Hive frame

A frames, also called Wabenrähmchen, a frame of wood, which the beekeeper provided with a central wall mounts in a hive. This build honey bees from the frames with beeswax to a honeycomb. Frames allow the mobile comb building within the hive because the beekeeper can change the position of any honeycomb in the hive.

Description

A small frame consists of four strips of wood that are joined together by nails or staplers with staples to a part. The strips are 8 to 10 mm thick and 20 to 25 mm wide. Today, in most of the upper support frames on either side of about 1 cm long, and is characterized over both sides (ear ) so that the frames can be mounted into the hives. For frames to individual rear treatment hives there is no overhang, because the frames are inserted into the floor and stand on castellated beams. Thus, the honeycomb spacing is maintained, ( plastic rolls) are fixed or equal milled into the side frames on wood spacers.

The prepared frames are given by beekeepers in the colony. Honeycomb can then either be produced by the bees themselves completely ( free Wildbau ), which is usually practiced only in drone frames. Mostly frames are used with brazed means walls. Frames for comb building be given only during the honey in the hive, and are best developed in the spring while the fruit and rapeseed flower.

Preparation and use

To attach a central wall in the mount, the beekeeper spans a thin ( stainless) steel wire within the small frame. Usually is stretched four times, with a horizontal and vertical wiring is common. In the small frame with tightly stretched wire of beekeepers observed a central wall. With the help of a transformer he " solder " them in the beeswax of a center wall. By the electric current to the wire, and the wax of the central wall is heated in the short term soft. After cooling, the wax means the wall by the melted wire is fixed.

Frames can be assembled in Beekeeper Supplies trade and acquired strung with wire. The complete self-made frames is possible using appropriate tools, of material are merely wood, wire and fasteners, such as nails, required. When DIY is cheap, rough wood advantageous because the bees can keep doing better. The preparing of the frames is a so-called winter work of the beekeeper, as it is time heavily involved during the honey in spring and summer in the processing of bee colonies. Frames are reused several times. If honeycomb were several years in the brood chamber, they turn a result of the use of bees from yellow to brown to black. The beekeeper cuts the honeycomb and benefits from it, including by means of a solar wax melter, crude wax. The frames can be reused after scraping wax residue and washing.

In treatment Behind booties as well as in today's standard magazine booties fit, depending on the design about 8 to 12 frames. With center walls stocked frames of beekeepers sets during the honey in the spring to a summer, as the bees expand the frames for honeycomb only at this time.

History

The invention of the small frame mid-19th century and the associated introduction of the mobile honeycomb construction revolutionized the beekeeping. As the inventor of movable Wabenrähmchens 1853 applies August Freiherr von Berlepsch. 1858, this was complemented by the introduction of the middle wall of beeswax by John Mehring. The combination of frame and dividing wall the bees spend less energy for the construction of honeycomb. Only the Mobilbau enables removal of full honeycomb of the hive, without causing damage to the existing comb building. As a replacement immediately empty honey combs or frames can be used. The Mobilbau was first introduced in the then usual type of background treatment booty edited the beekeeper from behind. In conjunction with the arrived in the 20th century moveable hives frames increased by the mobility of the honeycomb honey harvest. For large honey attack the hive is placed a Magazinzarge with empty honeycomb or frames.

Framedimensions

In German-speaking a variety of different frame dimensions will be used. This complicates the honeycomb and the prey exchange between individual beekeepers as well as the orientation for newcomers. Sometimes for the same level different names are used - for example, " German Normal" ( Germany ) for " unit measure " ( Austria ), but sometimes the same name for different dimensions - as with Dadant.

Criteria for the choice of a particular measure are:

• Distribution in the vicinity
• The availability of matching accessories ( frames, safety gate, honey extractors ) in beekeeping Commodities Traders
• Operational considerations, such increases as the weight of a filled with honey frame and thus the lifting work of the beekeeper with increasing Rähmchenmaßen considerably
• Considerations arising from the nature of bees - for example, the question whether a people with a good queen is with a frame, the Auslangen to create a brood nest with sufficient inventories or whether the brood chamber due to lack of space on two or more frames must be split
• Financial considerations, subsidies are often granted only when certain framedimensions

Common framedimensions

Fairly common are the German language area the following dimensions:

• Zandermaß ( Zander ): according to Enoch Zander, widespread in Germany, Austria, Switzerland
• German -Normal - level ( DNM ) or " unit measure " (name in Austria ): mainly in central and northern Germany
• Austrian Breitwabe or " Breitwabe " ( ÖBW or BW): mainly in eastern Austria
• Unit measure ( Bavarian ), also called " Hofmann's Einheitsrähmchen "
• Langstroth ( Langstroth ): the most internationally used measure of Lorenzo Langstroth
• Dadant original and " Dadant sheet": developed by Charles Dadant, often in western Switzerland
• Modified Dadant ( often simply " Dadant " ) frames of the same length as the Langstroth hive, in the Anglo-Saxon common in the acquisition Beekeeping in Central Europe in the organic beekeeping popular
• Kuntzsch: scattered in the German-speaking area, sometimes called " Kuntzsch high"
• Schweizermaß ( Swiss box): widely used in central and eastern Switzerland in connection with background treatment Booty

Be used Langstroth and Dadant International thereof only. Some systems have default ( Dadant ) or optional ( Zander with Flachzarge ) different heights for the brood chamber and honey super on; the latter are then only about half as high.

Table framedimensions

The table framedimensions lists a variety of former and current information about the external dimensions (A and B) or the internal dimensions (B and C) of the top-bars without "ears" (A and C; equates to the bar ) and the side bars ( B and D) on. Thus, if the honeycomb number per frame or prey is known, comparisons much easier.

It is important to note that may differ given in the table framedimensions internal dimensions of center wall sizes, because the central walls are sometimes included the one hand in a groove of the head rail and the other because the central walls often have a " slip through distance" to the bottom rail of the order of 10 consider to 15 mm.

Explanation: A and B are the external dimensions, C and D, the internal dimensions of the head rail without " ears " or the sidebar.