4 types of bee hives

There are quite a few bee hives that are common in today’s beekeeping. Each of these beekeeping hives is best suited to a particular location and is made in a different way. Below is a breakdown of the various types of beekeeping hives that are generally chosen from when choosing to engage in beekeeping.

1. Langstroth hives

Lorenzo Langstroth designed this particular type of beehive in 1860 and his idea had been to create a hive that would be used for the production of honeycomb. Today, more than 75% of the beehives found in the world are actually Langstroth hives. They take advantage of the space of the bees and the hive frames are not really glued together and not exactly filled in with a burr comb. Langstroth hives are rectangular in shape and can be made from a wide range of materials.

two. Mud and clay hives

Mud and clay beekeeping hives are quite old, but they are still used in certain parts of the world like Egypt. They are made up of long cylinders that are designed from some kind of blended mix that has no-bake mud, some straw, and manure. In the past, clay tiles were the habitat of bees and in parts of Egypt, Greece, Italy and the Middle East, there was a common scenario.

3. Top bar hives

This type of beehive was designed as a low cost solution for the rather expensive Langstroth hives. It is also known as the Kenyan hive, but it is used by many people in the world, including certain places in the United States. They are quite simple, very low cradles and have mobile frames that take advantage of the idea of ​​space for bees. The name ‘Top Bar’ comes from the fact that the hive frames only have one top bar and have no bottom or sides. You don’t need to create any kind of base because the bees build the honeycomb so that it just hangs from a top bar.

Four. Warre hives

Also known as ‘The People’s Hive’, the Warre Hive was designed by Abbot Emil Warre and is similar to the Langstroth Hive. It consists of boxes that are arranged vertically. In some cases, it uses top bars to provide support for the comb. It is quite common among beekeepers who have been practicing for a long time and have beekeeping as their main passion and source of income. The creation of space in this type of hive is done by placing a new box under the existing box. This also helps provide some heat within the hive, which is very important for the survival of the colony.