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Alternative Hive Designs Wanted

48K views 56 replies 32 participants last post by  bumbleman 
#1 ·
If you have a hive that is somewhat unique and not like any of the hives listed here (http://www.beesource.com/resources/e...-hive-designs/) and would like to have it included on this page, please contact me so I can give you the details of what I'd need from you.
 
#2 ·
Barry,

While I don't have the details, I sure wish you could get them about the AZ hive, which was used in Slovenia in their honey houses. I think it was some kind of cross between a long hive and a drawer hive. I've found plans, but I don't read Slovenian so I can't make heads or tails out of them.

I'll try and organize my links on the hives and post them. Quite interesting, to me at least.

Pugs
 
#3 ·
I seen this one hive several mths ago online and i have not been able to find it again. Im not good with names so i cant remember the name but i do know that it stated that it was the most hardiest hive to build, there was alot to the structure of the hive and that the designer who invented the hive was from up north some where! The hive had a lower area and a upper area, kind of reminded me of a chinese temple. The shape of the hive was a shape that i have not seen in any other hive. I know that this might not be much info to go by but maybe there was a site i could go to that had every hive that was invented. I would recognize it soon as i seen it again! There was alot of detail in this hive and would be a challenge to build.
 
#6 · (Edited)
This site has an amazing collection of different hive designs.
Seems like folks have been trying to build a better bee hive for a long, long time.
http://beehivejournal.blogspot.com/2010/01/alpha.html# WARNING! the links to hive designs on this page are very sloooooooooooooooooooow, but well worth the wait.

Try this link. It's an old beekeepers manual. I've really got to check this out.
Many, many designs.http://books.google.com/books?id=eT8DAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA128&lpg=PA128&dq=german+beehives&source=bl&ots=V-_gvHGLbX&sig=v_8RfJqZwoEZ_dBfrt0vVZ0bJWU&hl=en&ei=gSlKS6LtOoKrlAec2rgU&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CCkQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=german%20beehives&f=false
 
#13 ·
In Denmark we still use a traditional hive, the variations of this is endless
and some times with 2 or 3 entrences , so it is possible to have 2 or 3 familyes together during the vinter ,here is plans for a basic model.
the hive is good for beginners ,as it offers quick access and lot of spare room
for ekstra frames, gloves, veil, and what not.http://www.biavl.dk/index2.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_view&gid=54&Itemid=89 on biavl.dk there is a english site as well .
box:thumbsup:
 
#18 ·
Regarding post #3 in this topic by Honeybeekeeper - you might be describing a WBC beehive, named for it's designer, William Broughton Carr. It was common in Britain, but is considered obsolete by many. It is still around due to it's attractive appearance, and is still practical as a single garden hive (that doesn't get moved) in colder climates, as the double-walled construction keeps bees warmer and drier. It is a challenge to build, and would be most practical today to modify for compatibility with standard Langstroth hive equipment, so you can simply order standard frames, boxes, etcetera locally. The originals had inner boxes 19 7/8" square. Some use (British) National frames I have seen them for sale in the catalogs and I'll reply again later when I find one. You can Google WBC hive, and I found a good photo on www.honeyshop.co.uk/hives.html If pride in your woodworking is more important to you than producing lots of honey, by all means make one with dovetail joints and use beautiful wood. Hope this helps, good luck!
 
#26 · (Edited)
Regarding post #3 in this topic by Honeybeekeeper - you might be describing a WBC beehive, named for it's designer, William Broughton Carr. It was common in Britain, but is considered obsolete by many!
The one i seen was like a hexagon bee hive, soon as i seen it i knew it would be very hard to build but i wouldnt mind giving it a try! I believe the inventor was from Pittsburgh Pa if im not mistaken! Here is a photo of a hexagon hive that i seen online that would be interesting to build! One of these days im gonna come across that hive that im looking for!

http://gardenfreshliving.typepad.com/.a/6a00e54ece0c9e8833014e871cca93970d-320wi

Here is one i would really like to build just for the fun of it! I bet it would be very difficult!!
Carr Stewarton Bee Hive!
http://beehivejournal.blogspot.com/2011/01/carr-stewarton-hive.html
 
#20 ·
Redesigning the WBC to fit Langstroth boxes is not that difficult!

If you already have a Lang' box, build a double (dead air space) hive bottom that is 1 1/4" wider all the way around (22 3/8" x 18 3/4"). Set the Lang' hive in the middle. Glue down two locator blocks 3/4" wide to index each side of the hive body (8 blocks total), 1/2" from the outside edge.

Using 1/2" lap-plank siding, make side pieces for the tapered outer box. These are trapezoids. The top is shorter than the bottom by 1/4", the sides angle in equally. The dead air space between the boxes at the top is 1/2" all the way around, 3/4" at the bottom. Each "lift" (as outer sections are called) are 3/4" taller than the inner box. The taper fit allows them to stack, and the overhang sheds rainwater, keeping the inside warm and dry.

Lay out and cut finger box joints (or dovetails) along the tapers, being sure that the patterns from the long sides fit into fingers on the short sides (one starts with a notch, the other with a finger). The same can be done with 1/2" thick flat wood instead of lap-plank for the outer box.

Make one outer box for each inner box you stack. Make a thin-skirted telescoping cover that fits inside the outer box. Make a fancy roof - it can be matching lap-plank siding, a swoop-up pagoda style roof, or a shiny copper covered lid -- you can go as crazy as you wish, so long as the inner hive box is insulated by the outer! (I've even seen one with a dormer on a hip roof with shingles). A tunnel is built between the inner hive and the outer box so that the bees don't build comb in between the inner and outer boxes.

For that much work, I would opt for a beautiful, durable wood. I would use clear water seal or clear weather-resistant finish. I would make tracing patterns, and use scrap wood for a test-run before buying cocobolo or rosewood. It could be a beautiful accent to your garden, and a source of pride for years to come. The bees love them!
 
#22 ·
They talk about forcing the queen to swarm by restricting space and then removing a swarm plate that opens up the rest of the hive. Why would you do that?

Comb is free spirited so I guess you crush the comb for harvest.
 
#23 ·
I didn't see the part about forcing the hive to swarm. I was under the impression that the "swarm plate" on the "hex hive" was to give them just as much space as they needed... forcing swarming doesn't make sense to me either. Maybe the goal is restoring the bee population, not harvesting honey? Seems odd to me too.
 
#29 ·
I did not find the photos about requeening. But it's probably that they restrict space to put them in swarming mode. They then make swarm cells that the queen lays in. The cells are later removed and the bees are given more space to stop the swarming impulse.
 
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