Beehive Types: Traditional, Transitional, and Modern Hives Explained

Welcome to the fascinating world of beekeeping, where the art of hive design has evolved through the ages. In this article, we are going to learn more about traditional, transitional, and modern bee hives, each bearing its unique characteristics and advantages.

Beekeeping, once a traditional practice deeply rooted in local craftsmanship, has transformed over time, presenting beekeepers with a spectrum of hive options to suit different needs and preferences. Join us on this journey as we unveil the intricacies of each hive type, shedding light on the advantages, disadvantages, and the craftsmanship that goes into their construction.

Traditional Bee Hives

Traditional bee hives comprise a diverse range of designs that precede the introduction of frame hives and top bar hives. This category includes cylindrical bee hives, clay pot hives, long hives, twig bee hives, grass hives, brick hives, and palm hives.

For instance, in the case of palm and long hives, stems are meticulously cut, and their interiors are cleaned. The hive is then constructed with both ends covered, leaving one end removable for convenient harvesting. Twig and grass hives are ingeniously joined to form a cylinder, reinforced with ridges in the middle to prevent collapse. These structures are traditionally coated with cow dung or covered with paper to shield against rain.

Brick Bee Hive

Constructing a brick hive involves creating a square using bricks, measuring 1 x 1 meters. Sticks are strategically placed to serve as entrance holes, and the structure is left to dry. The hive is then equipped with top bars and covers, resembling the design of a Kenyan Top Bar Hive.

a). Advantages of Traditional Bee Hives

Low Capital Requirement: Traditional hives demand minimal financial investment, making them accessible to a broad range of beekeepers.

Local Materials: The construction materials for traditional hives are sourced locally, reducing dependence on external resources.

Ease of Construction: The simplicity of traditional hive construction requires basic skills, making it accessible to a wider audience.

No Forage Plants Needed: Traditional hives, often situated in forested areas, eliminate the need for additional forage plants.

No Transport Costs: Given their prevalence in forest locations, traditional hives often incur no transportation costs.

b). Disadvantages of Traditional Bee Hives

Durability Concerns: Traditional hives are susceptible to wear and tear, lacking the durability of modern counterparts.

Safety Risks: The elevated placement of hives on trees poses safety risks, including the potential for accidents and encounters with snakes.

Harvesting Challenges: Careless harvesting practices can lead to hive destruction or forest fires, jeopardizing the ecosystem.

Management Difficulties: The location of hives on trees necessitates time-consuming climbing during inspection and harvesting.

Fixed Honey Production: The inability to add supers limits honey production capacity.

Pest Vulnerability: Traditional hives are more prone to pest attacks, including birds and beetles.

Transitional Bee Hives

Transitional bee hives represent a middle ground between traditional and modern hive designs. Examples include the Kenyan Top Bar Hive (KTB), Tanzanian Top Bar Hive, and Greek Basket Hive.

Kenyan Top Bar Hive (KTB)

The KTB distinguishes itself by having a wider top than the bottom, with top bars featuring a groove for guiding bees in constructing straight combs. The hive incorporates an iron sheet cover to prevent rain ingress. Construction dimensions include a length of 35 inches, a width of 18 1/8 inches, and a depth of 9½ inches.

Each KTB (Kenyan Top Bar Hive) should have 28 top bars. For each top bar, it should be slightly longer, and the width should be 19 inches (Length = 19”, Thick = 1”, Width = 1¼”).

a). Advantages of Transitional Hives (KTB)

Durability: Transitional hives exhibit a longer lifespan compared to traditional hives, offering increased sustainability.

Ease of Inspection: Inspection and honey harvesting are streamlined due to the hive's thoughtful design.

Cost-Effectiveness: Transitional hives, including the KTB, are generally more affordable than their fully modern counterparts.

Ease of Construction: Construction requires fewer specialized skills compared to modern hive construction.

Progressive Step: Embracing transitional hives, like the KTB, serves as a step towards managing fully modern hive systems.

b). Disadvantages of Transitional Hives (KTB)

Fixed Production: Similar to traditional hives, transitional hives have limitations in honey production, as supers cannot be added.

Limited Breeding Opportunities: The design of transitional hives inhibits comprehensive bee breeding within the hive.

Pest and Disease Susceptibility: Like traditional hives, transitional hives are susceptible to pests and diseases.

Capital Requirement: Constructing transitional hives requires an initial capital investment.

Transport Costs: The bulk and weight of transitional hives can pose challenges for solo transportation.

Technical Expertise: The construction process, especially accurate measurements, may require the involvement of technical personnel.

Modern Movable Frame Hives

Modern hives incorporating frames are designed to encourage honey bees to construct combs on baited frames or with the assistance of comb foundations. During inspection, the frames can be easily moved, and during the extraction of honey, the combs are raised. 

With these types of hives, supers can be added. Examples include: the Tanzania Commercial hive (13 frames), the Langstroth bee hive (11 frames), and the Dadant bee hive. 

Components of Frame Hives:

1). Brood Chamber/Brood Nest: This is the area of the hive where the queen bee lays her eggs, and the young bees (brood) develop. It is usually equipped with frames with a comb for the bees to construct and store brood.

2). Supers: Extra boxes positioned above the brood chamber. Supers are used to store excess honey. Beekeepers can remove the supers to harvest honey without disturbing the brood nest.

3). Insulators: These materials or apparatuses help keep the hive warm by regulating temperature, particularly crucial to the bees' health in severe weather conditions.

4). Lid: The top or lid of the hive keeps the contents dry and protected from the weather. It is detachable for maintenance and inspections inside the hive.

5). Frames: Rectangular or square structures that house the beeswax comb; frames are detachable for simpler hive management and honey extraction. Bees construct honeycombs and store honey, pollen, and brood on these frames.

6). Entrance Holes: Bees enter and depart the hive through openings called entrance holes. The size of these holes can be altered to control airflow and protect the colony from outsiders.

7). Handles: Grips or handles attached to the sides of hive components, such as supers or brood chambers, make handling and lifting these large boxes during hive inspections or honey harvesting easier.

8). Bee Space: The precise distance that bees allow between combs and other parts of the hive, usually 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch. The bees maintain this space to ensure the hive functions well and to avoid using propolis to seal gaps.

9). Bottom Board: The support structure of the hive usually consists of a screened bottom for ventilation and an integrated landing board with an entrance for the bees.

a). Advantages of Frame Hives

Durability: Modern hives, equipped with movable frames, boast increased durability and longevity.

High Honey Production: Including supers allows for expanded honey production capacity.

Easy Transportation: The compact size of frame hives facilitates ease of transportation, especially during migratory beekeeping.

Ease of Inspection: Modern hives with frames enable straightforward hive inspections.

Efficient Harvesting: Honey extraction is streamlined without causing damage to the colony.

Queen Rearing: Frame hives facilitate controlled bee breeding and queen rearing.

Combs Reuse: Bees efficiently reuse combs after honey extraction, leading to faster honey production.

High-Quality Honey: The separation of brood and pollen combs from honeycombs ensures the production of high-quality honey.

b). Disadvantages of Frame Hives

Frequent Inspections: Regular inspections are essential for hive health, but may become labor-intensive due to the construction of frame hives.

Pest Hiding Places: Crevices between frames can serve as hiding places for pests, requiring vigilant hive management.

Potential for Defensive Behavior: Frequent inspections may provoke defensive behavior in bees, leading to increased aggression.

Swarming Risks: Bee overflow in the brood chamber can result in swarming or other issues, impacting hive health.

Transportation Challenges: The larger size of frame hives may pose difficulties for beekeepers relocating hives for pollination or other purposes.

Extra Equipment Requirement: Honey extraction in frame hives requires additional equipment, raising initial expenses and complexity.

Complexity for Natural Comb: Frame hives may not be ideal for beekeepers preferring natural comb without foundations, as they often require the use of foundation sheets or starter strips.

Inflexibility in Size: Fixed brood chambers and supers may not easily accommodate variations in colony size.

Alignment Issues: Misaligned frames can result in complex comb formations, complicating hive management and honey extraction.

Additional Equipment for Extraction: Compared to simpler hive designs, frame hives necessitate extra equipment for honey extraction, such as extractors and uncapping tools, adding to the overall complexity and cost of beekeeping.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the world of beekeeping unfolds as a tapestry woven with the threads of tradition, transition, and modernity. Traditional bee hives, rooted in local craftsmanship, provide accessibility to a broad range of beekeepers with minimal financial investment. Yet, their susceptibility to wear and tear, safety risks, and management difficulties underscores the need for evolution.

Transitional bee hives, exemplified by the Kenyan Top Bar Hive, strike a balance between tradition and modernity. While offering increased durability and ease of inspection, they retain limitations in honey production and susceptibility to pests, urging beekeepers to consider them as a stepping stone towards fully modern hive systems.

Modern movable frame hives represent the pinnacle of beekeeping evolution, introducing advancements in durability, honey production, and hive management. However, their complexity, frequent inspection requirements, and additional equipment needs pose challenges that demand careful consideration.

As you embark on the journey of hive selection, weighing the advantages and disadvantages of each type becomes paramount.