Frame hive
A frame hive is a beehive in which bees build comb on movable wooden frames.
A frame hive is a beehive in which bees build comb on movable wooden frames. A frame can be lifted out of the nest without destroying the comb. The most common type is the Langstroth hive, patented in the United States in 1852.
The key to the design is bee space: a gap of ¼ to ⅜ inch (6–10 mm) that bees keep free as a corridor. Lorenzo L. Langstroth of Philadelphia was granted US Patent No. 9,300, "Bee Hive", on 5 October 1852; Cornell University Library says modern beekeeping had its inception in his movable-frame hive.
Petro Prokopovych's collapsible frame hive of 1814 came almost 40 years before the Langstroth patent (ESU). A standard Langstroth hive takes 10 frames; the deep box is 240 mm, the medium 170 mm and the shallow 144 mm. FAO notes that virtually all honey on the international market comes from movable-frame hives.
Why this matters to you. A frame hive lets the beekeeper inspect the colony and take only the surplus honey from the supers, leaving the nest to the bees. Honey from such a hive is extracted from individual frames, and the empty combs go back into the hive.
Facts
| Year founded | 1852 — US Patent No. 9,300 (Lorenzo L. Langstroth) |
|---|---|
| Country | United States (Philadelphia) |
| House range | 10-frame hive: deep box 240 mm, medium 170 mm, shallow 144 mm |
| Main use | Frames lift out without destroying the comb; bee space 6–10 mm |
How it connects to Honey & beekeeping
Frame hive → kind of → Apiary and beekeeping → kind of → 🍯 Honey
Links
- Part of
- Apiary and beekeeping
- Similar and different
- Petro Prokopovych, Log hive, Langstroth hive, Top-bar hive, Dadant hive
Frequently asked questions
Who invented the frame hive (Langstroth hive)?
Langstroth patented his hive in 1852; the Encyclopedia of Modern Ukraine names Petro Prokopovych, who designed a collapsible frame hive in 1814, the first in world practice.
What is bee space?
A gap of 6–10 mm (¼–⅜ inch) that bees keep free as a corridor between combs.
How does a deep box differ from a super?
The deep box (240 mm) is the nest; the medium (170 mm) and shallow (144 mm) boxes are supers for surplus honey.
Is it true that frames did not exist before Langstroth?
No: according to ESU, Prokopovych's collapsible frame hive dates from 1814, while Langstroth's patent is from 1852.
Can 8-frame and 10-frame boxes be stacked together?
No, they cannot be stacked on each other (MSU).
What to read next
- Top-bar hive — A top-bar hive is a hive in which bees build combs hanging from removable bars, with no frames or foundation.
- Dadant hive — The Dadant hive is a frame hive with a deeper brood chamber than the Langstroth hive; its modified form is known in Europe as Dadant-Blatt.
- Log hive — A log hive is a traditional beehive made from a tree trunk, in which bees build comb in a nest that cannot be taken apart.
Similar
Hive frame · Top-bar hive · Langstroth hive · Log hive · Honey extractor · Dadant hive
Sources
- US Patent 9,300 Bee Hive (L. L. Langstroth, 1852)
- Cornell University Library: L. L. Langstroth Journal
- Mississippi State University Extension: Beginning Beekeeping in Mississippi
- Encyclopedia of Modern Ukraine: Beekeeping (Bodnarchuk, Movna, 2003)
- FAO Bulletin 124: Honey, harvesting and processing