WehavekeptbeesfordecadesinconventionalAmericanLangstrothbeehives.Twoeventschangedourcourse.ThefirstwastryanAfricantopbarhive.Beingcynicswemadethefirstoneascheaplyaspossibleoutofacardboardbananabox.Theresultswerestunning.OurAfricanbeethatisnormallysoquicktoturndefenseintoattackbecamefarmoremanageable,andproducedmorehoney.Therainscame,andthecardboardwentsoggy.Wethenforsookourorganicwaysandresearchedmodernmaterialsfortwoyears.
Weadoptedcorrugatedplasticforthehivebody,andkeptthedimensionsofthestandardLangstrothframe,designingourownstronger,cheaperwoodenmoveableframe,toenableustomanouverthebroodarea.Thisframehashowevera32mm.widetop,asthisisthecorrectwidthforAfricanbees,asopposedtothe35mm.intheEuropeanraces.WedesignedthefirstsuspendedhiveafterthetraditionalAfricanroundloghive,whichhasbeensuccessfulintheAfricanwoodlandsforthousandsofyears."SemperaliquodnovisexAfrica".Throughserendipitythereweretwodramaticspinoffs.
VandalismdroppedtozeroasthetraditionalmethodofstealingistokickaLangstrothhiveortwooverofanevening,andwaitforthebeestoreturntothenowexposedclusterandsufferfromcold.Itisdifficulttoattackahive2metersofftheground,butapleasuretoserviceitatwaistlevel,orfromthebackofthefarmtruck.
Thehealthofourcolonies,andtheirhoneyproductionweremarkedlybetterthantheLangstrothsinthesamebeeyards.
Specifics
Thecolonyofbeesremaintogetherinonehivebody,andarenotseparatedintodifferentbroodandsuperboxes.TheQueenpheremone,thatmagicalchemicalthatassuresallthecolonymembersthatall'swell,remainsatahighlevelinthecluster,andsowedonothavethedevelopmentoflayingworkersinthesupers,asoccursinLangstrothhivesinwinter.UntilthearrivalofVarroaJacobsoniiin1997thiswasthegreatestprobleminSouthAfricanbeekeeping.WehavenotexperiencedVarroaasyet,althoughreportsoftheiroccurenceinSouthAfricaseemtobereliable.湖北天马养蜂场，加我们的微信一起学养蜂。
OurstandardJ.H.H.hasacapacityof250,000cells,theequivalentofabroodandtwoandahalfLangstrothsupers.Weonlyremoveandaddextraframeswhentheneedarises,andnevermovethehiveunlesswearetranslocatingtoanewnectarsource.Thehives,beingmuchthesameproportionasabrick,stackverywell,andtransportexcellently.ThecapacitycarriestheswarmthroughAll?buttheheaviesthoneyflows,andinanyeventitissoeasytoharvestthatthisisnoproblem.Allhoneyisremovedfromthebackofthebox,andthebroodchamberisneverdisturbed,keepingthebeesquiet.
Becauseofthesimplicityofconstructionwehaveproducedabeehivecostingonly58%oftheequivalentLangstroth,andwhichisassembledintenminutes.TheequivalentLangstrothtakesfourhours.Ourhoneyproductionisover30%higherthanadjacentLangstrothhivesasourqueenshaveunlimitedbreedingspaceatalltimes,breedingmonstercolonies.Infactwearenowevaluatingamuchbiggerhiveof400,000cellcapacitytoseeifwegetadramaticincreaseofhoneyperindividualcolony.ThisequalsabroodandsixshallowLangstrothsupersincapacity,andshouldbeanabsolutewinner.Ithasonlybecomepossiblebecausetheplasticmanufacturershaveimportedanewlargermachine.