# REQ: Hive construction plans/dimensions



## xC0000005 (Nov 17, 2004)

I got to see a hive for apis ceranae up close - looked like a bird house to me. They are also kept in hollowed logs (verticle) with what amounts to top bars. All frames are foundationless (no suprise) Brood frames are commonly wired to support cutting out the honey arches.


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## marcros (Jan 8, 2009)

*hives*

Some project!

To complete the project, perhaps a log hive and a swiss/german beehouse?

Smith is quite popular in Scotland and parts of England. plans are on downloads section of the Scottish Beekeepers Association website from memory.

regards
Mark


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## Stevedore (Jan 22, 2009)

Paraplegic Racehorse said:


> If anyone has plans for these others, I'd really appreciate it:
> 
> * anything else I might be forgetting, including those designed for the asiatic honeybee


Here's a link to plans for Phil Chandler's ("The Barefoot Beekeeper") version of the Kenya Top Bar Hive:

http://www.lulu.com/content/815182


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## thorbue (Dec 22, 2005)

This link will show you a Throug hive's 

in Nowegian size

http://www.biavl.dk/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=56&Itemid=89

and this one in German standard

http://www.biavl.dk/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=55&Itemid=89

The language is danish but the measurements is in metrics (mm) and should be almost understandable to an american.... 

and here's a Zander hive, even though I don't know if this is the original style.

http://www.magazinimker.de/kompatiblebeuten/kompatiblebeuten.html


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## Constance (Sep 11, 2008)

The Zander hives proposed by “AG Magazinimker” is actually NOT the one originally published by Zander. Zander has been at a scientific/educational bee research institute approx. 1930-1950 and has been the first proposing extensive migrations in central Europe. His hive was one of the first in Germany which was worked from top instead of from behind. However, he still used legs and roofs if hives were placed as singles (breeding hives). I’ll try to scan few pics from his old book next days.

“AG Magazinimker” uses hives compatible with Langstroth and Dadant boxes (same outer dimensions). Few frame sizes are at  http://www.magazinimker.de/kompatiblebeuten/raehmchensysteme/raehmchensysteme.html (Lange=length, Breite=width)
For their Zander system see  http://www.magazinimker.de/kompatiblebeuten/zanderbeutensystem/daszandermagazin1bis4zargen.html. 
The Zander frame size is still original, however various kinds of boxes are used. Many commercial beeks here use Zander as brood boxes and Langstroth mediums as honey super.

“Deutsch Normal” (German Normal) is frequently used as 11-framer with frames perpendicular to entrance. Frame size 37.0 x 22.3 cm, outer box size similar to Zander 10 framer 

Zander and “Deutsch Normal” (German Normal) are nowadays the by far most common frame sizes in Germany. However, several others do exist and are mainly used with old-fashioned beehouses.

Hope that helps


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## DocBB (Aug 26, 2010)

Adansonian Beehive (on  worldbeehiveproject )

Design by Belgian professor Roch Domergo. This is another not-popular hive, but it is distinctive in two ways: 1- It is designed specifically to house the smaller *African honeybee (Apis Mellifera Africanus)* and, 2- It is the most recently designed hive on this list, having been concieved in 1980.

Designer: Professor Roch Domerego
Year: 1980
Dimensions (internal): 320mm cube

1980, Rwanda: Professor Roch Domerego visits to discuss bees and beekeeping with local monks. The local honey bee, apis melifera adansonii, is well known for its defensiveness and local beekeepers have difficulty working their Langstroth beehives due to this. Prof. Domerego visits feral hives and notes a reduced amount of defensiveness at the hives, allowing him to count and measure. He takes notes and works with a local carpenter to develop an affordable beehive with all of the capabilities, in terms of advanced manipulations, of a Langstroth beehive. It's decided that the lowest cost way to build it is to use a single size of board and glue such slats together to make the solid walls. 

The real, key feature of this beehive is the smaller bee-space. The African bee is smaller than its European counterparts and does not get along well in the same space. By reducing the bee-space to 31/32mm, the bees calmed enough to be workable. Now, bees are being selected for gentleness, among other traits. The hive is affordable and it does offer the capability of all the advanced manipulations available to Langstroth and other framed hive types. Hats off to Prof. Domerego!

 plans availables here on apiservices


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