Bee skeps

Categories: All about bees, Bee hive keeping, How to keep bees |



Bee Hive or skep – is artificially manufactured home for bees. For centuries, the population contained bees in the non-separable bees hives (deck, nest boxes, bee skeps), and bees attached honeycombs to the ceiling and walls. Currently bees are kept in framework hives  different from non-separable skeps by moving combs, rebuilt by the bees in a special frames.

Bee hives pictures - bee skeps

 

Currently, there are many different designs of beehives, but basically they are all made by the same principle. Langstroth, Rut and Dadan Blat hives remain the most common  with some revisions . Recently, hives of Roger Delon (Alpine hive) with reduced frame as well and hives of Lapunov and Ozerov with an enlarged frame increasingly appear on hearing. There are hives with glass, in the form of drums; fully consisting of frames, which form a single body, etc. etc.. But some still use the deck for fun.

Bee hives pictures - bee skeps

Components of the modern hive

Hive consists of several parts: 
Bee hives pictures - bee skeps (4)

Housing . This is walls of the hive. They can be in various sizes, and their number in the hive can be one or more. In each case there are  grooves for the hanger frame at the top of the inside on two parallel walls. If the shells are restrictor, ie connected to each other in the quarter,  there are grooves on the inside of the walls at the bottom, and on top – with male. There are systems and with the other, the reverse of the previous example, the location of the slots + top notch even more depth to the framework. This type of spread is very rare, as less easy to work and produce. But on some of the reviews this mounting is strong and is used in areas of mountain movements.

Bee hives pictures - bee skeps

The same body may include notch. If the hive is with detachable bottom, the entrance is usually done just above the middle of the hive round with a diameter of 25-35 mm (0.98-1.37”), and there are more. If the bottom nailed to the bottom of the housing, the entrance is made slit height of 10-20 mm (0.39-0.78”) and a width of 100 mm (3.93”) to the full width of the hive. It all depends on what are the hives, how many entrances and other preferences of beekeeper. There are instances that the height of the tap hole is 40 mm (1.57”) and the entire length of the wall.  Bottom . It is detachable from the housing. It is more practical to use detachable bottoms as much easier to care bee families: you can quickly and easily perform a spring cleaning slot (usually you need only to clean the bottom), you can manipulate the body without touching the framework, which is an integral part of many techniques. Just detachable bottom is useful for certain methods of treatment of bee colonies. It is nailed to the bottom of the lower housing and the size slightly in favor of the case from the front wall. This projection is a migratory board.

Shops . This is an optional part of the hive. Shop – it’s the same housing, only shorter in height. It is used for making families for storing honey during honey flow, which would ease the hard work of the beekeeper. As convenient to use them in weak families who are unable to collect large amounts of honey, and in low trick.  Underroof . Same store, only without recesses for frames. Place it between the upper body (the store) and the roof. Click to create a upperframe space to improve conditions for wandering bees, putting it in a feeding trough, or to place a warming material. Also, some beekeepers have substituted it for the lower body to create underframe space, which beneficially affect the microclimate in the nest during the winter.

Roof . Made it out of the flat panel (of boards, plywood) and piping in which you can make the vents (for amateurs). You can cover top with thin sheet iron. It is worn on the body (shop, underoof) or scolding, or a quarter.

Bee hives pictures - bee skeps


Frames come in different designs and sizes. Frame size depends on the size of the housing.

Bee hives

Frame hives are basically all similar in structure and differ only in size. Dimensions of hives primarily depend on the number of frames, which are supposed to be used in the hive (the hive body), and the size of the framework. Also they depend on thickness the walls of the hive. Usually, you can use  40 mm (1.57”) thick board in hives with the frame 300 mm (11.8”), and the frame 230 mm (9”) – Board thickness 30 mm (1.18”). There is also the construction of hives with double walls. Everything depends on the region of residence and wishings of the beekeeper.

Bee hives pictures - bee skeps

The only thing you need to remember is the following mandatory thesis: 

  • length of the hive depends on the length of the frame (from one side to the other bars, including the size of strips themselves), and is equal to “length + 14mm (0.55”) frame.” (7.5 mm (0.29”) distance between the side plate and the wall of the hive on both sides). 
  • width of the hive depends on the number of frames and is the “number of frames multiplied by 37.5 mm (1.47”).” 
  • height of the hive is “frame height + height of folds”

Bee hives pictures - bee skeps

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Bee skeps

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