Honey Odyssey

From hollow logs to movable frames: the kinds of beehive

People have housed honey bees in logs, baskets and clay for millennia; the movable frame and the bee space changed how hives could be managed.

Applies to: Apis mellifera (western honey bee) unless stated; frame sizes and bee space values are given for this species.   Region: History is global; the section on frame systems in use today applies to Bavaria, Germany (Central Europe).

From hollow logs to movable frames: the kinds of beehive
Photo: Waugsberg, CC BY-SA 3.0

Hives before frames

The oldest form of hive was probably simply a log from a fallen tree that bees had already occupied.Reported by the farm, source reported 1 In ancient Egypt and neighbouring regions, bees were kept in pipe hives: long horizontal tubes piled together, made of clay and other materials.Confirmed fact, source 1 Straw skeps are coiled-straw baskets, made today in the same way as baskets were made thousands of years ago.Reported by the farm, source reported 1 Traditional hives around the world are made of hollowed logs, rolled bark, clay pots or woven grass and cane.Confirmed fact, source 2 FAO describes the sole purpose of a traditional hive as encouraging bees to nest in a place the beekeeper can reach.Confirmed fact, source 2

Top-bar hives: movable combs without frames

In a top-bar hive, bees build each comb hanging down from a wooden bar laid across the top of the hive.Confirmed fact, source 3 Because each comb hangs from its own bar, the beekeeper can lift combs out one at a time.Confirmed fact, source 2 FAO says top-bar hives offer the same manageability and efficiency in honey harvesting as movable-frame hives, without their high manufacturing costs.Confirmed fact, source 2 Traditional Greek basket hives, shaped like a round waste-paper basket, have bars laid across their open top.Confirmed fact, source 4 Between 1650 and 1850 many hives with top bars and even frames were invented, but bees still fixed their combs to the walls.Reported by the farm, source reported 1

Langstroth's movable-frame hive

Movable-comb hives existed before Langstroth: around 1806 Peter Prokopovich produced one that was used on a commercial scale.Reported by the farm, source reported 1 According to the bee historian Eva Crane, Lorenzo Langstroth of Philadelphia discovered the bee space in 1851, a discovery she says laid the foundation of modern beekeeping.Confirmed fact, source 1 Langstroth's patent, US 9,300, was granted on 5 October 1852 for a beehive built around a movable frame.Confirmed fact, source 5 The patent's stated aim was to let beekeepers take combs out without cutting them or seriously disturbing the bees.Confirmed fact, source 5 In his 1853 book, Langstroth wrote that his frames hung in the hive without touching its top, bottom or sides.Confirmed fact, source 6

What the bee space is

The bee space is a gap just wide enough for honey bees to work back to back between two combs.Confirmed fact, source 7 For western honey bees the bee space is about 1/4 to 3/8 inch, which converts to roughly 6 to 10 mm.Confirmed fact, source 7 Honey bees seal gaps smaller than the bee space with propolis, a resinous material they collect mainly from trees.Confirmed fact, source 7 Gaps larger than the bee space encourage honey bees to build lots of burr comb.Confirmed fact, source 7 FAO notes that frame spacing must match a natural nest, and that standard frame hives developed for European honey bees are not necessarily suitable for other races and species of honey bees.Confirmed fact, source 2

Frame hives in use today: a Bavarian snapshot

The Bavarian state bee centre lists Zander, Dadant, Zadant and several regional magazine hives among the most common hive systems in Bavaria.Confirmed fact, source 8 LWG Bayern groups the Dadant hive among systems with a tall brood box and shallow honey boxes.Confirmed fact, source 8 LWG Bayern lists wood, various plastics such as polystyrene foam, and straw as hive materials, and notes that straw cannot be disinfected.Confirmed fact, source 8 Frame sizes differ between systems, and frames must keep a fixed spacing, so the centre recommends staying with one system.Confirmed fact, source 9 FAO notes that frame hives need seasoned timber that is accurately cut and planed, plus wire, nails and foundation, so they are relatively labour-intensive to make and maintain.Confirmed fact, source 2

Sources

  1. Crane, E. (1963). The world's beekeeping: past and present. In R.A. Grout (ed.), The Hive and the Honey Bee, pp. 1-10. Hamilton, IL: Dadant & Sons. Hosted by the Eva Crane Trust. Link
  2. Bradbear, N. (2004). Beekeeping and Sustainable Livelihoods. FAO Diversification Booklet 1. Rome: FAO. Link
  3. Adjare, S.O. (1990). Beekeeping in Africa, Chapter 4: Traditional and modern beehives and beekeeping equipment. FAO Agricultural Services Bulletin 68/6. Rome: FAO. Link
  4. Crane, E., Vu Van Luyen & Mulder, V. (1993). Traditional management of Apis cerana using movable-comb hives in Vietnam. Bee World 74(2): 75-85. Link
  5. Langstroth, L.L. Beehive. US Patent 9,300, granted 5 October 1852. Link
  6. Langstroth, L.L. (1853). Langstroth on the Hive and the Honey-Bee: A Bee Keeper's Manual. Northampton: Hopkins, Bridgman & Company. Project Gutenberg eBook 24583. Link
  7. Zawislak, J. Beekeeping Basics, Part 2: Introduction to the Bee Hive. University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service (undated). Link
  8. Bayerische Landesanstalt für Weinbau und Gartenbau (LWG), Fachzentrum Bienen, Veitshöchheim. Beuten (information sheet 'Die Qual der Wahl: die Beute', undated). Link
  9. Bayerische Landesanstalt für Weinbau und Gartenbau (LWG), Fachzentrum Bienen, Veitshöchheim. Rähmchen (information sheet 'Welches Rähmchen soll ich verwenden?', undated). Link

Last checked: 20 October 2026. Every statement in this article was compared with the source it cites. Spotted an error? Report it.