Langstroth Hive for Beekeepers

Langstroth hives are the standard type of beehive that beekeepers use to house their bees. Learn all about them in this handy article.

A major plus with using a Langstroth hive is the frames. Bees build their honeycombs into the frames. This allows beekeepers to move the frames with ease, giving them easy access to inspect hives and extract honey.

The Langstroth hive was designed in 1851, in Philadelphia by Reverend L.L. Langstroth. He found that when bees were confined to a space of 3/8″ they would not build honeycomb or cement the space with propolis. He called the small amount of space, “bee space”.

Parts of a Langstroth Hive

Hive Stand

This is not a must-have, but it is preferred by beekeepers as a way of keeping the hive off of the ground, making it easy to work on the hive. It also helps with deterring beehive predators.

Bottom Board

There are two types of bottom boards to choose from–a solid bottom board or a screened bottom board. It comes down to preference. The screened bottom board is helpful in ventilation and pest management.

Deep Super & Deep Super Frames

This is the heart of the beehive. Most deep super frames in Langstroth hives are made from wood or plastic. They usually have a foundation in the middle that is made of wax, wire, or plastic. The bees build their honeycomb on to the wax foundation. Each super in a Langstroth hive needs 10 frames. This is where the brood of honeybees develop from egg to pupae.

Queen Excluder

Usually a rack made from metal or plastic, it has holes that are large enough for worker bees to travel but too small for the larger queen bee to travel. The queen excluder in a Langstroth hive is important as it prevents the queen from laying her eggs in the honey super. Read through our article to learn about the pros and cons of using a queen excluder.

Honey Super & Honey Super Frames

The honey super is a box that holds the frames where bees store their honey. Honey supers come in medium or shallow sizes. When building your Langstroth hive you can stack as many honey supers as you want on top. The honey super frames fit inside for bees to build wax onto.

Langstroth Hive Covers

The inner wooden cover goes on top of the uppermost honey super. It has an entrance hole to the outside and a hole in the middle. Outer hive covers can come in several different types, including galvanized metal or plastic. It helps protect the hive from outer elements.