In beekeeping there are two types of beehive – 8 frames and a 10 frames hives. The preference of beekeeper depends on his personal choice and various other factors and also study about protective gears required for doing beekeeping like bee jacket or suits.
Beehive is a structure in which bees live and make honey. Beehive maybe man-made or artificial. There are three types of beehive stands :
Langstroth
It is the most common beehive stand. It was made in 1852 by Rev. L L Langstroth. It is modular and expandable beehive. The key is the use lof convenient vertically hanging frames on which bees build combes. The design is such that it reflects bee space. Langstroth helped in making the management of beehive much easier. This beehive can be expanded by adding honey super boxes. Supers come in various depths. They come in deep, medium and shallow. It is till date the most widely used beehive stand till date as its various components are easily available in the market. Here at Buzzbee we have an extensive range of beehives from small queen bee mating nuc hives to the fully kitted out larger 10 frames Langstroth. In addition, we have the tools and equipment to support your needs Bee Hives for sale.
Warre
It looks like a mini Langstroth which has square boxes. It is also named after its maker Mr. Abbe Warre. It this new boxes are added beneath the existing ones. In this the bees build their combs vertically downwards. Top of the Warre stand has a roof called a Quilt Box. The quilt box protects the bees from cold weather during winters and keeps them warm.
Top Bar Hive ( TBH )
The top bar hive is the latest stand which is of a modern design. It has a single long box with a convenient height. It contains individual boxes of combs. They are easier to manage and inspect as they dont become heavy with honey.
The fourth and the most popular upcoming hive is ” Long / Horizontal Langstroth ” hive. It has characteristics of both the original Langstroth and the Top Bar.
8 Frame Beehive Equipment is lighter in weight and smaller in size. The bees in 8 frame beehive have a high survival rate in winters.
10 Frame Beehive equipment has been the industry standard for over 100 years and is the most popular beehive in the US. It has more space for Bees, honey and a brood.
The various factors that help us distinguish between the two frames are –
Beehive Weight
Honey and bees weight a lot so an eight frame hive will weigh a lot less than the 10 frame hive. The frames come in three different sizes so they all are of different weights.
| Size | 8 Frame box | 10 frame box |
| SHALLOW | 32 lbs | 40 lbs |
| MEDIUM | 40 lbs | 50 lbs |
| DEEP | 64 lbs | 80 lbs |
Beehive Price
The 8 frame beehive frame is cheaper than the 10 frame beehive. The difference in prices could range anywhere between 3 to 5 dollars.
Winter Optimal Conditions
The biggest advantage of the 8 frame beehive is that they are optimal for winter survival since bee clusters require warmth in winters. The lack of horizontal space in 8 frame hives means the bees can focus their energy in moving upwards as a group.
Tipping Risks
The 8 frame beehive has generally more boxes than the 10 frame hive so there’s an increased tipping risk in windy and risky weather conditions as 8 frame has more boxes stacked vertically.
Filling Boxes
The biggest disadvantage in 8 frame is that the boxes fill up faster which means that there is an additional expense of more honey super boxes as they fill up faster than 10 frame beehives.
The various advantages and disadvantages of the 8 frame beehive are –
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| It weighs less. | The vertical stacks can get dangerous in adverse weather conditions. |
| Requires small area. | It requires more boxes. |
| Reduces risk of injury as it has less heavy hives. | Its not easily available in the market. |
| The bees tend to move up always. | It requires more boxes to move during honey removal. |
| The honey stored is compact and reduces wastage. | More time required to inspect. |
| It is cheaper. | Pollen traps and top feeders are difficult to find |
| Optimal for winter weather conditions. | It not attractive among beekeepers. |
The various advantages and disadvantages of the 10 frame beehive are –
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| It’s equipments are easily available in the market. | It weighs more. |
| It has a lower height. | Honey bee super can become confused as there’s more space inside the frame. |
| The bees have more space to make honey and brood. | The frame can become heavy therefore it cant be moved by one person alone. |
| It is most common frame used among beekeepers. | Injury prone because the boxes become too heavy once the honey is stored. |
| It has fewer frames to inspect | It is more costly. |
Reference for this blog is taken from Bee Attire. Bee Attire is a USA based website, which sells beekeeping equipments and also write blogs for beekeeping. Thanks for reading this blog.
