Beekeeping | Pros & Cons Of Horizontal Hives? Who Made This?
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- Опубліковано 27 вер 2024
- Beekeeping may have just turned a corner for me with horizontal hives. Today, I'll start my review and experiment of running a horizontal hive this season and see if I can overwinter it.
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Thanks again David Burns for supporting a small business in NC. We enjoy watching people modified our hives to fit there needs. Over the years many of our customers have made some great comments to improve the horizontal designs . Mr Burns we are looking forward to seeing you use your experience and education to help others with understanding how to run a horizontal hive. Your subscribers have already made some great observation!!!!
We thank God every day for allowing us to be a part of the bee community.
Rickey and Ruth Roark
Nice doing business with you guys!! Great Hive.
My dad only had horizontals in Ukraine, but his hives were double walled with 2 inches in between walls for insulation. Big pillow under the roof. We had negative 35°c in winter time and bèes were fine.
Im in the south and i hunt a lot during the winter. I exclusively camp in a hammock while hunting. There is a "blanket" known as an underquilt that is shaped like a hammock that goes underneath your hammock. Something of this style comes to mind when you discuss wintering your hives with all that cold wind blowing underneath them. I might suggest at least doing a simple google search for a hammock underquilt to see what im talking about and how they work in order to keep a hammock camper warm during the winter and possibly adapting this design to keep your bees warm over winter!
I’m really excited about these hives, especially as a chiropractic student using options to maintain spinal health is important. Thanks for sharing
David, I’ve had long hives for several years and love them. They are my “go to hive”.
I attach chain to at least one side of the hive from the main box to the lid, just long enough to keep the lid open and take the stress off the hinges. Use the chain- works well!
I also have (build my own hives) decided that putting a steep peaked roof on my hives allows for more room to install feeders on top of the frames.
I also construct my hives out of 2x12 lumber to provide more insulation.
What I do in winter in Wisconsin with my horizontal top bar is make sure all the honey is on one side of brood nest. If they put honey one both sides they will run into a dead end and won't travel all the way across to get the honey on other side. You can also clip the corners of your foundation for easier travel for the bees or use some wired or foundationless frames in honey area so they can make their own travel holes. In winter I have one corner open and can use queen excluder setting as mouse guard.
I understand your concerns about wintering. Insulate their attic well. Maybe put 2 colonies in it. It's what I did with 2 weaker ones. Most heat loss is through the roof and corners. Honey stores is why I went with Lazutin frames that are basically a double deep. They have a 1/4 to 1/3 frame above brood of honey stores. They get left with 4-5 full frames of honey and resources. I use house wrap to wrap them in winter S.E. Mi. The hives in the U.P. MI have r4 foam between 2 by Lazutin hives and unwelcome boards.
Part of the magic of the layens horizontal hive is the deep frame where there is a large brood area with lots of honey above. The deeper feame gives the bees a great winter supply of honey to work up throgh during the long cold spell
I added 2 chains to the ends of mine.
And how do they keep the lid from slamming shut in a gust of wind, which is what he's asking about?
That's a beautiful looking piece of art work!! Very nice setup!!
Thank You
David I’m super interested in this option. As a veteran who’s beaten his body to pieces, manipulating, Langs is, well, a pain! This option is something I’d really consider. Very interested in your research on this.
You could use aircraft cable for support. It can swivel down when closed. Thank You for all your great info. Joe Charlier
I wrap my horizontal hive with a water heater wrap but on three sides & leave entrance side uncovered - has worked three years now.
My work dealt with a lot of aerodynamics in fuel economy, but one of the things that I work with a lot were skirts to reduce wind drag, but from what I see there it would be a simple solution to add skirt boards around the bottom of that hive in the winter time;, I would recommend pressure treated three-quarter inch plywood with aluminum on one side..
I want one!!!! Thanks for this video, David. 🙂
I purchased plans from the same vendor and built two horizontal hives last summer and overwintered my bees in them. Strong start this spring. So far so good!
David.
Tip :
Horizontal Hive Roof just needs a fixed Chain at each end. Stops any Wind topple over issue.
Just make sure its at least minimum of say 100 Degree Tilt. . .
Or that Lid could come crashing down on your Fingers ! If it's held right upright.
My H.H is just an Ex Log Storage Box, lined with a Timber Cavity, filled with Sheep's Wool ! And it has thick Timber Plank over Boards with Port Hole viewing Holes that are covered in Plexiglass It allows you to lift the upper Lid (Dead Freezers have great "Lids" ) And mine has a long lifting Handle (x1 defunct Looper Handle!) riveted on the Lid Side making Roof Lifting up a doddle.
Hope this helps. 😎
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Happy Beekeeping 2023
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My Horizontal Hive overwinters really well following a Cold Scottish 🏴 Snow and Ice Event !
Has space under that Lid for a Rapid Round Syrup Feeder and able to add Fondant Blocks easily too.
Also has an intergrated Vertical Queen Excluder after the Left orientated Brood Chamber. Then it's that QE and after that a Super Area to the Right Side. All using Langstroth Frames : Jumbo Deeps, Deeps, even Supers. Choose to preference.
As Designed so the Beek stands behind the Hive re Bees flying out at the Front Lower Entrance. 😉
Nice option for those who are Elder, Disabled, Kids, even for a "Come See the Bees" (without Bee Suit re Viewing) Comminity Hive. 👍
Do wear a Bee Veil and Gloves, minimum if opening up those Inner Plank Boards for sure !
Think my DIY H.H cost about £100 ($70) to Construct. Over a few Weekends etc. Wool is easy to come by here.
And a Log Box, Pallet Wood, a donated Freezer Lid (if no Log Box : use the Whole Freezer) that should be housed within a Timber Outer Box : looks more like a Hive than a Metal Scrap Yard. Dumped item. 🤭
Cheek out the Aussie BushBee Man YT Video.
He actually has a Dead Freezer "Horizontal Hive". Cool. . . 🙃
Looks like the “Cadillac” of beehives. Very nice!
Thanks a lot for your honest opinion. You made me reconsider buying a flow hive due to price . Now I’m really looking into this o it pricked I went to their website didn’t know how to buy them
A gabled roof might allow a taller feeding jar in the center area. Good video. Thanks
I use old webbed dog leashes to keep my top bar lids from overextending rather than chain or a fixed strut. Mostly because I had them and didn’t have surplus chain laying around and I didn’t want to buy struts but I like how they don’t tangle or cut the lid up if they get inside when closing or crush any girls like a fixed strut might.
I hammered a 6 ft garden post into the ground to prevent the box from being blown over when the lid is open. You could also attach a board to the legs, flat on the ground without making it ugly like a post does.
Enjoying your videos. Have you seen the Japanese hives? Basically a vertical box with two wires inside for the bees to build hive on. There are a few UA-cam videos about them. They look interesting. Thoughts?
furniture Folding and locking Support, would work better than gass struts i would thank the struts because the struts will keep pushing up when it's close
On the horizontal hive I built I just lay 3 inch foam over the wooden frame covers once the nighttime Temps are consistently below 40 degrees.
Can pit 2 layers of double bubble on top for winter. 1 right under top of roof and one layer right above inner covers. Last year I used wool in my roof and after follower board and ut worked well. Not sure if you like wool though. I put it in pillowcases.
Ohh I love that Hive! could they make a layens Hive like this???
David a simple long hook & eye on either side of the box will solve your problem 👍
You can use a wrap around feeder, that what I use ,and doesn't interfere with closing the hive.
Leather, such as belt leather, could be attached to each side of the lid. I've seen older suitcases use that type or reinforcement.
How do you think it will overwinter?
I do believe if I was buying a new hive, I would like one of these. Thanks for sharing this video.
Just think how much easier inspections would be with a middle entrance and a divider board on each end! Bees put the brood by the entrance and nice clean surplus honey on the ends. Consider taller narrower Layens frames for overwintering.
My first Q (before watching video) is 'how do you keep the brood frames separate from the honey "super" frames? And how to adjust the size of box to size of hive (traditionally you'd aff/subtract boxes)?
Also, how to harvest the honey? I doubt these frames fit into the traditional centrifuge.
Seems less customizable and takes up more yard space. So if you have a smaller yard, but more than one hive, you'll be really crowded! But let's see how the video goes.
For easier overwintering, could you make a hole in foundations to allow the cluster to move laterally, so they need not break cluster?
I tried that 10 years ago in Langstroth hives and it was a failure
Hinge Outlet carries locking lid supports, strong enough to lock a chair or folding table.
I run both Langs and Top Bars, and have not had problems overwintering my Top Bars. I'm in the midwest where we've had -15°F winters. I just make sure to leave enough honey on them. The biggest thing I see with Top Bar owners are they pull all or most of the honey, and then try to play catch-up in the autumn and winter with sugar syrup and fondant.
David,
I operated a horizontal hive that I designed 5 years and after 3 years of operate, your fear of how the bees will react is genuine. In my testing and research, I learned that in a single box of 33 frames, the bees never combed out more than 18 frames total (during any year). I have two entrances on each back wall and like the top bar, the bees always work from the entrance end first with an average of 8-9 brood frames, then 8-9 food frames. They never combed out all of the frames.
Winter feeding is a great challenge and candy boards are the only way I ever kept them alive. I do like the idea of the center landing porch on this design. You are correct of course, that bees like to travel UP not SIDEWAYS as I learned this lesson. Thus, this winter I am revising my Z-Top hive down to 20 frames max for the 2024 season.
Zach
NC
You can probably screw 4 pieces of plywood to the sides and run them to the ground during winter to block wind underneath and also trap some warmth from the soil. That soil sure makes a difference in water bowls for pets when you compare a regular bowl to the conventional plastic dog bowls that are hollow underneath. The hollow bowls trap the grounds heat and it takes a lot more to freeze them. I have horizontal hives and I’ll never go back to vertical Langstroth hives. I’m in Texas so I don’t really need to use the plywood.
Great review! Thx.
David, here in NY two of my hives are strong and we are still in our flow but for some reason one of my queens is not laying. She is a first year queen. Any ideas? Grateful.
I added two light weight chains on each side. Mine is made from 2x12 lumber.
Could do a strap of sorts
I've heard of beekeepers drilling a hole in the middle of the frames so the bees don't have to around the frames.
Tried that 10 years ago and it failed
If you're not planning on moving it you can put up to four by four post and use a gate lock Are metal post
Take a look at my new longlangstroth hived. Let me know what you think. Your videos are very helpful. I have had bees for 7 years in Upstate Idaho. Thank You jim
Way to go Ricky!
Thanks Matt!! 😊
I have found with my horizontal hives, they inevitably never have their brood at the entrance, they usually start 5 frames in with brood rearing
Man this thing is so clean! Im hearing alot of good about these guys and Bruce at bruce bees has ome and very solid company i would love to get one of these sometime!
I like the window under the roof. I can see using a lot of that.
Round Rapid feeder works great.
I can't help but think that you could Orient the frames front to back in three or four sections, they would be able to move across as a group. I'm also thinking that if you cut the lid to fit each section individually, you could open up one section or another without opening up the whole thing. You might even be able to open one section and set a honey super on it leave the other sections clothes. I know they do that with some top bar hives
how would you downsize the hive for winter? Is this one large hive or bricks down to a couple of smaller ones? (I've had bee for 6 weeks so have no ideas...)
Horizontal is the future. Make the opening totally adjustable and slidable to get traffic over empty frames. Find a way to make travel highways horizontally. Why has it taken so long to think outside the high hive mentality? Let's see if I'm right. I'm insulating my old grill and converting it. News at 11
Wow… you are an amazing human to pay for the work on that hive! Question.. do you have a structure where we could pay for an hour of your time to virtually meet with people to help with hives? I am needing help :)
Put the brood at one end - it can travel through the hive to use resources during winter.
I can not fathom in Illinois cold winters how a cluster can travel through frames in a horizontal position. They would have to break cluster and regroup which sometimes causes the colony to perish because the fail ronde cluster
One concern I would have is that the the inner covers (as shown in this video) have "bee space" under them. If you have the follower board in a position that does not like up exactly with the edge of one of the inner cover sections, meaning the cover spans the follower board, this means that the bees will have access over the top of the follower board. Most often I have seen these hives with much smaller slats used for the inner cover and they are completely flat and would sit flush with the top of rim leaving bee space for frames but sealing when the follower board is added. maybe not a big deal if its only one colony and you are trying to condense them, but if you have 3 colonies across divided with boards you may want to make sure they can't go between.
Hey Dave, just lower your little roof, not the hinge! I started bee keeping with the horizontal hives. They are a great hive.
I would get lifters for like a hatch back for a car from the auto parts store and play with the placement so it opens and closes 100% couple of screws and your set
As to winter feeding. Could you not consider a larger intrance feeder? They work well and can be sheltered.
Can you exclude the queen and how?
Mine have chains on each side Dave to support the top lid
Attach a small chain with screws to hold door :)
Use a chain on the lid on each end in case of wind
You can have the best of both worlds by putting supers on top all the way across your horizontal hive and do your normal overwinter feeding. You would have to remove that one big lid though.
do you have any idea on how long it takes for a hive to fill the deep frames in a horizontal hive? I know there are several variables. On strong would you be able to collect honey one a year or twice per year? Thanks
5:27. Could u cut and inch of 2 off the sides of the porch to be able to keep the hinge in place
Chains do work great on mine.
What is the recommended number of frames in should place on my hive. Should i build it to fit 20 or 32 frames?
you might want to put some type of skirting around the bottom to keep the wind out from under the hive
Use a nylon webbed strap for the "strut" to retain the lid.
I'm not a bee keeper, but what about wrapping it with an insulation blanket or 2 like people use on water heaters?
The advantage in winter is that you can give them a lot more insulation a lot more easily than in a vertical hive.
I live in the northern hemisphere near Canada I’m only 2 hours away from Canada. I like the idea of horizontal hives. I’m not getting any younger. Should I insulate the hive up to -40 climate with R 40 insulation?
Make communication holes in the
center of frames to facilitate cluster movement in the winter.
Tried that 10 years ago and didn't work
What are your thoughts on using MEDIUM frames in a horizontal hive? Not putting mediums in a long hive built for deeps, but building one that is sized for mediums. I have a bad back and am getting older. I can see a day when I can no longer work my traditional Langstroth hives. Thanks.
Should be fine
@@beek Thank you sir. I'm going to follow your advice and example and document the build and results with my phone.
Please take a look on my custom beehive…
I used chain and eye bolts
You could add some gas shocks they use for suv trunks1
Buen día, es tan amable, cuáles son las medidas internas de ésta colmena ?
Did it over winter well?
You probably need to replace your top boards with ones that are narrower. Those are like Langstroth frames in size, and the observation window/cover too, as cool as it is. A main management perk in horizontal hives is being able to remove as few cover boards as possible disturbing the bees less. Bottom blanket to insulate in winter and top insulation inside lid(cut foam to fit) you can buy big sheets at Lowes and Home Depot. You’ve most likely already addressed this since vid is 11 months old. I have no time to search through all your videos to look. It should overwinter well, like your little round hive. Good luck with your horizontal hive David.
It is a beautiful horizontal hive though. Hats off to my fellow North Carolinians on the build.
please i want to get started on bee keeping how can you help the beginners
Are one Post in the with a lock
Does the horizontal hive have enough ventilation?
Everything is going exceptionally well, so I'm going to say Yes.
How long is this hive?
How did your horizontal hive do over this past winter ?? I going to run one out here in California so I’m trying to learn about them before if give it a go ! Thanks
Was a no go in the winter here.
@@beek did the die-out or did u overwinter in a ten frame lang ??
Can you do more videos around this hive
Sure, what specifically are you looking for.
@@beek anything I just want to get more in to horizontal hives
You can call it winter be kind Lo-pro 😊😊
If its simply to guard the hinges you could use chains.
Has anyone tried melifera bee keeping in the hill?
Can you be more specific?
Hi Dave, I want to be a bee keeper.. I have never done anything with bees. But would love if we could talk.
Thank you so much for watching. I would love to talk to all 130,000 subscribers on a daily basis but the best I can do is try to make a video every other day. Even that is a FULL TIME JOB! This doesn't diminish how much I value each of you and your contribution to our community. I'm exploring ways to keep our interactions meaningful and engaging, be it through community posts, Q&A sessions, or live streams where we can chat in real time. Your understanding and continued support mean the world to me. You're not just subscribers; you're a part of this incredible BeeSquad community, and I'm excited to see where we go together.
Does this take regular frames
Yes
How did the horizontal hive do through the winter so far?
I hav horizontal hive. My husband made for me
Why in the world didn't you paint the legs? They will rot quickly left raw.
Just ⛓️🔗 on one side of it so it don't open too much
Everyone saying chain aren't taking into account the lid slamming shut from the wind. HELLO? That's why you need a locking mechanism to keep it OPEN.
I’ve never had that happen with my horizontals but I also don’t go into hives when it’s real windy.
David do not take the hinges off KT the porch
Why are my bees hanging out at the entrance? Acting like they are eating something from the platform they are walking on.
There are horizontal hives with super frames above the brood which is much better than yours.
This seems an aweful lot like a top bar but with lang frames.
Yes both are horizontal but the frames are different.
@@beek thank you for responding! I found your UA-cam channel yesterday and I'm wondering how I've missed you all these years. I love your content and your teaching style. Im here in NWArkansas and though our frost free date is not until April 15th, spring has sprung. Everything is in bloom, including the henbit and dead nettel. I was in the garden/orchard and it was literally buzzing with bee activity. They were everywhere! I have 2 pear trees in full bloom and 1 of 4 peach trees in bloom as well. I have an unused 10-frame box that I i sat out in the orchard with a jar of sugar water hoping they will move in. There are woods all around us so who knows where theyre coming from. Theres nobody in my area raising bees that i know of, so....i doubt they move in but one can hope! My garden is there and the hills are full of wild blackberries too, so they should move in!
Notch porch roof to not remove hinge and they sell nice limiter for benches trunks and other things that we use in wood working that you unlatch to lower top you can get cheap but outside would go with brass very common
Built one of these out of some scrap lumber I had. Used toy box lid supports. They are made to keep the lid from slamming down on a child.