How Are Bee Hives Made?
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Background
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Modern bee hives are based on the work of inventor L.L. Lanstroth, who desgned a bee hive with frames that bees would create honey comb in. The frames could be easily removed, inspected and the honey extracted. The empty frames could then be replaced for the bees to reuse. In the United States today, Langstroth-type hives are widely used by most commercial and hobbyist bee keepers. They are easily constructed from inexpensive wood and are very durable, usually lasting for decades.
The Materials
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Bee hives are usually made of resinous softwoods, such as cypress or pine. These woods are easy to work, inexpensive and durable in outdoor weather. Galvanized nails and wood glue hold the hive together. Hives are often painted to increase their durability. The inside of a bee hive should never be painted, but left unfinished. The bees themselves will produce a material, called propolis, made from plant resins, to line the inside of the hive. Sheet metal and metal screening are sometimes used in hive construction.
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The Bottom Board
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The bottom of the hive is referred to as the bottom board. This consists of a wooden board with a three-sided rim nailed around the top edge, the fourth side being left open to act as an entrance to the hive. Sometimes, bottom boards are fitted with a sheet of metal screening to allow for better air circulation and moisture control within the hive.
The Supers
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The next components are the supers, also known as hive bodies. These boxes, made of 3/4 inch, wooden boards, stack on top of the bottom board and are where the bees will live. Multiple square cuts made in the edges of the boards, called box joints, allow them to fit together to form the box. The upper edge of the front and back boards are routed out to make a recessed edge, from which the frames will hang in the box. The boards are then glued with wood glue and nailed together to form the super. Most hives have several supers, of different depths, depending on their use.
The Frames
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Next are the frames, which fit within the supers. Each super usually holds 10 frames, side by side, with enough space between them for the bees to move, once the frame is filled with honey comb. Frames are made of thin bars of unfinished wood, nailed together to form a long rectangle, which fit across the width of the super. On each frame, the ends of the top wooden bar extend a little past the frame itself. When the frame is placed in the super, these ends rest on the edges of the front and back walls of the super. This allows the frame to hang down freely into the super.
The Covers
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The top of the hive consists of two separate pieces: the inner cover and the outer cover. The inner cover is made of a sheet of wood with square wooden framing around its edges. The inner frame has the same dimension as the supers and rests on top of the highest super. The outer cover consists of a wooden board nailed to a wooden frame that is larger in dimensions than the supers. This allows the outer cover to telescope down over the frame. The outer cover is often clad with sheet metal for more protection from the elements.
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