A beehive is an artificial shelter designed specifically by beekeepers where honey bees live in a colony order, raise their brood safely, and store honey and pollen. While protecting the colony from external weather conditions, these structures allow the beekeeper to perform maintenance, feeding, and harvest operations practically and without harming the bees.
Choosing the right equipment is of critical importance for those starting beekeeping. Today, there are different Beehive varieties developed according to the beekeeper’s working method and geographical conditions. Knowing the differences between both traditional and modern Beehive Types directly affects efficiency. Although terms like “trough” or “traditional black hive” are sometimes encountered among the public as another name for beehive, systems used in professional production have certain standards.
Langstroth Hive
The Langstroth Hive, which is the most widely used model worldwide and in our country, is the first design that comes to mind when “technical hive” is mentioned. It provides great operational convenience to beekeepers thanks to its tiered system and movable frames.
[Image of Langstroth beehive]
Design and Ease of Use
The most distinctive feature of the Langstroth model is that the dimensions of the brood box (lower body) and the honey super (upper stories) are equal. Thanks to this modular structure, frames can be easily transferred between stories.
- Standard Dimensions: Spare part supply is seamless thanks to beehive dimensions accepted all over the world.
- Migratory Beekeeping: It is the favorite of migratory beekeepers because it is easy to stack and load onto a vehicle.
- Fast Inspection: The fact that the frames are movable makes disease control and honey harvest practical.
Styrofoam (Thermo) Hive
Produced as an alternative to traditional wood material, the Styrofoam (Thermo) Hive is manufactured from high-density hard foam (EPS) or food-grade plastic. This innovation offered by technology to beekeeping creates a difference, especially regarding acclimatization.
Thermal Insulation and Advantages
These hives aim to minimize the energy bees spend to balance the heat inside the hive.
- Insulation: It reduces the bees’ honey consumption and encourages early development by keeping the hive warm in winter and cool in summer.
- Lightness: It is much lighter compared to wooden hives, reducing the beekeeper’s physical fatigue.
- Durability: It is resistant to rotting, but ventilation holes must be managed correctly for moisture control.
Nuc Hive
Known as “nucleus” structures usually with a 5 or 6 frame capacity, the Nuc Hive is narrower than standard production hives. These models are designed for technical beekeeping applications rather than honey production.
Basic Usage Areas
The usage purposes of nucs, which must definitely be present in every professional apiary, are as follows:
- Queen Bee Rearing: It is ideal for housing and monitoring young queen bees going out for mating flights.
- Colony Splitting: It is used in the initial development stage of artificial swarms (splits) taken from strong hives.
- Swarm Catching: Since it is light and portable, it is easy to collect swarms that settle on tree branches.
Dadant Hive
Preferred especially in geographies where winters are long and harsh, the Dadant Hive differs in terms of working principle and body dimensions, although it resembles the Langstroth model.
What is the Difference from Langstroth?
In the Dadant type, the brood body is significantly deeper than the honey super body. The logic of this design is as follows:
- Wide Brood Area: It offers a continuous and large area for the queen bee to lay eggs.
- Less Intervention: Thanks to the large brood volume, the beekeeper does not need to mess with the bottom part very often.
- Stationary Beekeeping: Since its body is large and heavy, it is suitable for stationary beekeeping rather than the migratory system.
Skep Hive
Representing the period before modern beekeeping, the Skep Hive consists of conical structures usually made by weaving willow branches, chaste trees, or reeds and plastered with mud.
Traditional and Natural Structure
Although its commercial efficiency is low today, it is used for cultural heritage and organic traditional log/comb honey production. There is no movable frame system inside these types of hives.
- Fixed Comb: Bees weave the combs themselves and fix them to the ceiling of the hive.
- Difficult Inspection: It is almost impossible to open it up and check the brood status or control for disease.
- Harvest Difficulty: Combs must be cut during honey harvest, which disrupts the order of the bee colony.
