# All Glass Langstroth Hive



## Swobee (May 18, 2007)

Sun-fried bees, melted foundation, ventilation, weight... among other concerns hit my mind's eye. Interesting concept and you may in the end be on to something, but for now it has a thumbs down IMO.


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## SwedeBee1970 (Oct 26, 2008)

Set in a place of only morning sun & mirrored glass may help. Certain sides not in the sun could be clear. A normal lid with a mirrored glass sliding window maybe.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I've put glass sides on them and then a board to cover it...

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesobservationhives.htm#pictures

The top two pictures are of this kind with foundationless.


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## SwedeBee1970 (Oct 26, 2008)

Neat.

The thing I forgot to mention was, do they propolis the glass like they do the inner hive bodies ?


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## Dave W (Aug 3, 2002)

Why would anyone build an all glass hive using mirrored glass?


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## SwedeBee1970 (Oct 26, 2008)

Got your attention, heh ?

Just for discussion sake, Mirrored glass for reflective properties of the suns rays. Kind of like the perfect camouflage ?


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## Rohe Bee Ranch (Feb 12, 2008)

One of our beekeepers in the Madison County Beekeepers Association has built a full size 10 frame, two hive body (deeps) plexiglass observation hive and has it in his honey house/store. Great for tours and demonstrations.


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## SwedeBee1970 (Oct 26, 2008)

That would be neat to see. Got any pictures/links ?


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## Dave W (Aug 3, 2002)

>Mirrored glass for reflective properties of the suns rays . . .
Would defeat the purpose of an all-glass hive


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## SwedeBee1970 (Oct 26, 2008)

True.

Would have to work in the shade. How would the bees handle a shaded hive ?


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

SwedeBee1970 said:


> Has anyone ever made an all glass Langstroth hive ?
> Except for the frames/foundation. Not talking about the observation hive, though. And does it work ?


Diderots' Encyclopedia of 1690 has an illustration of a glass pyramid shaped hive.

I don't know why one couldn't build a glass walled Langstroth type hive. You'd just have to keep it covered and out of the direct sunlight.

Keep it in doors and keep it covered, except when you want to see what is going on.


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## SwedeBee1970 (Oct 26, 2008)

You see these type of hives a lot when researchers are studying them indoors. I remember seeing one on "Gardening By The Yard" on a Sunday morning.


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## Dave W (Aug 3, 2002)

>How would the bees handle a shaded hive . . .
My first hive was in shade from mid-day on, it survived for almost 4 years.
V-mites LOVE shade too


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## jbw (Mar 8, 2009)

I have made a glass sided stackable hive of a Langstroth design for observation. It currently is 4 medium frames high and has populated nicely throughout the past season. I have a notion I will neaten the design a bit and market it. Having all medium frames and interchangeable with my other equipment has made it user friendly.


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## RayMarler (Jun 18, 2008)

I know someone that put together an all clear plastic material 5 frame nuc. Put in a display window at the fair. The bees came out of nuc, into display case, and flew up a 20 foot clear plastic tube that had a plastic flower umbrella on top outside on the rooftop. It works really well and is a great display case. The display is closed off with screened over vent holes and air circulation fans.


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## SwedeBee1970 (Oct 26, 2008)

DaveW,

"My first hive was in shade from mid-day on, it survived for almost 4 years.
V-mites LOVE shade too."

V-mites are in the dark with standard hives. Why "Almost 4 years" ? What happened ?


How about the concept of transitional tinted glass ? Like my eyeglasses. I do believe they block out the UV rays which cause heat ? OK, rather expensive........Or just plain tinted insulated glass.


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## Rohe Bee Ranch (Feb 12, 2008)

SwedeBee1970 said:


> That would be neat to see. Got any pictures/links ?


I'll ask the beekeeper if he would like me to post some.


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## Dave W (Aug 3, 2002)

>V-mites are in the dark with standard hives . . .
A shaded hive is a bit cooler, V-mites "do better" in a shaded hive.

>Why "Almost 4 years" ? What happened ? 
I could not get the mites under control, and after a couple years w/ mite drops in the hundreds/24 hrs., the hive dwindled away during its last winter.


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## BoBn (Jul 7, 2008)

Lorenzo L. Langstroth's Beehive's had glass hive bodies, But there was an outer hinged cover that covered the hive body and upper storage chamber.



Lorenzo L. Langstroth said:


> A very great degree of protection is given to the bees against extremes and sudden changes of temperature. The space of perfectly confined air between the double glass, is one of the very best non-conductors of heat, and thus obviates the objection commonly urged against the use of glass. I have used double glass, for many years, and have found the bees to be better protected in such hives than in any others, unless where the wood is very thick, or doubled, and then the hives are both clumsy and expensive. Small covers of wood may be placed against the posts (see a, a, Fig. 2) and fastened by a button, leaving about half an inch space between them and the glass. This space, for greater protection, may be filled with tow, waste cotton, or any good non-conductor of heat.


Also, the dimensions were quite different:


Lorenzo L. Langstroth said:


> The inside dimensions of the box containing the combs, as I usually construct it, are as follows: Length, eighteen inches and one eighth. This will give room for twelve movable frames. Breadth, twelve inches and one eighth. The extra eighth of an inch is to enable me to have sufficient play for slight variations in the glass. Depth below the rabbets nine or ten inches—including in this the depth of the platform. Whatever shape is used the size of the movable frames should always be uniform so that they may fit in every hive in the same apiary.



Does anyone have such a hive (`1860s) in operation?


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## twgreen3 (Aug 22, 2008)

You could use a low-e type of glass. This may combat some of the heat. I would probably just put windows in and not make it all glass.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>The thing I forgot to mention was, do they propolis the glass like they do the inner hive bodies ? 

No.

It works best as far as observing the bees, to use foundationless otherwise the "walls" of foundation block your view...


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## MrHappy (Feb 10, 2012)

I've been thinking about doing a top-bar hive with the northern side plastic. I think it should be shaded all the time since it's angled.

What about doing only two sides plastic/glass? That way the south and west would be wood and block most of the sun, but you could still see in. Might not be as bright though since it wouldn't have light all the way though.

Just a thought.


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## quevernick (Feb 22, 2011)

A lot of TBH's have a glass window on one side or both. Generally they have a cover that goes over the window to block out the light when its not in use.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I think the sides where you can see the faces of the combs are most useful. Seeing the edges isn't as educational.


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## Metropropolis (Feb 15, 2012)

The Bowness Observation Hive:












Howto:

http://members.shaw.ca/metropropolis/The Bowness Observation Hive.pdf


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## MrHappy (Feb 10, 2012)

Those look like great hive bodies!

I would want to see the sides of my hives more than the comb actually. Since most bees seem to work from center out, you almost never get to see the bees. If you see from the side, you can look in through the frames and be able to see how much of the frames they have filled and all of the activity in the hive all the time.

Just what I was thinking.


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## BayHighlandBees (Feb 13, 2012)

some have used a plexiglass inner cover. This guy from Wyoming did that and was able to observe how the condensation forms on the top of the hive and that the bees were actually gathering it:
http://beenatural.wordpress.com/natural-beekeeping/observations/condensation/


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