BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER > TOP BAR HIVES - WARRE HIVES - LONG HIVES
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Ben Framed:
> Ben. My bad back laid me out if work for a week not long before I decided to beekeep. That alone set my feet upon horizontal beekeeping. I have three of them as of now. It is like opening a file cabinet, and shifting around the around the files.
Sorry about your back Bob. I am glad you have an alternative with the long hive. 👍🏻
Bob Wilson:
Thanks, Ben.
The worst things about long langs is the footprint. They take up a lot of room for each hive, rather than stacking three or four hives on a single pallet. That problem does bug me, and I wonder about increasing the number of hives in the long run.
I come so close at times to building a standard langstroth, then my back acts up and i think... Nah. Better stick with what I got.
cao:
If you do decide to try a standard lang, consider 8 frame shallow. It may take more boxes but each one is a lot lighter. I have a couple hives that are all 10 frame shallows. They work just fine. The bees don't seem to mind.
Acebird:
--- Quote from: Bob Wilson on July 18, 2020, 12:05:58 am ---The follow board, as I understand it, is to create a false back, restricting the building of comb to the front. Since it is almost impossible to make it truly sealed, most people leave a 1/2 inch gap at the bottom, so bees that get through (and they will) can get back in again.
--- End quote ---
To me a 1/2 gap is worthless. If the bees can get through they can build comb where there are no frames. A follower board can be made so it rest on the bottom of the box and the exact width of the box if you angle each side a little so you twist it in place. Then use foam weather strip on the lid to seal off the top. If you have an 1/8 gap or larger on the board the bees are going to spend too much time on trying to seal it up. Make the board as snug as possible so the bees can seal it up quick and easy.
Acebird:
--- Quote from: Bob Wilson on July 18, 2020, 09:54:51 pm --- I come so close at times to building a standard langstroth, then my back acts up and i think... Nah. Better stick with what I got.
--- End quote ---
You're not the first to mention this but I think the excuse is not valid. I have a very bad back. By using all 8 frame mediums beekeeping is possible without danger to my back as a back yarder. By the same token no one is running anything commercial with long hives. The only advantage I see for a long hive is cost (less equipment). Not a huge difference though.
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