Langstroth frames modifications

Modifications & Building Bee Hives
1

Hi,
Apparently all Langstroth are not equal (that was one my many welcome introductions into beekeeping: things vary :wink: : Belgium Langstroth seems a bit shorter (47cm top bar length, too short to fit the flow super box).

So Iā€™m still in doubt wether to modify the flow frames or the flow super (but because ā€˜Belgian Langstrothā€™ are readily available I might focus on standardising to those measurements). It seems do-able to remove about two segments ?

2

Iā€™d be more tempted to build an adapter. The adapter can be just a frame of some kind that makes up the difference either under (if the upper box is bigger) or over (if the bottom box is bigger) or both if they are bigger in different directions. Iā€™ve made them for BS to Langstroth, eight frame to ten frame etc. Wood is pretty easy to work withā€¦

3

Thanks Michael. Would you consider some sort of board between the frame ends and the back then to mix flow (ā€œlong langsā€) and regular (ā€œshort langsā€) in a RegRegFlowFlowFlowRegReg setup for instance ? Do I need to to watch out for beespace at those junctions (Reg-Flow) or will they use other routes (guess so since flow to flows have no route at one end as well where the frames sit against each other and the harvest door), maybe watch out for (last row) storage access too.
A boxes-adapter to match two variant boxes (one full of long langs, one full of short langs) would be easierā€¦ I have one full box so might stick to that setup (instead of trying to divide them over two or three boxes).

4

Something like this:

TenFrameToEight.JPG608Ɨ585 118 KB

if the bigger dimension is on the top. if itā€™s on the bottom or both, then build a frame where the ones needs to cover what is on the bottom nail into the ones the fill any gap on the top and the whole thing goes on as an adapter. I really need to build one and take pictures but I donā€™t have a BS hive around to show or any other that is shorter and wider or visa versa.

5

I will go for the adapter route. Since my tutor will provide me a split on simplex frames I have to make a simplex-langstroth adapter anyway :slight_smile: Hope I can keep the tower stable :grin:

6

Put a strap around it, if not :wink:

7

Curious about your results! Facing a bit of the same problems trying to get my langstroth hives ordered :slight_smile:
(for me there is a lot of confusion with the actual dimensions. I want to have everything to fit for interchangeability)

8

Do you have any links to this Belgian langstroth? eg. shops, websites etc. Keen to check it out. The 19inch top bar (482mm) is what generally remains in common, itā€™s interesting/strange that they have made such a minor change to the frame lengthā€¦ Would love to know the history!

9

@KCDR, I will need to do the modification next season. I had two hives this season, one starter (simplex) and one larger (langstroth). I tried the super with the frames on the larger all-langstroth population but I guess it was too late in the (mediocre) season because the girls were hardly moving up. I found the flow super box to be quite ā€˜leakyā€™ too so maybe they where not comfy enough (- or maybe I was just too soon).
That said, I prepared two flow frames with a brush of wax as I had read here, surrouned with regular foundation frames, and they where working more on the flow frames and not working out the other frames with foundation at all. I removed the super again after a few weeks to let them focus on the hive and not waste recources on the super. But I have hope for next season (in my own boxes - sorry flow but we did not have an Australian summer this year - more below 18Ā°C than above 25 - a lousy summer). Lets get them through winter firstā€¦

@RBK, most shops do not really mention the dimensions of their flavor of Langstroth. The biggest supplier of Belgian beeshops (on- and offline) has them in 47cm only (they replied like :"duh, of course it is 47, it is Langstroth :slight_smile: ). UK shops I contacted seem to be on 48 as well. This site also states the compatibilty problems of the Langstroth ā€˜standardā€™ :slight_smile: http://poly-hive.co.uk/recourses/hive-types/langstroth/

There seems to be one golden standard in beekeeping : everything (material, methods,ā€¦) differs. When I received my starter on simplex after the beginners course, one of the frames I had to transfer had longer ā€˜earsā€™ that did not fit my box, that was one of my first real challenges@home as a newbee :stuck_out_tongue: