# Conventional Langstroth Frames in Top Bar Hive



## shannonswyatt (May 7, 2012)

That is what is called a long hive.


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## TNTBEES (Apr 14, 2012)

Search for Long Lang. There are plenty of threads with a lot of info on this site. I have 2-TBH's, 2-warre's, and 4-long langs. They are all learning lessons with unique advantages and lessons. Long langs are great as you don't have to lift boxes. If you try long langs make sure it is three boxes long. If you only do a two box it will fill up fast.


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## Sticky Bear (Mar 15, 2012)

Just follow the link in my sig and you can see the first Long Langs I have built. My next 2 will be three boxes long. They work like a TBH but use Lang equipment and I can add honey supers if needed.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

http://bushfarms.com/beeshorizontalhives.htm

By definition it's not a top bar hive if there are frames...


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## Belewsboy (Jun 6, 2012)

It would be nice to have a TB hive that had square sides, but used conventional top bars. My son's TBH's queen disappeared and although we found an opened queen cell, have yet to see brood. It would be so easy to fortify his hive by dropping some of my Lang frames with brood into it.


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## Tango Yankee (Mar 15, 2013)

Belewsboy said:


> It would be nice to have a TB hive that had square sides, but used conventional top bars.


That would be a Tanzanian TBH, wouldn't it? Those have vertical sides.

Cheers,
Tom


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## shannonswyatt (May 7, 2012)

That would be a long hive. Top bar hives don't have frames. If it has frames it isn't a TBH, Kenyan, Tanzanian, or otherwise. You could argue that you can a hive with frames and still be a TBH, but you would have to have a top bar on the frame that seals the top closed.


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## Tango Yankee (Mar 15, 2013)

You're right, he probably meant conventional frame rather than conventional top bar. Never mind.


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## shannonswyatt (May 7, 2012)

No doubt. I did see a hive that someone had pictures of that was uber wide and you could put in lang frames. You could bolt a 5 frame nuc to the end of a top bar hive as a transition tool or rescue method.


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## DarkWolf (Feb 20, 2013)

Tango Yankee said:


> That would be a Tanzanian TBH, wouldn't it? Those have vertical sides.
> 
> Cheers,
> Tom


It's similar to a Tanzanian top bar hive in form, but there the TTBH uses just top bars, a Long Lang uses full frames and can take advantage (if you think of it as that) of foundation, wires, plastic frames, etc. 

Just build a 4' box out of 1" wood the same height as a deep Lang box with the usual 3/8" rabbet down the sides. 

Poof.. Long Lang.

Assuming you need a large inner cover? Or can you just use a telescoping roof. Not sure about that. I don't do Langs... Yet.

My top bars are cut to Lang specs, so I can always put them into a Lang to have them drawn out straight, do a TBH->Lang split or whatnot.


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## NRustica (Jun 18, 2013)

shannonswyatt said:


> No doubt. I did see a hive that someone had pictures of that was uber wide and you could put in lang frames. You could bolt a 5 frame nuc to the end of a top bar hive as a transition tool or rescue method.


That's exactly how I want to get started because all the nucs around here use langstroth frames.


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## Harley Craig (Sep 18, 2012)

NRustica said:


> That's exactly how I want to get started because all the nucs around here use langstroth frames.


put them in a full size box insert top bars between the frames a couple at a time, then split it back down to a nuc. trim the top bars to fit the sides and you now have 2 hives. a lang and a TBH


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## cerezha (Oct 11, 2011)

I have the long hive with deep-box Lang dimensions but 2x long. It could accommodate standard deep frames and/or top bars. Bees love the hive! There are two main problems with this hive:
1) As many already pointed out, 2x is too short, 3x would be better from bees expansion prospective. I have no idea how 3x would be practical in terms of building and keeping... 
2) TB in deep-size full of honey is too heavy. I had a few accidents when honeycomb has collapsed inside the hive from TB, what a mess. So, I am using TBs with some side support and they worked much better than "naked" TBs.


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## captcatfish (Oct 11, 2011)

NRustica said:


> That's exactly how I want to get started because all the nucs around here use langstroth frames.


here is a pic of my tb/lang hybrid.i,m real happy with it.
http://s1283.photobucket.com/user/captcatfish1/media/IMG_0862_zpsedcd4cac.jpg.html


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## NRustica (Jun 18, 2013)

I was planning on 48" long using the natural length of a piece of plywood.


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## Sticky Bear (Mar 15, 2012)

captcatfish said:


> here is a pic of my tb/lang hybrid.i,m real happy with it.
> http://s1283.photobucket.com/user/captcatfish1/media/IMG_0862_zpsedcd4cac.jpg.html


Nice combination.


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## shannonswyatt (May 7, 2012)

NRustica, you may want to go a few inches shy of 48 inches, otherwise you will have to go longer than 48 for the roof, and you end up with a bunch of waste.


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## NRustica (Jun 18, 2013)

shannonswyatt said:


> NRustica, you may want to go a few inches shy of 48 inches, otherwise you will have to go longer than 48 for the roof, and you end up with a bunch of waste.


Thanks. That sounds like sound advice.


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## crabbcatjohn (May 5, 2013)

I couldn't find any info on Long Langs doing a search. Anybody have a link?I guess my main question is do the produce the same amount as a conventional Lang?


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## shannonswyatt (May 7, 2012)

http://www.beesource.com/resources/elements-of-beekeeping/alternative-hive-designs/urban-bee-condo-long-hive/


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## cerezha (Oct 11, 2011)

also:
http://bwrangler.litarium.com/combo-long-hive/

As for productivity - we had a discussion on beesource (link?) on this matter. It looks like some beesource members think that long hive is less productive than vertical Lang because "bees expanded vertically". There were some reports from Europe that long hives may produce up to 200 kilos (am I right? 100 kilos for sure) of honey per year, I do not remember details.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

> do the produce the same amount as a conventional Lang? 

A horizontal hive requires different management than a vertical hive. If you manage both like a vertical hive you will get more from the vertical hive. If you mange both like a horizontal hive, you'll get more from the horizontal hive...


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