Beehives – Newton and Langstroth

 

Beehives – Newton and Langstroth

A beehive is a structure designed for Apiculture. While natural beehives are typically found in hollow trees or rock crevices, human-made beehives are used in beekeeping to facilitate the management of honeybee colonies for honey production and pollination. Two historically significant types of beehives are the Newton hive and the Langstroth hive, both of which revolutionized beekeeping practices.

Newton Hive

The Newton hive, also referred to as the Newton Stewart Hive, was an early form of beehive used primarily in the 19th century. This hive was part of the transition from traditional, more primitive hives to modern, structured systems of beekeeping. It emphasized functionality but lacked the modularity and ease of access that later hives like the Langstroth would introduce.

Features of Newton Hive:

1. Fixed Comb Structure: The Newton hive contained fixed combs, which were challenging to remove without damaging the structure, making the extraction of honey and inspection of the colony difficult.
2. Non-Modular Design: The hive lacked interchangeable parts, which limited the beekeeper's ability to manipulate the hive efficiently.
3. Limited Colony Inspection: Since the hive was not designed with movable frames, inspecting for diseases, parasites, or general colony health required disturbing the entire structure, which often harmed the bees and their productivity.

Langstroth Hive

The Langstroth hive, developed in 1852 by Lorenzo Lorraine Langstroth, marked a revolutionary advancement in apiculture. It introduced the concept of movable frames, allowing beekeepers to easily manage and inspect the colony without damaging the hive. The Langstroth hive is still widely used in modern apiculture.

Features of the Langstroth Hive:

1.     Movable Frames:
The most important feature of the Langstroth hive is its movable frames. These frames are designed to fit within the hive's box-like structure and can be easily removed, inspected, and replaced without damaging the comb or disturbing the bees excessively.

2.     Bee Space:
Langstroth discovered the concept of bee space, which is the precise gap of around 6 to 9 millimeters that bees naturally leave between their combs. By designing the hive with this specific space in mind, Langstroth prevented the bees from gluing the frames together with propolis or building comb across multiple frames. This allowed the frames to remain easily removable.

3.     Modular Design:
The Langstroth hive consists of multiple, stackable boxes or "supers," allowing beekeepers to expand the hive vertically as the colony grows. This modular design facilitates honey collection, as additional boxes can be added to the top for honey storage without disturbing the brood nest (the area where the queen lays eggs).

4.     Honey Production and Harvesting:
The top boxes, called honey supers, are where the bees store excess honey. Since the honeycombs are built on removable frames, beekeepers can easily extract honey by removing the entire frame. The honey can be harvested without destroying the comb, saving the bees' time and energy in rebuilding.

5.     Colony Inspection:
With its removable frames, the Langstroth hive makes it much easier to inspect the colony for signs of disease, pests, or problems with the queen bee. This has greatly improved bee health management, as regular inspections are necessary for detecting issues like varroa mites, foulbrood, or colony collapse.

6.     Ventilation and Temperature Control:
The modular structure of the Langstroth hive allows for better ventilation and temperature regulation within the hive, helping the colony maintain optimal conditions for brood development and honey production.

7.     Queen Excluder:
In some setups, a queen excluder can be placed between the brood box and the honey supers to prevent the queen from laying eggs in the honey storage area. This ensures that the honey frames are free of brood and can be harvested cleanly.

Comparison between Newton and Langstroth Hives

 

Aspect	Newton Hive	Langstroth Hive
Comb Structure	Fixed comb, not easily removable	Movable frames, easy to remove
Design	Non-modular, fixed size	Modular, stackable boxes
Bee Space Consideration	Not designed with bee space	Precisely designed for bee space
Honey Extraction	Difficult, comb often destroyed	Easy, comb remains intact
Colony Inspection	Invasive and damaging to the hive	Non-invasive, easy to inspect

 

The Newton hive represented an early step towards modern beekeeping but had several limitations, particularly in the ease of colony management and honey extraction. In contrast, the Langstroth hive revolutionized beekeeping by introducing movable frames and modular design, making it far more efficient and less disruptive for both the bees and the beekeeper. The Langstroth hive remains the standard in apiculture due to its simplicity, scalability, and the protection it offers to the bee colony, contributing to both bee health and productivity.