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Author Topic: Langstroth Long Hive  (Read 22639 times)

Offline texanbelchers

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Re: Langstroth Long Hive
« Reply #20 on: November 20, 2015, 02:24:08 pm »
This is really brilliant.  I've acquired a couple of ten frame ideal boxes and want to run all ideal frames,  but also would like to try top bar style specifically for ease of access and lack of lifting while I'm learning. 

When fitting a nuc into one of these would you put them in the middle,  letting them expand side to side, with the entrance to the centre of the long side (coolwise?) or to the middle of the short end (warmwise?) with the bees at the front door end of the hive and expanding towards the rear?

Also,  once full,  would you then be able to add a section vertically,  say an 8 frame super, or even a couple of them for honey flow?

There are different schools of thought, but most recommend that the hive start on one end instead of the middle.  For clustering in the cold you want them to be on one end and work toward the stores on the other.  The entrance can be on the end or side; cold way or warm way doesn't seem to matter.  It is more an issue of convenience for you and the available flight path.  If you are going to divide it then holes like the picture in the original post work well.

To make things easier, make your follower boards first.  Use them for alignment when you mount the long side boards.  Then you know they will fit without tweaking them.  This really applies to KTBH builds.  :)

Offline capt44

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Re: Langstroth Long Hive
« Reply #21 on: November 22, 2015, 09:51:42 am »
I started mine in the center and as they filled out the frames I moved the follower boards out. My entrances are 1 1/4 inch holes drilled upwards at an angle to keep rain from getting into the hive.
I built mine to where I can add 10 frame langstroth boxes on top if necessary.   So far I haven't had to go vertical yet.
Richard Vardaman (capt44)

Offline Joe D

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Re: Langstroth Long Hive
« Reply #22 on: December 02, 2015, 02:49:47 am »
I haven't built a Langstroth long hive yet, I do have Langstroth 10 frame deep, medium and shallow supers.  It would be better if I only ran one size but I use deeps for brood and med and shallow for honey.  I also have a TBH, this year I did put a super on it and tried a dozen jars with a small piece of cone stuck in the bottom/top when on hive.  They did work the super, not so much on the jars.
As for the weight of the Lang supers part of the time I care supers to exchange with the full ones when collecting honey and a dolly.  You can put on a new super or check the frames to see if they are completely capped and swap out the frames with new ones and put the full frame in the super on the dolly.  That way you are only lifting a frame at a time also.  Some of my shallow supers I will have 8 or 9 frames in the 10 frame super, they will have a good bit of honey.

Good luck to you all,

Joe D

Offline capt44

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Re: Langstroth Long Hive
« Reply #23 on: January 15, 2016, 01:55:12 pm »
Here it is January 15th and we've had some cold weather, not much but some down in the mid 20's at night.
I didn't see much activity as the other hives lately and was worried about them.
One of my students came by and helped me go into the hive.
I slapped the side of it and nothing happened.
We lifted the top off and I picked up the center inner cover and low and behold there they were.
They started coming out madder'n who thought it.
It was full of bees and the frames were filled out too.
I got the inner cover back on and put the top on and got the hell out of Dodge.
I got popped 3 times and they followed us all the way back to the shop.
Yep I'd say the gals are doing good.
I've got a drain tube hang'n out of my belly so I had to have help for spell.
But all in all the bees in the long hive are showing a lot of promise.
Richard Vardaman (capt44)

Offline gww

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Re: Langstroth Long Hive
« Reply #24 on: January 15, 2016, 02:32:50 pm »
Capt..
Quote
I've got a drain tube hang'n out of my belly so I had to have help for spell.
But all in all the bees in the long hive are showing a lot of promise.

Good to know the bees seem to be doing well in the long hive.  I will start in spring in a lang but do have two long langs built for when I get enough bees or catch a swarm.

As far as the tube.  You have your gall bladder removed or cancer or what?  Whatever it is, I hope you are doing well and am glad you are still checking on things even if it is with help.  Wishing you well.
gww

Offline LowCountryTopBars

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Re: Langstroth Long Hive
« Reply #25 on: January 26, 2016, 07:15:37 pm »
Here is a picture of a Langstroth Long Hive I built and just got setup.
It holds 31 deep frames and has 2 follower boards.
I have 4 inner covers made and in place so you don't have to open the whole hive at one time, just sections.
I moved a colony of bees from a 5 frame Nuc into the hive a few days ago.
I figured they would be clustered where the old hive was located but no they accepted the long hive right off.
I have 2 inner covers with feeder wholes, 2 3/4 inch, for a quart jar type feeder.
For the entrances I drilled 1 1/4 inch holes at an angle up to deflect rain.
I also mounted the hive to a 4x4 treated post on each end set in the ground 24 inches.
This hive will be extremely heavy so I set it up permanent.
While it was in the wood shop I kept calling it my casket.

  I have six top bar hives with two of them populated.  Hope to get bees in all of them this spring.

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Offline capt44

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Re: Langstroth Long Hive
« Reply #26 on: January 26, 2016, 09:07:38 pm »
GGW -- nah I haven't got cancer. Just some abscesses that keep showing up in my stomach area from past surgeries.
Anyhow I go back to the Doc Thursday to see what she's got to say.
I told her I was raising queens this year even if I had to crawl on my hands and knees to do it.
They ain't keeping this ole feller down.
Richard Vardaman (capt44)

Offline gww

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Re: Langstroth Long Hive
« Reply #27 on: January 26, 2016, 09:47:17 pm »
Capt..
Quote
They ain't keeping this ole feller down.

Thats great. 

I noticed the post before you and the pictures.  I find this site too hard to add pictures cause of the having to resize them and my ineptness in doing so.

Dad had simular issues with previous operation sites and had some of them surgically smoothed out.  He is still doing well and with your objects of interest keeping you interested and not dwelling on the bad parts, I look forward to reading lots more of your post.  I wish I could get a little of your swarm catch success to rub off on me.

Good luck
gww

Offline capt44

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Re: Langstroth Long Hive
« Reply #28 on: May 01, 2016, 09:42:13 am »
Alright here it is May 1st, 2016 and the bees in the long hive are doing fantastic.
I keep spreading the follower boards out and adding 2 frames to each side.
That way they won't have too much empty space to guard at a time.
I move the honey frames to the outside and the empty ones in.
I have treated them with oxalic acid vapor and they're doing great.
I'm going to build 4 more this year.
But first I've got to build 15 langstroth hives.
I've got more bees coming in than Carter's got liver pills.
But for brood I love these long hives.
Easy to inspect.
Richard Vardaman (capt44)

Offline canadiyank

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Re: Langstroth Long Hive
« Reply #29 on: June 29, 2016, 02:53:36 pm »
I love that, great idea. Seems to be the best of both worlds.

Offline capt44

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Re: Langstroth Long Hive
« Reply #30 on: September 04, 2016, 01:04:34 pm »
Alright here is an update on my Longhive 9/4/2016.
I went into my hive to see how the gals were doing and check for hive beetles.
I seen no hive beetles.
The population is large.
I expanded the follower boards out so now they have 30 frames.
Which I only added 6 frames, 3 on each end.
I moved some full frames of honey to the outside and placed the empty frames towards the center of the hive.
I am building 4 more of the Long Hives this winter about 12 ft apart so I can bush hog the weeds down between the hives.
I use Permethrine SFC 36.8% as a ground drench to break up the life cycle of the Small Hive Beetles if I ever do get an infestation.
So far I love this setup.
Richard Vardaman (capt44)

Offline anderspv

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Re: Langstroth Long Hive
« Reply #31 on: December 05, 2016, 06:10:08 am »
Anyone have plans for the Langstroth Long Hive.  I would love to get building one this winter.  Any help will be AWESOME!!!!!!

Offline Michael Bush

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Re: Langstroth Long Hive
« Reply #32 on: December 05, 2016, 09:04:31 am »
Mine are all mediums now because that's what size frame I run, but when building a deep long Langstroth hive I have done this:

Make the frame rabbets 3/4" deep.  This leaves 3/8" beespace at the top.  Rip the boards for the sides 10 1/2" wide.  Use 1/4" luan for the bottom  The "ends" should be 19 7/8"  I would make the sides 46 1/2".  This means with the ends screwed on the total length will be 48".  Cut the frame rabbets 3/8" wide and 3/4" deep.  You can do this with two cuts on the table saw or you can use a dado blade and do it with one cut.  I make a butt joint with the ends running past, but if you want to make finger joints they will hold better.  Screw together with 2" deck screws.  The bottom is 19 7/8" by 48".  Nail, staple or screw it on.  I would make the top out of 3/4" plywood, 20" by 48".  I like a small top entrance on the end, so I would chisel or route an entrance into the cover so they have 1/4" to 3/8" tall 2" long entrance.  It is nice, but not necessary, to have some kind of smaller inner covers so you don't have to expose all the bees at once.  Say 6" x 20" strips of 1/4" luan plywood and put those on before the cover.  I would set all of this on bricks, blocks or treated wood.  If I put legs on them they blow over...
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Offline gww

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Re: Langstroth Long Hive
« Reply #33 on: December 05, 2016, 11:17:10 am »
I made two almost exactly like michael has writen.  The truth of the matter is that it was studying michaels web site that I was able to make my mind up on building this hive and also why I ended up just cutting a 45 degree angle on the top bar of my frames for a comb guide.  I haven't put bees in either of the long hives yet.  I also did not cut the frame rest 3/4 inch and had to add a shim around the top for bee space.  I did do the double top of small boards and then a top (single sheet) above that and did put mine on leggs.

I was looking for a photo to post but had a computer crash and must have lost them when I reloaded my computer back to factory.  I am running a couple of lang hives and may never put bees in the long hive.  I do believe that with what I know now that if you make a long lang hive in this fassion it does not give you the bennifit of ease of building compared to a lang hive that was one of the big incentives to build a long hive for me.  I do believe that if I ever do use them that having interchangable frames with the langs will be a binnifit.

Just my take on it.
gww

Offline capt44

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Re: Langstroth Long Hive
« Reply #34 on: April 13, 2018, 12:04:29 am »
Here it is April 12, 2018 and the bees in the long hive are still doing fantastic.
This is 3 years now.
I'm considering building 4 more.
Richard Vardaman (capt44)

Offline cao

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Re: Langstroth Long Hive
« Reply #35 on: April 13, 2018, 12:59:11 am »
I've only had bees in mine since I put a swarm in them last spring.  They filled about 20 deep frames last year.  I haven't been able to check my bees yet this spring(darn weather) but they have been flying every chance they get. 

capt44, I already beat you to it.  I built 4 more this winter.  They are ready for bees as soon as the weather allows.

Offline little john

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Re: Langstroth Long Hive
« Reply #36 on: April 13, 2018, 05:53:30 am »
But it's a decision I still regret having made, as the lack of inter-changeability of frames is proving to be a real pain in the backside.
LJ

I wrote that back in 2015.  Since then I've changed my mind about that particular frame size '180' ! 

While I still agree that it's highly desirable to have one size of frame in an apiary - those deeper (12") frames have made a world of difference: they are so much better for all sorts of reasons.  Indeed, I'd now happily convert the whole apiary over to 12" if it wasn't that 9" (8.5" to be exact) are the most commonly used brood frames over here, and it's the size that purchasers expect nucs to be supplied on.

I was so pleased with the 12" depth that I tried one box with 14" frames for 2 years, but decided that the improvement - whilst noticeable - wasn't sufficient to warrant yet another frame depth.  But the idea of even deeper frames hasn't gone away.  Over this winter (2017-8) I've made a set of 17" frames which I'll get drawn-out in a stack of two 8.5" Brood Boxes, then take it from there.

For Langstroth Long Hive buffs - it might be worth trialling a box of Jumbo frames - just to see what happens ... ?
LJ
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Offline skeeter0999

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Re: Langstroth Long Hive
« Reply #37 on: February 11, 2019, 08:13:51 am »
Here it is April 12, 2018 and the bees in the long hive are still doing fantastic.
This is 3 years now.
I'm considering building 4 more

Capt44:
I just built 2 lang longs and was wondering how are yours were doing?  I'm in my 4th year with 6 langs and 4 warres all of which are from local swarms or traps.  Having just turned 62 the ease of inspection of the long lang appealed to me.   I will either do a split from a double deep lang or catch a swarm for the long lang. 

Mike

Offline cao

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Re: Langstroth Long Hive
« Reply #38 on: February 11, 2019, 05:04:52 pm »
Welcome skeeter0999  :happy:.

Update on mine.  The first one continued all summer well.  And is still doing well so far as the last warm spell.  The 4 new ones filled about halfway during the summer and are also still alive as of the last warm spell.

Offline skeeter0999

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Re: Langstroth Long Hive
« Reply #39 on: February 13, 2019, 08:48:33 am »
Welcome skeeter0999  :happy:.

Update on mine.  The first one continued all summer well.  And is still doing well so far as the last warm spell.  The 4 new ones filled about halfway during the summer and are also still alive as of the last warm spell.


How many frames does your box hold and what kind of top do you use?  I have quilt boxes on all my hives and the bees seem to love them, I was considering putting quilt boxes on these.   My long lang is 45" with deeps built with 3/8" ply for walls and 1.5" stringers copied from rhaldrige off of beesource.  i plan to set it on blocks or a leg like platform in case i want to move.

 

anything