# which is better Layens or long horizontal Langstroth Hive



## Newbee1961 (Mar 18, 2021)

I am a new, soon to be bee keeper. I have built a Horizontal Langstroth Hive based on plans from horizontalhives.com, but now I wonder if this is really the best hive. I am reading Bee Keeping with a Smile and it suggests deeper hives. I still have time to build a Layens Hive before and I get bees. I live in southern Oregon, zone 8. I am interested in natural bee keeping and will not be moving the hive. Any thoughts ?


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## mtnmyke (Apr 27, 2017)

Houw about a Longstroth? Probably a reason they are so popular.

Do your long lang and a traditional and go from there. Lots to learn if you're new and it will keep all your frames standardized while you see what the bees tell you and not the internet.

I started with too bar hives, long langs, etc. I now only use standard langs as they are just... Easy. Less with on how you're keeping the bees so you can focus on how to keep them alive.


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## Murdock (Jun 16, 2013)

The BEST hive depends...location (weather, temp, elevation) but mainly it's a personal thing and what your goals are. For a new beek the KISS principle is the best. Join a bee club, go to Bee School, get a mentor, go help an older beek to get some actual experience and then , when you have a little experience try several hive types and make up your own mind. Welcome to beekeeping, it's addictive. Building your own hives makes the hobby all the more fun. Build to allow for changes because experience will make you want to tweak what you already have.


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## GregB (Dec 26, 2017)

Newbee1961 said:


> I live in southern Oregon, *zone 8.*


So you have mild winters.
Long Lang is probably easiest/cheapest option.
Ergonomy for your is about the same and even better then the Layens.


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## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

I would suggest that "Beekeeping with a Smile" is not the best "first beekeeping" book to read. Dr. Leo has some interesting ideas, some of which I agree with and some of which that I don't. Learn to keep bees and then experiment with some of the alternative ways to keep bees. Don't overload the paper plate with baked beans at the summer picnic.


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## GregB (Dec 26, 2017)

JWPalmer said:


> I would suggest that "Beekeeping with a Smile" is not the best "first beekeeping" book to read. Dr. Leo has some interesting ideas, some of which I agree with and some of which that I don't


They should preface the book in *bold big letters* that both the original author and the editor/translator are/were very much dependent on *the favorable settings.*

Nothing wrong with the hive designs, btw - subject of this talk.
But those too (combined with the recomended practices) give misdirected impression of some obvious and easy "magic bullet".

Here is some of that misdirection directly from my local group:


> .....I've paid for bees from Datant & Sons for 3 years now, and if I can't successfully over-winter my 2 hives this year, I'm probably going to give up. I will admit that I haven't kept a close watch on my bees, I prefer to leave them alone most of the summer, per Fedor Lazutin's book, Keeping Bees with a Smile.
> (A vision and practice of natural apiculture)............


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## mtnmyke (Apr 27, 2017)

Newbee1961 said:


> I am reading Bee Keeping with a Smile and it suggests deeper hives.


And I got all my beekeeping knowledge from "Bee Movie." All my foraging jocks now wear little vests and everything!


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## GregB (Dec 26, 2017)

Newbee1961 said:


> I am reading Bee Keeping with a Smile and it suggests *deeper hives*.


This is not critical in USDA Zone 8.
You don't really have a winter.
The point of deeper hives is to minimize lateral moves - but those are a non-issue in mild climate.


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## farmer9989 (Feb 18, 2014)

The one advantage I can see to the Horizontal Langstroth Hive is not having to pick up loaded boxes and you can still do that by just moving frames.I'm building one to use as my working hive to use for all the drone brood I want to remove from other hives and pulling bees for nukes,storing extra honey,frames,storage of queens.resource hive.
It's all a study
sure others will have difference of opinion .


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