All in all, what may lead a beekeeper to choose one over the other is mainly the type of activity he intends to conduct and what type of hive is most common in his area.

The Warré hive also falls into the category of vertically developed hives. It was designed in the early 1900s by the French abbot Warré, after whom it is named. It is smaller than the Langstroth hive and has four square modules (30x30x21cm) instead of rectangular ones. The peculiarity is that the additions of the different modules are made from below and not from above. The design of this beehive tries to imitate the shape of an empty trunk and allows bees to build their combs along supports without wax sheets or, possibly, with a modest pouring of wax to give the La to the construction of the actual honeycomb. In this way, an attempt is made to minimise the beekeeper's interventions as much as possible. A strong point of this hive is related to the control of humidity and temperature, favoured by a cover made of sawdust and cotton or jute fabric on top of which the roof is placed in the classic sloping shape.

The Top-Bar hive is perhaps one of the oldest hives still in use today. A very similar type of beehive was already widespread in Greece in the 17th century, but the Top-Bar as we know it today was created in 1964 in response to beekeeping problems in Africa. Unlike all the others, it develops horizontally and bees are given wooden bars on which to build their honeycomb. The latter is not in fact rectangular like that of the other hives, but rather rounded along the lower edges. In fact, the shape of the Top-Bar is typically trapezoidal, so that the combs can be removed without damaging them. The Top-Bar hive is very economical compared to others and it is also easy to build yourself.

Whichever hive you choose, we invite you to become a cultivator of biodiversity. Big beekeepers often exploit bees to produce honey, without considering the environment around us. Bees are yes essential to ecosystems, but like all things their abuse has a devastating negative impact. Start sustainable beekeeping with 3Bee. 3Bee monitoring systems can be used effectively on each of the types illustrated. Through constant monitoring of weight, temperature, humidity and sound, you can keep an eye on the health of your bees at all times, in real time, whatever your hives are and wherever you decide to place them. Discover the benefits of the Hive-Tech system!

Not only that, bees are not only the best living biomonitoring device, they also need nectar. Together with 3Bee they create nectar oases that will host pollinating insects and a lot of biodiversity