Lesson 17: The Standard Hive, Part by Part
What each piece of a Langstroth hive is called and what it does
The standard hive in the United States is the 10-frame Langstroth hive, named after Lorenzo Langstroth, who designed it around bee space in 1851 (lesson 5). Think of it as an artificial hollow tree that you can make bigger by adding boxes or smaller by taking them away. Every part is sized so bees leave the right gaps and don't glue or wall off the parts you need to move.
Here's the hive from the ground up.
From the bottom
Hive stand. Holds the hive off the ground, keeping the bottom dry. Concrete blocks or bricks can do the job.
Bottom board. The floor of the hive, with the entrance at the front where bees come and go. Two kinds: - Solid bottom board: the traditional wooden floor. Sturdy, but debris collects on it, which attracts small hive beetles and wax moths, and rain can pool on it. Tilt the hive slightly forward (back raised a couple of inches) so water runs out the entrance. - Screened bottom board: a mesh floor. Debris falls through, and more light and air get in, which small hive beetles and wax moths don't like. Many can hold a beetle trap or a sticky board for counting mites (lesson 55). They let in more cold drafts in winter; some beekeepers cover the screen for winter, while in warm areas many leave them open all year.
Entrance reducer. A wooden strip that makes the entrance smaller, so a new or weak colony has less door to guard, and to help keep robbers and mice out.
The boxes
Hive boxes are called "supers" or "bodies." All Langstroth boxes of one size family have the same length and width but come in three depths:
| Box | Inside depth | Usual use | Weight full of honey |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deep (hive body, brood box) | about 9⅝ in | The brood chamber, where the queen lays and brood is raised | 70+ lb |
| Medium | about 6⅝ in | Honey super, or brood boxes in an all-medium hive | about 50 lb |
| Shallow | about 5¹¹⁄₁₆ in | Honey super | about 40 lb |
The brood chamber (brood nest) is the lower part of the hive, reserved for the bees to raise brood and store their own honey. Traditionally it's two deep boxes; beekeepers in mild-winter areas often use one. Some beekeepers use three mediums instead of two deeps. They hold about the same volume and weigh less each (lesson 23).
Honey supers go above the brood chamber. This is where bees store surplus honey, the honey you harvest (lesson 49).
Inside the boxes
Frames. Each box holds 10 wooden frames (or 8 in an 8-frame hive). Each frame surrounds one comb so you can lift it out without damaging it. The frames' end bars are shaped to keep bee space between neighboring combs and between the frames and the box walls.
Foundation. A sheet of beeswax or plastic in each frame, pressed with a hexagon pattern. Bees build ("draw") their comb on it, which keeps combs straight and in the frame. Lesson 19 covers frames and foundation.
Always match frame size to box size: deep frames in deep boxes, medium in medium, shallow in shallow. A too-short frame leaves a big gap underneath, and bees fill it with messy burr comb.
Between brood and honey
Queen excluder. A grid placed between the brood chamber and the honey supers. Workers can pass through, but the queen can't, so she doesn't lay eggs in the honey supers. Excluders are optional; many beekeepers using two brood boxes don't bother with one (lesson 49). Take it off before winter (lesson 14).
The top
Inner cover. A thin board that sits on top of the top box. It stops bees from building comb on the lid, and the gap under the lid gives insulating dead air. The hole in the middle can hold a bee escape for clearing bees out of honey supers (lesson 71), and some are made to hold a feeder jar.
Outer cover (lid). Keeps out weather. Two kinds: - Telescoping lid: fits over the top box with a lip hanging down all around; used with an inner cover. The usual choice for hobbyists. - Migratory lid: flush with the sides so hives can be packed tightly on trucks for pollination work.
Buy parts that fit together
"Langstroth" sizes aren't perfectly standard between manufacturers. Parts from different companies may not fit or keep bee space. Buy all the parts for a hive from the same supplier, and stick to one size family: 10-frame and 8-frame boxes, bottoms and lids don't fit each other (frames do).
How it looks:
The parts of a hive laid out: bottom board, brood boxes, excluder, supers, inner cover and lid.
What to remember
- From the bottom: stand → bottom board (with entrance) → brood boxes → (queen excluder) → honey supers → inner cover → outer cover.
- Deep boxes for brood; mediums or shallows for honey. A full deep weighs 70+ lb.
- Match frames to boxes, buy parts from one supplier, and stick to one size (8- or 10-frame).
Quick check
- What does a queen excluder do?
- Why shouldn't you put a medium frame in a deep box?
- Name one advantage of a screened bottom board.
Show answers
1. Lets workers pass but keeps the queen out of the honey supers, so she doesn't lay there. 2. It leaves a gap below the frame that the bees fill with burr comb. 3. Any one of: debris falls through; more air and light, which small hive beetles and wax moths dislike; can hold beetle traps or a mite-counting board.
Adapted from: Mississippi State University Extension, Beginning Beekeeping in Mississippi (P3594); UGA Bee Program, Getting Started: Beekeeping Equipment; Delaplane, K. S., Honey Bees and Beekeeping (UGA Extension Bulletin 1045, rev. 2017); UF/IFAS Extension, Welcome to the Apiary! (4H446); Purdue Extension, Learning About Beekeeping (4-H-1057-W).
Photo: hive parts, Dirk Pons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons).
Adapted from university Extension sources. Experienced Georgia beekeepers are reviewing these lessons. See something that doesn't match your experience? Tell us.