Hive Guide 2011

By
Mike Alsop

Last modified - March 2011

Contents

Intro
Hive Parts
Hive summary
The National Hive- 1920's
The Deep National Hive 1946 revised 1960
Top Bar Hive circa 2650 BC
The Dartington Hive 1975 / Beehaus - 2008
The WBC 1890
Smith Hive post 1920
Commercial Hive 1960's
Modified Dadant (MD) - 1917
Langstroth Hive 1850
Langstroth Jumbo Hive - 1905
The Warr Hive circa 1951
Rose Hive post 2000
Poly Hives
Poly Nucs
Plastic Frames
Which hive is the right one for me?
Thymol (Varroa control Treatment in syrup)

Intro
Modern Beehives
Since becoming a bee keeper a few years ago now, I've had a chance to see first hand most of the
various types of hives. As time marches on some of these hives are disappearing from apiaries and
new designs are being introduced. Last year I suffered with a prolapsed disc and as a result I had
plenty of spare time laying about doing next to nothing to do the research which lead to me creating
this guide to try and help others decide which hive would best suits your needs as a bee keeper.

The Primary function of a hive (from a bees perspective)

Bees are incredible masters at adapting to what they can find to make into a home, they don't always
select the best places to start a new nest but once they have found a new site they will often
construct several good sized combs in a matter of days working themselves literally to death to ensure
the next generation will hopefully not only survive but flourish and continue to throw out further
swarms.
I'm not even going to try and explain the processes behind how a swarm selects the most suitable
site, but I will generalise a little and say it needs to be some where dry, reasonably draft proof, free
from disease and pests, a suitable size as well as many other factors like competition from other
colonies, quantity of pollen and nectar in the local area through out the season and no doubt many
other factors we don't understand or know about as yet, but when it comes down to us humans in
most cases they will find themselves put into a box and not given a choice where they are located so it
is important they should feel reasonably happy with the hive you have provided and where they are
located or they could well abscond within a few days.
As long as you try and cover the basic requirements and place them in a clean, disease free hive in a
reasonable location which gives them half a chance the colony will adapt and will make do with what
they have been given.
If you expect to take their honey the least you can do is give them a good home in a good location.

Brand New or Second hand

An old second hand wooden hive which has seen better days picked up for a bargain may seem
perfectly adequate to us but please think again before you buy it. Consider in most cases you will
likely pay good money for your first colony so its not worth trying to save money only to dump them in
a hive which is only fit for a bonfire. If you are unsure but the hive looks in good condition use a
scrapper and remove any loose wax and propolis, then use a blow torch and scorch all the inside
surfaces of all the parts which make up the hive carefully trying to avoid turning the wood black.
Hives made from pine or ply will last you many years provided you make an effort to retreat it every
3-5 years, however cedar will last 20+ years and shouldn't require any forms of treatment. In recent
years in the UK some hives are also being made from plastic and polystyrene which can't be heat
treated in the same way, but in most cases they can be taken apart and cleaned using some
recommended disinfectants or other special solutions.

Where to start KISS : Keep It Simple See

My first recommendation to a new bee keeper would be to use the same type of hive as other bee
keepers within your local area or association and if possible start with two colonies in case one colony
has a problem, the reason I would suggest this is only a few hives have interchangeable or compatible
sized equipment so if you have a problem there is a greater chance another bee keeper will be able to
help you. For instance say during an inspection the queen is killed and the colony try to raise another
queen unsuccessfully, to solve the problem another bee keeper may be able to give you a frame with
eggs and larvae to raise another emergency queen, but for some reason you decided to go with a less
common type of hive you may struggle to find someone who can help you quickly with minimal fuss.

Most hives contain the same basic parts although the dimensions can vary greatly depending on
several factors but as a general rule you should confirm it has all the following parts included.

BS National Hive

----

Roof

----

Crown board

----

Super

----

Queen Excluder

----

Brood box

----

Floor

----

Entrance block

The Floor or hive base is a vital piece of the hive. Most floors are either made from a solid sheet
of wood to help contain the hive temperatures and keep pests out or more recently with the
increasing problems of the Varroa mite the floor may have an open wire mesh which helps remove
the unwanted mite from the hive. In addition the mesh provides additional ventilation which some
say allows you to keep a narrower entrance fitted all year around which is easier for the bees to
defend. A good size of mesh has gaps of approx 4 mm large enough to allow the Varroa mite to fall
through but small enough to keep the hive secure from most other unwanted pests. I would
recommend a mesh floor.
Entrance Block is fitted to reduce access to the hive during the winter time to help keep the
warmth in and unwanted visitors out, during the spring and summer it can be partly or fully removed
when the colony is of a suitable size to defend a larger opening and thus gives the flying bee's easier
access directly into the hive. The entrance block how ever should be refitted with the smallest
entrance if the hive is being attacked by another colony, wasps or if the weather is poor for that time
of season.
The Brood Box is generally the largest chamber in the hive, this is where the queen lives all year
round and lays her eggs, the colony will also store pollen, nectar and honey for themselves in this
chamber so its within easy reach as required. The maximum colony size is determined by the size of
this box which is different depending on the type of hive. During the Spring through to Summer when
the colony size has suitably built up, bee keepers will commonly split the colony by removing some of
the frames from the brood box which contain plenty of eggs, sealed brood, pollen and honey to start
a new colony in another hive nearby, then replace the missing frames.

The Queen Excluder is either a thin sheet of steel or plastic with rods, slots or holes in it. The
gaps are just big enough to allow a female bee through but too small to allow the slightly larger
queen or male drone bee to pass through. This then allows additional boxes or supers to be placed
above which will only be filled with honey as the queen is kept from laying any eggs in this area.

The Super is generally a shallow box of frames for the bees to store excess honey. When the
honey is capped the bee keeper will remove the super and take it away to extract the honey from the
frames. During a good year a bee keeper will often stack 2,3 or even 4 supers on top of the brood
box and the queen excluder. The supers should be removed at the end of the season to reduce down
the total amount of internal space of the hive to just a brood box or boxes to help the bees keep
warm.

Crown Board is a flat sheet of wood some times with a hole in the centre or off set to one side.
They are used primarily as a cover on top of the brood box. The board creates a barrier to separate
the different boxes of the hive and those with holes can be fitted with a bee escape or used to
support some feeders.

The Roof some hives have either a plain felt or a metal sheet covered roof, they should be made
to be a good weight to stop them being blown off in strong winds and also help insulate the hive to
trap the warmth in the brood box for winter time.

Hive Stand a simple method to keep the hive off the floor it should be tall enough 250mm or
more to allow a flow of air to pass under the hive and help prevent any fallen Varroa from being able
to crawl back up into the hive. Some bee keepers coat the legs of their hives stands with grease or
sticky tar to prevent ants and some other insects from being able to access the hive.

Hive Summary

Hive Type

Dimensions

Brood box
cells
(Approx)

Bee Space
Brood Comb area
of both sides

Full Super Weight

(Approx)

No of Brood Frames
(Brood Frame size)

National

18 1/8 x 18 1/8
460 mm x 460 mm

50000

Bottom
199 sq. in

25 lbs
11.36 Kg

11
(14 x 8 1/2)
356 mm x 216 mm

Deep National

18 1/8 x 18 1/8
460 mm x 460 mm

72000

Bottom
292 sq. in

25 lbs
11.36 Kg

11
(14 x 12)
356 mm x 305 mm

Dartington

36 1/4 x 18 1/8
920 mm x 460 mm

72000

Bottom
292 sq. in

If top supers then

same as National

11
(14 x 12)
356 mm x 305 mm

WBC

19 7/8 x 19 7/8
505 mm x 505 mm

45000

Bottom
199 sq. in

25 lbs
11.36 Kg

10
(14 x 8 1/2)
356 mm x 216 mm

Commercial

18 5/16 x 18 5/16
465 mm x 465 mm

70500

Bottom
275 sq. in

25 lbs
11.36 Kg

11
(16 x 10)
407 mm x 254 mm

Langstroth

20 x 16 1/4
508 mm x 413 mm

61400

Top
272 sq. in

30 lbs
13.64 Kg

10
(17 5/8 x 9 1/2)
448 mm x 241 mm

Smith

16 3/8 x 18 1/4
416 mm x 463 mm

50000

Top
199 sq. in

25 lbs
11.36 Kg

11
(14 x 8 1/2)
356 mm x 216 mm

Top Bar *

36 to 48 x 16 to 19
914mm to 1219 mm
x
407 mm to 482 mm

Varies

Bottom
Varies *

NA *

NA *
(varies per hive)

Rose

18 1/8 x 18 1/8
460mm x 460mm

35000

Bottom
175 sq. in

30 lbs
13.64 Kg

11
(14 x 8 1/2)
356 mm x 216 mm
190mm deep

Dadant
&
Langstroth
Jumbo

20 x 16 1/4
508 mm x 413 mm

85000

Top
340 sq. in

40 lbs
18.18 Kg

11
(17 5/8 x 11 1/4)
448 mm x 286 mm

*-

The Top Bar and Warr hives are not always made to pre-set sizes or managed in the same way by using supers.

As well as those listed above you may come across two other hives not listed above.

Beehaus this is very similar to the Dartington hive shown above.

Poly Hive or polystyrene hive, these are now available in BS National and Langstroth sizes see
the Poly Hive section of this guide.

Brood chambers
You will often hear the terms in the UK of single brood, double brood or brood and a half.
So before we begin let me explain want these mean. As a beginner most of you will start off with a
nuc or a package of bees which is on average about 8000 - 10,000 bees. It will take several months
for the colony to grow and expand to fill a single brood chamber. As a result your first year in bee
keeping should be relatively simple and you shouldn't need to worry to much about swarm control or
putting on multiple supers if the colony is given all fresh new frames which need to be drawn out
before they can be used. An average colony can still peek to about 40,000 bees in its first year if they
need to draw out all new frames which will slow the colony development down, although under the
right conditions some strains can build up to 60,000 to 70,000 bees very quickly.
Single National Brood
In the picture below, you'll notice the shaded yellow areas roughly represents the area the queen will
use to lay eggs. In most hives the queen will not lay in the outer two frames unless the colony is very
strong. More often the colony will use the outer frames to store excess honey and pollen in reserve for
when its needed. A single National chamber has enough space to home a colony of about 25,000
30,000 bees until the nectar flow starts when supers should be added for the colony to store the
excess nectar to convert it to honey.
Double National Brood
Two single chambers stacked, this gives the queen twice the area of a single brood chamber. During
inspections an expert bee keeper can look between the two chambers to see if there are any queen
cells. This option is very popular with commercial bee keepers and during the early to mid part of the
season the queen can lay almost non stop and produce a huge colony under the right conditions. A
double brood hive using National chambers is enough space to home a colony of about 40,000
50,000+ bees until the nectar flow starts when supers may be added for the colony to store the
excess nectar to convert it to honey. See below Queens and Colonies.
Brood and a Half
With the modern prolific queens some bee keepers believe the single National brood chamber is to
small and the colony will prepare to swarm once it reaches a critical size. To delay this natural instinct
a super can be placed on top of the brood chamber without a queen excluder in between to give the
queen more room to lay in both chambers through out the season. The super is not removed at the
end of the season as it will contain the vital winter stores.

Above: This is a very crude example of the laying patterns of a queen.

Queens and Colonies
It is important the colony is given enough space according to its size as the internal hive temperature
needs to be kept at about 32 34'C for the brood to develop. Too much excess space will result in the
queen not laying across the frames which can not be held at the right temperature thus stunting the
speed at which the colony grows. To little space and the colony will fill the brood nest area is filled
with pollen and nectar blocking the queen from being able to lay. As a rule it is better to give the
colony slightly more room than they need and allow them to expand into the excess space. Also bear
in mind some queens will only ever build up to a medium sized colony so giving her two full brood
chambers may be too much space and you may find the upper chamber is only used to store the
excess honey and not used by the queen for laying in.

Hives

The National Hive

1920's
The National Hive is the most popular hive in the UK. This
then makes life easier for bee keepers to purchase packages
of bees on frames and exchange equipment with other bee
keepers. Although many bee keepers believe the national
brood box is too small for a prolific queen.
The National supers when full of honey can contain 20-25 lbs
of honey plus the weight of the box and frames. This sort of
weight can be a little difficult for some people to manage
solo.

Frames
The standard brood box is 8 7/8 deep and takes 11 frames. The most popular brood frames are the
DN4 and the DN5. Both of which have the Hoffman side bars, which means the side bar is wider at
the top and narrows towards the bottom. The DN5 has a wider and stronger top bar than the DN4.
Hoffman frames tend to be favoured because they are self-spacing and do not require any extra
equipment to keep them the correct distances apart. The bevelled edges at the top of the side bar
allow the bee keeper to see clearly when pushing the frames together to help avoid any bee's getting
trapped and killed between the frames. Additionally there is a smaller contact surface area between
the frames for the bees to glue together with propolis, which makes inspections far easier.
A complete hive comprises: standard floor, brood box, a queen excluder, a super, a crown board and a
metal sheet metal covered roof.
Most National hives are made from Cedar, which does not require any preservatives as cedar has its
own natural "camphor" type preserving oils. This natural wood oil protects it from the weather and
discourages insects from eating the wood. Cedar wood is an ideal timber for hives in the British
climate and will last over 15 years.
Frame Options
11 Hoffman (self-spacing) frames in both the brood box and super plus a dummy board.
11 frames on narrow ends in the brood box plus a dummy board.
10 Manley frames in the super
9 or 10 frames on castellated spacers in the super
8 frames on wide ends in the super
Summary
This is good hive for all bee keepers as it is a reasonable size. However, the colony needs to be
carefully monitored throughout the year as a prolific queen laying at her maximum rate will create a
strong colony in a few months which could lead to problems of swarming if left unchecked. The
frames are easy to manage even when full of stores as they have long lugs to hold the frame by, most
bee keepers prefer to use Hoffman self-spacing frames in the brood chamber and Manley frames in
the super. The hive is square and can be orientated either the 'warm way' or the 'cold way', in other
words the direction of the frames in relation to the entrance.

The Deep National Hive

1946 revised in 1960
The Deep National Hive is fast becoming a very popular hive in the UK. Some Bee Keepers have either
modified their current National hives or they have bought a replacement Deep National brood box to
allow for their prolific queens. The outer dimensions of the Deep National hive are the same as the
National hive apart from the depth of the brood box which allows for deeper frames to be used. The
14x12 frame greatly increases the total number of cells per frame for the queen to lay in and also
for the colony to store greater amounts of pollen, honey and nectar in.

Frames for the deep national hive are called

14x12 which means 14 x 12 frames.
Left: I modified this National hive with a
home made 90mm eke to allow the use of
14 x 12 frames in the brood box. This is a
better option than running a brood and a
half but will requires all new larger 14x12
frames and foundation.

Left: As the colony prepares for winter they

can store a greater volume of honey on
each 14x12 frame. Underneath where the
bees are mostly clustering you can just
about make out the darker coloured comb
from where bees have emerged from these
cells over the season as this frame was
being used as part of the brood nest where
the queen has been laying eggs. Most of the
frames in this hive were close to being 50%
filled with capped honey by the end of
November '09 so even though we had lots
of snow that Winter, the colony survived and
came through strong and healthy with
plenty of excess stores.

Summary
This is an excellent hive size and better suited to a colony headed by a prolific queen. Once a BS
National hive has been modified to take the larger 14 x 12 frames and colony has more space to
expand into it will delay a colony from swarming very early into the season and it is considered
unlikely the queen will become naturally honey bound. However some bee keepers may find these
frames a little tiring to manipulate if they contain lots of capped honey but I believe the benefits outweigh this minor issue. I would recommend this option if a BS National is too small for your queen.

BS National & Deep National Hives

Since these hives are now the most common in the UK for their ease of transferring equipment
between bee keepers and the fact commercial suppliers of packages also use these hive types it has
simplified many of the problems bee keepers faced when wanting to exchange colonies or equipment.

Hive Type

Dimensions

Brood box
cells

Bee Space
Brood Comb area
of both sides

Full Super Weight

(Approx)

No of Brood Frames
(Brood Frame size)

National

18 1/8 x 18 1/8
460 mm x 460 mm

50000

Bottom
199 sq. in

25 lbs
11.36 Kg

11
(14 x 8 1/2)
356 mm x 216 mm

Deep National

18 1/8 x 18 1/8
460 mm x 460 mm

70000

Bottom
292 sq. in

25 lbs
11.36 Kg

11
(14 x 12)
356 mm x 305 mm

With a prolific queen who can lay upwards of 1500 eggs a day, the number of free cells in the National
brood box is considered by many to be too small, so careful attention is required during the spring
time to avoid the colony swarming. The Deep National (14x12) is considered by many to be more
suitable and the 70000 cells should be more than enough space to help prevent early swarming.
When a standard national sized frame
is placed between two deep national
frames (14x12) the bees will make
good use of the space and will build
fresh comb downwards from the
bottom bar. Commonly the comb cells
are made slightly larger for drone
brood (Male bees) as the bees are not
forced to follow the embossed pattern
on a sheet of foundation. This drone
comb can then be removed as part of
a pest management program when
sealed drones are present.
Left: Circled in red are normal worker cells the
other cells around these are larger and will be
used for the drone brood. (Male Bee)

This then saves the colony from

having to modify their existing worker
sized cells for this propose, drone cells are likely to attract and contain the highest levels of the Varroa
due to the drone bee taking on average 24 days from egg to male bee. Tens to hundreds of Varroa
can be removed in one go by removing this comb, although more recently this practice is thought to
be one of the causes of why some queens are not able to mate as well as they could and they only
last a couple of years as a large numbers of drones are killed each time.
Another feature many bee keepers like about the National hive is the entrance block which can be
turned or removed to give a different entrance size depending on the time of the season. Although
you may well read some conflicting advice it is generally recommended a smaller entrance size is kept
in place if a mesh floor is used throughout the season and only removed for a few weeks a year
during the main honey flows.
During the winter time when we tend to suffer higher wind speeds and driving rain and the treat of
woodpeckers it is worth securing the hive with a cargo strap and cover the hive with a fine wire mesh
like chicken wire or pin plastic bags on all four sides but making sure the entrance is kept clear.

Top Bar Hives

I have made a few over the last couple of years of different designs.

Left:This next hive design was a copy of a hive I saw

when our association went to visit Tony Herbert near
Salisbury. I have since recycled this hive as well as the
doors warped badly.

Left: This TBH was designed by Phil Chandler of

www.biobees.com and although it looks very small it is in
fact four feet long and has a greater volume than a
National hive. This design is very simple and uses
follower boards to divide the hive into different sizes
depending on what is required. Several different
entrance holes are made and then plugged with corks
when not required. The plans of this hive are free to
download. http://www.lulu.com/content/815182

Left: This hive is based on a design by

www.backyardhive.com the internal space in this hive is
much bigger than the hive above and also has an
observation window with a removable cover to allow the
bee keeper to quickly peer inside with out needing to
open the hive. This design also can use a follower board
to keep the internal space slightly bigger than the colony
needs at the time to help conserve the heat. Once a
colony has had time to build up this hive could hold a
colony of over 90,000 bees and still have plenty of space.

I collected a swarm in June 2010 to see a video of their progress click the following link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqFMKIoF0ls
Top bar hives can be made from any thing from a large plant pot to an old barrel and are by far the
cheapest form of hives, if you make your own. It doesn't need to look pretty to make a great hive.
This year I intend to leave the colony alone to see how they progress. However I will not restock the
hive once its empty as this form of bee keeping isn't for me but I will keep the hive as a bait hive.

The top bar hive has many pro's and con's compared to conventional 'framed' hives
Pro's
The colony has no barriers to contend with like queen excluder's

During inspections there is less heat loss, so less stress to the colony

Most designs can be simply divided in two using a follower board making artificial swarm splits
and queen raising very simple

No heavy lifting of supers

All combs are natural, so no man-made foundation required

Cheaper, very simple to build to your own requirements or size

No expensive additional equipment required

Closer approximation of a hollowed out tree which a feral colony would use
Con's

The combs are only held from above so are considered fragile
Reduced amounts of excess honey as the bees build their own fresh comb
Fewer bee keepers use these hive so expert advice maybe limited
Most designs are considered to be cumbersome and non-migratory
Different designs means equipment tends to be bespoke

Top Bar bee keeping pre-dates all the other types of hives, well before Victorian times when the
'frame' hives were first introduced to maximise yields of honey for commercial reasons without killing
the colony in the process. As a result the top bar hive numbers declined rapidly to the point that even
today many bee keepers frown on their use quoting some of the con's listed above. However with all
the problems faced by bee keepers the top bar method of bee keeping is considered to only be one
step away from a feral colony in the wild.
The bees are able to manage their own nest without the clutter of the frames and man-made
foundation which could well be contaminated with also sorts of unknown chemicals. The bees know
what they need and are perfectly capable of building the comb the way they want it and to the correct
cell sizes to cater for drones, as a result there is no need for them to tear down or modify worker cells
as they will construct a comb with the larger cells naturally.
During an inspection the bee keeper starts from the back of the hive, firstly removing a few of the
unused bars to gain access before moving forwards. When bars of honey comb are taken out they are
simply replaced with new bars and the heat in the brood nest area is retained as it is towards the front
of the hive where the queen and most of the colony is left undisturbed in the warmth. Less stress to
the colony is always a good thing, as the colony does not have to reheat the hive.

Left: The top bars can be made from almost

anything from strips of wood to bamboo canes, to
best mimic the natural spacing of combs in a feral
hive it is recommended the brood nest bars are
made 33-35mm wide and honey bars anything up
to 35-44mm. Starter strips can be used to help the
colony build a straight comb, each keeper has his
own favoured design from a thin strip of wood to a
bead of wax melted along the centre line.

Dartington Beehaus
Long deep hive 1975

Above: This is my home made version of the Dartington Long Hive, accentually this hive is a double
length Deep National hive, although the hive can be divided in half if two colonies need to share.
The Dartington Hive is not a common type of hive in the UK as once it is in place it is far to
cumbersome to move with a colony in it. Robin Dartington describes this hive as a break-away from
the conventional approach to bee keeping. Focusing instead on understanding the life urges in the
colony, centred on the queen, rather than the mechanical colony behaviour. His book New Bee keeping
in a long deep hive (pub. 1985) Is an excellent guide to the management of this type of hive although
the principles for each season are the same as a standard hive, until the colony is preparing to swarm
when the owner just needs to make a few simple adjustments to satisfy the colonies needs without
needing to have on-hand a whole new hive and a complete set of hive equipment ready.
In recent years the Dartington Hive concept has been renamed as a Beehaus and is being aimed more
at the trendy urban bee keeper by www.omlet.co.uk Since its release it has been the subject of many
debates and arguments over the last couple of years on various forums.
As you can see from the picture
this hive contains all the same
parts of most other hives.
A complete hive will cost over
450 so it may not be suitable for
those on a tight budget. Reading
through some of the reviews of
this hive is interesting as it clearly
has the Marmite factor.
Love it or loath it.
Time will tell for this hive but if
you are considering buying a
Beehaus I would recommend you
do some research first.

Both hive types are large and not easily moved without assistance.

WBC
1890
Named after the inventor, William Broughton Carr, the WBC has become
an iconic and highly recognisable beehive design. It is based on the
same principles as the Cheshire and Cowan but with an extra outer wall.
This provides the bees with additional insulation and quickly became
popular for its looks. However, it was rarely used commercially because
it was complex and costly to make and also inconvenient to use as the
outer covers have to be removed each time for inspection.

William Broughton Carr was a man of many talents and during his time he introduced the metal ends
used for spacing frames and also the shallow frame size which is used in supers today.
The WBC hive is still the iconic symbol of British bee keeping and is widely used throughout the UK
and makes a lovely feature in any ones garden who wishes to keep a small number of these hives.

Hive Type

Dimensions

Brood box
cells

Bee Space
Brood Comb area
of both sides

Full Super Weight

(Approx)

No of Frames in the
Brood box
(Brood Frame size)

WBC

19 7/8 x 19 7/8
505 mm x 505 mm

45000

Bottom
199 sq. in

25 lbs
11.36 Kg

10
(14 x 8 1/2)
356 mm x 216 mm

However for those with physical issues this hive may not perfectly suit you, as the outer covers need
to be carefully removed each time to inspect the hive. On a plus side the outer covers will protect the
colony inside from the elements and the void can be filled in Winter with additional insulation.
Many WBC owners now use a BS National hive inside their WBC's.

Smith Hive
This hive was named after Mr W Smith of Innerleithen, Peebles, Scotland who designed it with
Scottish weather conditions in mind, it is based on the American Langstroth design but kept to the
basic concept of 11 or 12 British standard frames. Its box shape construction was kept simple
compared to the National. The frames have short lugs which rest on rebates cut into the top of each
box. National frames can be used in this hive although the end lugs will need to be cut down to fit.

Hive Type

Dimensions

Brood box
cells

Bee Space
Brood Comb area
of both sides

Full Super Weight

(Approx)

No of Frames in the
Brood box
(Brood Frame size)

Smith

16 3/8 x 18 1/4
416 mm x 463 mm

50000

Top
199 sq. in

25 lbs
11.36 Kg

11
(14 x 8 1/2)
356 mm x 216 mm

With a prolific queen who can lay between 2000 and 3000 eggs a day the number of free cells in the
brood box is considered to be too small, careful attention is required during the spring time to avoid
the colony swarming, although many Smith hive owners turned to using a brood and half box to get
round this issue although this practice solves some problems it does take longer to manage then from
this many Smith Hive owners then progressed on to Deep 14 x 12 frames or they use a National hive
inside the outer covers.

Commercial Hives
A Commercial hive is a mere 5mm wider and longer external dimensions than a National hive which
makes the supers compatible, but instead of having side rebates the hive is a simple cuboid. Because
of this the frames are slightly larger in the brood chamber and have shorter handles or lugs. The
brood box is picked up using small hand holds cut into the external wall of the hive. Traditional
commercial supers have this same feature, which can make them difficult to hold when full of honey.
Some bee keepers therefore prefer to use National supers on top of a Commercial brood box.

Hive Type

Dimensions

Brood box
cells

Bee Space
Brood Comb area
of both sides

Full Super Weight

(Approx)

No of Frames in the
Brood box
(Brood Frame size)

Commercial

18 5/16 x 18 5/16
465 mm x 465 mm

70500

Bottom
275 sq. in

25 lbs
11.36 Kg

11
(16 x 10)
407 mm x 254 mm

The Commercial hive is considered a good sized hive and the number of free cells should be more
than enough space to prevent early swarms. Many commercial bee keepers as the name suggests
used to favour this hive as the size of frames in the brood chamber was much larger than the more
popular National frame. One of the main reasons for this was to build up a larger and stronger colony
thus maximise the honey yield that could be collected. However more recently many commercial bee
keepers prefer the modified Dadant hive or Jumbo Langstroth hive for very strong colonies.

Modified Dadant
1917
Similar in construction and design to the Langstroth the Dadant hive was introduced in 1917 by
Dadant & Sons, the American manufactures of bee keeping equipment. Charles Dadant favoured the
large brood box, deeper frames with a slightly wider spacing. The modified Dadant hive is one of the
biggest hives in use today with a brood area of almost 4000 sq ins which makes it very popular with
commercial bee keepers.

Hive Type

Dimensions

Brood box
cells

Bee Space
Brood Comb area
of both sides

Full Super Weight

(Approx)

No of Frames in the
Brood box
(Brood Frame size)

Dadant

20 x 16 1/4
508 mm x 413 mm

85000

Top
340 sq. in

40 lbs
18.18 Kg

11
(17 5/8 x 11 1/4)
448 mm x 286 mm

Frames sizes.
Top Bars 19 long
Bottom bars 17 9/16 long
Deep side bars 11 long
Shallow side bars 6 long

Brother Adam of Buckfast Abbey, Devon used this type of hive and noted in his book Bee keeping at
Buckfast Abbey (1974) that the three hives Modified Dadant, British Commercial and the Langstroth
Jumbo had sterling results compared to British Standard sized hives and others with double brood
boxes. The larger hives produced approximately double the surplus honey than standard sized hives,
and thus he changed all the hives over to Dadant's.
A MD brood box can store over 70 lbs and a super approx 43 lb which is perfect for those who wish to
encourage a large colony and in return be rewarded in a good season with plenty of honey, but they
are not suitable for all bee keepers unless you are comfortable with lifting these sorts of heavy
weights or have some assistance.

Langstroth
1850

Named for their inventor, Rev. Lorenzo Langstroth, these hives are not the only hives of this style, but
they are the most common. Langstroth patented his design in 1860 and it has become the standard
style hive for 75% of the world's bee keepers. This class of hives includes other styles, which differ
mainly in the size and number of frames used. These include Smith, Segeberger Beute (German),
Frankenbeute (German), Normalmass (German), Langstroth hive, Modified Commercial and Modified
Dadant, plus regional variations such as the British Modified National Hive.
Langstroth hives make use of bee space, a characteristic of Western honey bees which causes them to
propolis small spaces (less than inch), gluing wooden parts together, and to fill larger spaces (more
than about 3/8 inch) with wax comb, but to hold an intermediate space open for bees to pass through.
His cleverly designed hive makes use of bee space so that frames are neither glued together nor filled
with burr comb - comb joining adjacent frames.
Langstroth hives use standardized sizes of hive bodies (rectangular boxes without tops or bottoms
placed one on top of another) and frames to ensure that parts are interchangeable and that the
frames will remain relatively easy to remove, inspect, and replace without killing the bees. Langstroth
hive bodies are rectangular wooden or Styrofoam boxes that can be stacked to expand the usable
space for the bees. Inside the boxes, frames are hung in parallel. The minimum size of the hive is
dependent on outside air temperature and potential food sources in the winter months. The colder the
winter, the larger the winter cluster and food stores need to be. In the regions with severe winter
weather, a basketball-shaped cluster typically survives in a "double-deep" box.
Ten frames side-to-side will fill the hive body and leave the right amount of bee space between each
frame and between the end frames and the hive body. Langstroth frames are often reinforced with
wire, making it possible to extract honey in centrifuges to spin the honey out of the comb. As a result,
the empty frames and comb can be returned to the beehive for use in the next season.
Quoted from http://www.wikipedia.org

Langstroth Jumbo
1905

This modified Langstroth hive was introduced in 1905 by A. N. Draper in the USA. It uses a brood box
deeper by 2 3/16 than a standard Langstroth. In 1968 E. J. Tredwell at Sparsholt College Winchester
began to advise students to adopt this hive and this practice was continued by Mr John Cossburn who
taught my mentor Mike Holloway.

Hive Type

Dimensions

Brood box
cells

Bee Space
Brood Comb area
of both sides

Full Super Weight

(Approx)

No of Frames in the
Brood box
(Brood Frame size)

Langstroth

20 x 16 1/4
508 mm x 413 mm

61400

Top
272 sq. in

30 lbs
13.64 Kg

10
(17 5/8 x 9 1/2)
448 mm x 241 mm

Langstroth
Jumbo

20 x 16 1/4
508 mm x 413 mm

85000

Top
340 sq. in

40 lbs
18.18 Kg

11
(17 5/8 x 11 1/4)
448 mm x 286 mm

Due to its large brood frames the queen always has plenty of space to lay even during the spring build
up when the colony is rapidly expanding. The Hive is treated the same as a regular hive throughout
the season, although one or two frames can be replaced with dummy boards to reduce the box size
for winter time or if the queen is not a prolific egg layer.
Some would argue this hive is to large and would say its not suitable for all bee keepers as its weight
makes it to cumbersome to move, but for those keepers who want to move their bees once or twice a
season to maximise honey production the colony needs to be strong with a good ratio of foraging bees
to young bees.

Langstroth

Langstroth Jumbo

Warr Hive
(?-1951)

Responding to the obvious decline in bee keeping

in France since his youth, Warr experimented with
some 350 hives of various designs with the aim of
producing a hive that was simple, economical, beefriendly and assured a surplus for the bee keeper.
The result was his People's Hive (Ruche Populaire)
whose construction and operation he described in
his book Beekeeping For All (L' Apiculture Pour
Tous, 12th edition).
Warr's hive comprises tiers of identical boxes fitted
with top-bars, but no frames. Its essential design
and usage features can be summarised as follows:
hive-body box internal dimensions 300 x
300 x 210 mm, with projecting handles.
eight 36mm centred 24mm wide top-bars
resting in rebates in each box (NO FRAMES)
wax starter strips under each top bar
(NO FOUNDATION)
flat floor, notched with a 120mm wide
entrance, alighting board,
coarse weave cloth covering the top-bars of
the top box
100 mm high 'quilt' boxed filled with straw, sawdust, wood shavings etc., retained with a cloth
gabled roof containing a ventilated 'loft' and separated from the quilt by a mouse-proof board
the bees build natural comb in the first (top) box and extend downwards into further boxes,
new boxes are added at the bottom
one or more boxes of honey are harvested from the top after the main flow
the bees winter on two boxes of comb containing a minimum of 12 kg stores (France)
honey is harvested by draining, or by centrifuging combs in baskets
At the spring visit, the hive is expanded by one or more boxes, containing with starter strips or
comb.

A very important feature of Warr's method is that the hive is opened in the strict sense only once a
year, namely at harvest. In spring the addition of boxes underneath does not necessitate a hive
opening in the sense that the heat is let out. The importance of the retention of nest scent and heat
for bee health and productivity was discussed by Johann Thr in his book Bee keeping: natural, simple
and ecological (1946) which also discusses Abb Christ's (1739-1813) hive that is almost identical in
concept to Warr's.
No frames
Even in early editions of Bee keeping For All, Warr advised against using frames as shown in the 5th
edition:
'Nowadays, I recommend without hesitation the People's Hive with fixed combs, even for very large
enterprises. However, out of respect for the freedom of my readers, I will describe the People's Hive in
its three forms: fixed comb, ordinary frames, open frames with closed ends.
This web site is premised on the 12th edition of Bee keeping For All which describes the top-bar
version of his hive only. But, for the sake of completeness, we provide a translation of the pages of the
5th edition describing the two versions of his hive with frames, the latter having no bottom-bars.

Present day bee keeping with the Warr hive

The geographical focus of Warr bee keeping is France and the hive was also initially used in Belgium
and Switzerland. The first in use in Germany and Russia were populated in 2006. An experiment was
started with six modified www.mygarden.ws/ModifiedAbbeWarreHive.htm In 2008, bee keepers in
Canada, USA (including Alaska) and Spain made Warr hives in readiness for spring 2008. By late
2009, Warr bee keepers were also known in Australia, Austria, Brazil, Croatia, Estonia, Italy, Japan,
Latvia, New Zealand, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Sweden and Uruguay.
There is a Warr bee keeping thread in the forum at Top Bar Bee keeping with the Barefoot Bee
keeper www.biobees.com/forum
Technical drawings for constructing an authentic Warr hive http://www.selbstversorgerforum.de/bienen/bilder/Emile_Warre_Technische_Zeichnungen_engl.pdf
Complete newcomer to bee keeping? Please read the page of advice on http://warre.biobees.com/beginner.htm

Summary
If you want to manage your colony and preform
inspections and create splits and prevent
swarming this type of hive is not for you.
Although its principles and design are some thing
to be admired.
I would recommend reading the English
translation of his book although at times it can
become a little confusing but never the less it is
aimed more at the purist type of bee keeper who
wants to be hands off and allow the colony to
look after themselves from year to year, even if
the colony builds up and divides by swarming.
The principle behind this is to catch the swarm
and re-home them in another hive or use a bait
hive to attract the swarm.
Left: Marc Gatineau's transparent Warr hive on
to its third box. From
http://www.apiculturegatineau.fr
Left: If you saw this hive at a show I would bet it
would be the main attraction in the bee and
honey tent, although being made out of acrylic or
perspex it would need to be kept in the shade
and covered when not on display most of the
time. Despite the down sides of needing either a
hoist or three people to help manage the hive
when a new box is added, the purist side of me
would love to build this see through hive.

Rose
One-size-Box-Hives

Rose Hives simply have one box size and one frame
size, each box measures 460mm x 460mm x 190mm
deep which is the same as a National box but shallower.
This allows the bee keeper to interchange any box or
any frame in any hive. One minor draw-back is the
weight of one of these boxes when full of honey will be
30-35 lbs which is difficult to manage for some
keepers.
There is a pdf file on the Rose hive website which
explains how to manage this hive, but to give you a
quick summary.
The management of this type of hive is simple, over
winter the bees are contained in two boxes, early into
the season the first two boxes are swapped around
when the brood starts to expand then the third box is
added in-between the first two boxes and then another
box is added again if required up to around June time.

During the season the bee keeper just adds

another box on top of the brood nest box as
and when required until the end of the
season. The bee keeper then takes all but
the bottom two boxes away for extraction
and the bees are left to build up for winter.
There is no need for a queen excluder as
the upper boxes will be clear of brood and
by the end of the season the top boxes will
hopefully be filled with capped honey.
This method encourages and needs a very
large colony to maximise the comb building
and the numbers of flying bees to bring in
large amounts of nectar and pollen
throughout the whole year.
This type of hive would not be suitable for every bee keeper because of the heavy lifting required
during management to get to the brood nest area. However the Rose box is sold at Thorne's for
approximately 10 a box (March 2011), which is excellent value for those on a budget. Be sure to buy
the correct size frames and foundation for this hive. Standard National frames will not fit as they are
too deep for these boxes.
Rose website is www.rosebeehives.com
Tim Rowe has recently written a very good book about his hive and how to manage it and
I would recommend buying the book even if you do not buy his hives.

Polystyrene Hives
Over the last few years the popularity of poly
hives in the UK has grown. The long winter
freeze we had 2009-2010 have boosted sales
sharply. I managed to find several suppliers on
the internet and after hearing so many good
things about one of them I decided to buy a
complete hive with two medium chambers and a
rapid feeder from Modern Beekeeping in
Devon. The most popular size of poly hives is the
Langstroth, purely because it is the most
common hive around the world.
Left: The hive shown comprises of a mesh floor
with a varroa tray accessed from the back of the
base, full deep brood, 2 mediums and a roof.
Over the last few months more accessories have
been released: A reversible entrance block /
reducer, Queen excluder screen and no doubt
several more accessories will be released soon.
I shook swarmed a large colony into mine in August and fed them close to 3 gallons of inverted syrup
to help get them started drawing out the frames and building up plenty of stores for winter.
(see the section on plastic frames)
Left: My first impression of the hive was very
good, solid construction, very simple to put
together and very tough considering its only
dense polystyrene. It came with frame hanger
supports (Yellow plastic strips) which simply
slide in place before you add the side walls. As
you can see this version has a raised lip to
prevent water from getting in between each
chamber and also helps to keep the hive
properly aligned when stacked.
Although I have yet to prove this for myself, I
am reliably informed the colony will utilize
every face of all the frames, the queen will
even lay in the end frames next to the poly
hive wall as the hive temperature remains
suitably stable unlike its wooden counterparts.
The 40mm thick walls becomes a benefit in the
Summer as the poly does not absorb so much
direct sun light saving the colony the trouble of
needing to fan so much at the entrance to
keep the hive temperatures stable.
One very minor draw back is the need for a hive strap to stop the hive being blown away when windy
but I use straps on all my hives during winter anyway. Although not shown above it is recommended
the outside surfaces should be painted before being used to reduce any UV damage.

Polystyrene Nuc

Left: Modern Beekeeping Langstroth Deep Nuc

Right: Paynes Bee Farm BS National Nuc

Both six frame nuc's shown are very well designed, tough and great value for money. Ideal for a new
bee keeper, swarm collection queen rearing and selling on with colony included.
Modern Beekeeping Langstroth Deep 6 frame Nuc - 35 (March 2011)
This Nuc is made from high density polystyrene, it comes in three parts: Floor with mesh, Body &
Roof. It has a good sized slot entrance at either end and uses the same plastic frame hanger strips as
the full size hives. The nuc can be divided in half (3 frames) by using a board. (supplied as an extra)

This design also allows more than one body

chamber to be stacked on top of each other
like any other type of hive.
Another great feature is the roof can be
reversed and used as a travel screen.
Although not released as yet a plastic mesh
(like a queen excluder) is placed between the
nuc body and the roof or two ventilated pieces
can inserted into the unpainted slots at either
end of the roof. (see in the top left picture)

Paynes Bee Farm BS National 6 frame Nuc - 27.50 (March 2011)

This Nuc is made from high density polystyrene and comes in just two parts: Body & Roof.
Compared to the MB nuc the roof seems a little thin as its not 40mm thick. The in-built feeder is a
great idea and comes with a simple wooden float. The plastic mesh in the floor is fixed although it
would be simple enough to replace it with a rectangular piece of mesh and four screws. There is a
single entrance of approx 4 bee spaces. (see top picture)

As you can see in the picture above the feeder is a reasonable size and a small piece of queen
excluder can be placed into the slot to stop the queen from accessing the feeder.
Hygiene - One of the many reasons why seasoned bee keepers will advise new bee keepers not to
buy a poly hive is hygiene.
I would disagree and believe all poly hives are in fact much better than wooden hives in terms of
dealing with hygiene. For years one of the best methods to sterilise a wooden hive is to use a blow
lamp on every inner surface once the frame holders have been removed. However for those who want
to use poly hives or nucs using a product like Miltons sterilising fluid is 100% safe and just as effective
in 15 minutes.
If you suspect you may have AFB or EFB contact the National Bee Unit - BeeBase.

Plastic Frames / Comb

Several different types can be bought via the internet.
Perma-comb

Above: This plastic frame the cells are already fully pre-drawn, the manufacturers claim the frame
can be placed in a hive and will be used almost immediately. On the down side this type of plastic
frame is very expensive and only available in the USA.
Below: This version of plastic frame needs a layer of wax. The plastic foundation will act as a guide of
the bees to work from when drawing out the frame.

Below: This picture shows a close up of the cell pattern. (Worker cell size)

To apply a layer of wax a small fleece roller is dipped into a pan of molten wax and simply rolled onto
the plastic comb surface a few times to give a generous even coverage.
Currently this sort of plastic frame can be bought in both Langstroth medium otherwise known in the
UK as Dadant shallow and also in full deep or full depth sizes. I have heard it will be available shortly
in Jumbo Langstroth and Standard National and possibly Deep National sizes soon possibly in 2011.
Using plastic frames / comb
I've read many positive articles about plastic frames and generally most traditional bee keepers would
advise against using them, I'm sure this is due to they have always used wooden frames and sheets of
foundation and don't like change even though the wooden versions work out to be quite expensive to
replace.
So when I bought my poly Langstroth hive I opted to buy 20 plastic medium frames, just to see for
myself how they preformed as they only cost 1.50 + VAT each which is a fraction of the cost of the
wooden versions.
Preparing the frames with a layer of wax was simple even with a paint brush. A week later I shook
swarmed a strong colony into the hive and feed them a gallon of syrup at a time. It took a little while
for the colony to accept the frames but as they had no choice but to use them they quickly began to
draw them out. As soon as they finished a frame the queen was quick to lay in the cells and I noticed
during one inspection how much easier it was to see the tiny eggs against the black plastic.
These plastic frames will last many years and will not absorb any chemicals, they can be used in an
extractor. Every few years the wax can be simply scrapped off or steam cleaned and re-coated with
wax and the frame is ready to be used again in no time.
On a personal note I think poly hives and plastic frames could be the future of bee keeping and over
many years they could well end up replacing their wooden counterparts as our weather continues to
surprise us each year.

Which hive is the right one for me?

There is no one right answer to this question, but I hope you have found this guide to be useful in
some small way with a little bit about some of the popular types of hives being used today. As you can
see there is a wide variety of equipment to choose from, some of which in my opinion is far better
than others if you take into account modern prolific queens, your region, your local climate, weather
type of hive and of course the most important of all the flowers, plants and trees where you live.
Consider the following before you buy.
Do I want a large hive and large colony
Am I capable of lifting this hive for inspections or will it need to be relocated
Are spares and replacement parts easy to obtain for the hive
Do other local bee keepers use the same equipment in case of a problem
Design or functionality, beauty or beast or other (WBC Dartington Poly & Plastic)
Cheap or expensive (Top bar - others)
Storage space for additional equipment
Plus no doubt a few more that I haven't listed, but before you spend lots of money have an idea how
much you are willing to spend and remember the additional cost of frames, foundation, feeders,
smokers, hive tools and of course your protective gear. Bee Keeping doesn't have to be expensive or
time consuming unless you want it to be. There is no one method or answer that will suit everybody.
Provided your bees are given a fair chance they will hopefully reward you with some honey every year.
However sooner or later you will have a problem, thankfully though every association will have
members who are willing to assist you, most of which are more than happy to answer an email or chat
on the phone and some will be happy to visit your hive and advise you first hand.

Don't be afraid to ask for help, as far too many bee keepers give up after one bad season.
Two golden rules for New Bee keepers
Only open your hive if you really need to inspect it, even if the weather is fine, this is one of the
biggest design faults with traditional hive designs and the most likely cause of so many problems by a
novice bee keeper who just wants to take a quick look inside the hive. Imagine for one minute how
you would feel if on a cold day some one opened all the doors and windows in your house and let all
the heat out. Its simple enough for you to close them all again and turn on the heating, but the bee's
don't have this luxury they need to reheat the hive back up to about 93' F or 34' C which not only
takes time but a lot of energy and on top of this there is a very good chance some of the newly laid
eggs and larvae may be chilled and will die if they are not kept warm.
What to look for before opening a hive
Numbers of bee's flying in and out
Are they bring in pollen and if so what colour so it can be checked on a pollen chart
Are there guard bees at the entrance
Are there lots of bees bearding or gathering out side the entrance
Are there wasps trying to get in
Look on the ground for dead bees, larvae or anything else other than a few bees who may of died in the hive
Check the colour banding of the dead bees to confirm if they are yours or invaders
Look for drones (males) if any
Are they aggressive / defensive when you approach the hive, loudly buzzing and bouncing off your veil
Listen for any differences in the hive hum
The smell of the hive is it pleasant or foul
Check the Varroa tray (if fitted) for signs of Varroa, nosema or other signs of problems

Each of the above should tell you some thing about the condition of the colony, so much so that some
experienced keepers don't even need to open the hive to check inside.

Thymol treatment for Varroa

8 grams thymol crystals
12 grams of any type of oil - sunflower, rape, olive etc.
Multiply these measurements to make more.

Process
Gently warm the oil with the crystals in it using an old pan outdoors until all the thymol
crystals have dissolved then add 20 ml of this mixture to a block of the green absorbent
garden oasis. (not the grey one)
The oasis block size should be approximately 50mm wide, 90mm long, and 8 mm thick.
Place the oasis in a container and pour the mixture in, leave overnight to soak in.
To treat a colony cut the block in half and place the two parts on top of the brood frames
over the brood area. Reduce the hive entrance to about 50 mm and block off any holes in
the crown board and insert a clean varroa tray under the mesh floor.
Give a second treatment after two weeks and repeat again after another 2 weeks to ensure
every varroa is exposed to the vapour.
At the time of the second and third treatments move any remaining blocks of oasis to the
outside of the brood nest area. However some colonies may remove the oasis themselves,
others don't touch it or just nibble the corners. It makes no difference as it still works really
well. Inspect the varroa floor the next day for dead mites. The treatment should be applied
during warmish weather, some bee's may gather outside near the entrance for a couple of
days others take no notice.
This treatment will not have any ill effects to your bee's or queens additionally it will help to
prevent chalk-brood and is much more effective than most other forms of treatment.
This was tested on around 5000 hives over a period of time in Spain.
An increasing number of bee keepers use this method as their only form of treatment
against varroa each year as it is very effective.
For Nuc's use half this dose.
Do not use when supers are on or during a nectar flow.
It can be used on a swarm as soon as queen starts to lay but for best results before brood is
sealed.
It is recommend when shook swarming to new frames or artificially swarming and times
when the colony is brood less
Alternative method of application is to fold a tissue into 4 and add a single dose and place it
into into a seal-able plastic container add a sheet of grease proof paper and repeat the
process until you have as many as you need to treat your colonies.

Thymol Treatment in Syrup

The original recipe is simply 30g of thymol crystals dissolved in 150 of surgical spirit or
isopropyl alcohol which will keep indefinitely and you add up to five ml of this per gallon of
syrup feed, or if to simply stop fermentation 5ml per 3 gallons.
The problem with the above mixture is the oil tends to float on top of the syrup, obviously
some of it is in the entire mix, but not in an equal suspension so therefore not being stored
in the combs as I would like it and I believe is more effective if emulsified.

Emulsified Thymol pre mix.

30g thymol crystals placed in honey jar, add 5ml of surgical spirit or isopropyl alcohol to the
crystals, place jar into a water bath of boiling water to speed up the dissolving process.
In another jar pour in 140 ml of boiling water and add 1 teaspoon of lecithin granules and
stir well and place this jar into a water bath of boiling water stirring often for about ten
minutes or until most of the lecithin granules have dissolved. Strain the mixture through a
tea strainer or fine cloth to remove any granules that have not fully dissolved, then simply
add the dissolved thymol to this mix and shake well. It will look just like a jar of milk.
To use add 5ml to each gallon of syrup and stir well. The syrup will go milky unlike when
using the old original mix.
Do this outdoors - If the mixture forms any crystals at a later date tip into old small pan and
reheat gently and stir until they dissolve.
In the past I have on occasion added two teaspoons of the old original mix 10ml per gallon
with no ill effects on the bee's at all but 5ml is plenty.

From the author of the article.

Last Spring I tested every colony for nosema, I had 20+ colonies with a heavy nosema
infection. I started to treat them in the very mild weather in Feb and they all responded
really well to treatment. Some of the colonies were later given complete comb changes, but
not all. Later in Spring a few more colonies also got nosema that previously tested clear,
obviously drinking from the same contaminated water supply that had been crapped over by
some of the infected colonies, so every hive in the affected apiarys were treated.
Last Autumn every full size colony and nuc was fed with thymolated syrup and this Spring I
have yet to find any signs of nosema in any colony even the weaker one's and even in the
one's that previously had very heavy nosema and had no comb changes.
These colonies are in fact boiling over with bee's at the moment and many have had second
brood chambers added, some were over wintered on double broods and are incredibly
strong, some will be having two nuc's taken from each one very soon. Also as a slight side
note I have detected no varroa mites in the vast majority of hives, very very few in some,
and no oxalic used at all.

When I first put together this guide I never imagined how popular it would be, over the last 12
months it has been downloaded over 2000 times and the feed back I've had has been fantastic so a
huge thank you to all of you who've taken the time to contact me. I've tried to list as much factual
information here about the most common types of hives and when able tried to find multiple sources
quoting the same information to be as accurate as possible but if these sources are wrong then I
apologise in advance as I do not wish to mislead anyone reading this guide.
How I started
I started with two colonies in BS National hives, sadly one the colonies was already on the verge of
collapse and being a novice, I didn't see the warning signs until it was to late, within 3 months the
colony was no more. I bought two more packages with new queens and thought my troubles were
over, both colonies decided to supersede their queens before the end of the season. Thankfully both
colonies raised a new queen each and both managed to mate successfully although very late in to the
season. Both colonies made it through the winter and during the following year I split them when they
started to produce lots of queen cells, I also took over a colony from a retiring bee keeper and
exchanged a home made top bar hive for another colony. In 2010 I was lucky enough to collect a few
swarms and so I now have 6 good strong colonies and 1 smaller colony in a nuc going into winter
2010. I managed three of these colonies on what is known as brood and a half, in other words they
had a national brood chamber and a super to give the queen plenty of space to lay in, this method
I've found to be tiring and too time consuming to inspect fully but as a result these colonies produced
a nice crop of excess honey and I took 33 lbs in spring and a further 90 lbs at the end of summer
which I was more than happy with. In 2011 I will learn to graft for queen rearing and hope to produce
plenty of spare queens and I will finally convert all my remaining BS National hives into 14x12 and
build up several new colonies in poly Langstroth hives on plastic frames.
Bee keeping for me is purely a hobby and there is nothing better than watching a colony grow to the
point they decide to make preparations to swarm. This to me is their way of saying they are healthy,
happy and I must be doing some thing right. Of course there is no denying taking a crop of honey in
Spring and the end of Summer is also really rewarding and also helps to pay for this hobby.

Left: After entering several classes in my

associations honey show in 2009 for the first
time and being awarded two first and a
second place prize I was eager to enter again
in 2010.
Although sadly my entries of honey failed to
really impress the judge to earn me more
than a third place. I was lucky enough to win
first place in the large block of wax class and
a first place in the photography class again
for the second year running, but best of all
and much to my surprise I was also awarded
the Moore challenge trophy for the best
exhibit in show for the honey classes for my
large block of wax which even if I say so
myself was nearly perfect and also won the
BBKA Blue Ribbon for best over all exhibit in
the show.

So be good to your bees and in return they will be good to you.

The information given is from several different sources.
http://www.wikipedia.org
http://biobees.com
http://www.thorne.co.uk
http://www.rosebeehives.com
http://www.modernbeekeeping.co.uk
http://www.paynesbeefarm.co.uk
http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk
A huge thank you to Mark for creating the bee keeping forums and to some of the other members for
reading through this guide and helping me along, a special thank you to Rooftops aka John the owner
of the Modern bee keeping for answering all my questions about poly hives and plastic frames and Tim
Rowe of Rose bee hives for all his help. Without all their help this guide would not of been as accurate
or contain as many types of hives as it does.
Plus I should also say thank you to those people who gave me permission to use their website pictures
and use some of their descriptions.
This document is free to all (free-ware) as all the written information is freely available on the internet,
most of the pictures were taken by me with exception those from the listed sites. I have not given any
one permission to use this guide in part or full to be sold. If you have paid money for this guide or
this guide was included with other documents you purchased please let me know as this guide was
solely written as an aid to all bee keepers to help them decide which hive would suit them best.
Mike Alsop
Admin@fdbka.co.uk
If you suspect you may have AFB or EFB please contact the National Bee Unit - BeeBase.