Bee families multiply rapidly and, in order to avoid swarming with bee shoots, you need to take care of the presence of additional hives. One of the most popular models that you can build yourself is the Langstroth-Ruth hive. How to properly design it, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of the model, will be discussed below.

Beehive Features

In 1851, Lorenzo Langstrot constructed a new model of the hive, which was strikingly different from the previously proposed ones. In his creation, Langstrot used a compact vertical case with shortened frames. On this model, a removable top and a simple frame removal were provided, which made it possible to increase the number of compartments during the growth of families, adding new boxes at the top.

Important! The average weight of a bee swarm is 8 kg - this should be taken into account when designing hives.

A little later, the model was improved by Ruth. A flat roof was added to the structure, and the bottom became mobile. The idea of ​​a hive of Rutov quickly flooded the market, thanks to well-coordinated work on a production scale and good advertising. The main merit of Ruth is commercial PR, but the true inventor of this model is Langstrot.

A design feature is the maximum copying of the living conditions of bees in the wild. The multi-hive hive consists of shops and cases of identical size, which allows you to transform the store into a full-fledged insect compartment at any time. All cases are mobile and quickly change places if necessary.

The standard frame sizes in such a hive are 446 × 232 mm. Frame designs can be of any size. The size of the hive will depend on the parameters of the frames, but standard measurements are usually used. Cases are designed for 10 frames, less often 12. The height of the structure varies easily. Rue's hive can be represented in two-, three-, and four-tier interpretations.

Did you know? The mass collected by the pollen bee exceeds its own weight by 20 times. In this case, the speed of flight of the insect along with the load is 65 km / h.

The reduced dimensions of the frames made it easier to work with the hive and increase the internal area of ​​the usable space. This approach brought beekeeping to a different level of honey productivity. Enlarged compartments for nests contribute to an increase in offspring in the uterus, which, in turn, significantly increases productivity.

Advantages and disadvantages of construction

For beginner beekeepers, before choosing a hive design, it will be useful to get acquainted with all the pros and cons of a particular model. This will allow you to correctly approach the solution of possible problems when breeding bees, as well as to try in advance to eliminate to the maximum the drawbacks of the structures themselves and all the moments associated with this.

• The main advantages of the hive of Ruth:
• the opportunity to save money on self-design;
• rapid increase in bee stock in a short time;
• increased product productivity;
• the possibility of forming dual-uterine families;
• ease of maintenance of the hive.

Read also how to make a Dadan hive with your own hands.

The disadvantages relate more likely to training in working with hives and generally maintaining an apiary, so they will be obvious only to beginners. Due to the large size of the hive, a beginner beekeeper may simply not have time to fill it all with bees and honey. The presence of voids in the bee house will lead to hypothermia of the bees in winter. This side of the issue needs to be approached more carefully if you are not confident in your abilities.

In this case, it is better to make the hive smaller. Given the dimensions of the nests, the uterus can move freely along the hive, which greatly complicates the task for the beekeeper. To avoid this, you need to use the Hahnemann lattice. This will eliminate the possibility of the uterus getting into the store and facilitate your work.

Among the modifications of the system under consideration, 2 models are common:

1. Sections of 10 frames are constructed with dimensions of 435 × 300 mm. In this case, a ten-frame dadan is obtained. The design is advisable only in the presence of different types of hives in one area, for example, transitional. In general, such a model does not have advantages, because it turns out to be rather heavy and contains little useful space inside.
2. Cook hive with a capacity of 8 rutovskih frames. Carrying cases is much easier, but they need much more, so at the time of the main bribe, the design is too high. This makes it difficult to maintain the hive. The design is more suitable for transporting small families or layering.

Bee hive technology

Based on the natural conditions of the bees, the honeycomb filling starts from top to bottom. In the same way, insects behave inside the hive. But, if you swap the case, then between them there will be an empty store. In this case, it turns out that the bees fall into an empty space, which prompts them to fill it quickly in order to restore integrity. This manipulation is carried out monthly, holding the compartment with the uterus covered with a net. The approach allows you to dramatically increase the amount of honey.

Important! A month before the last bribe, all manipulations with the movement of the hulls should be completely stopped, otherwise the productivity will suffer from the fact that the bees do not have time to adapt in time to the new situation.

The first expansion of the nest should be carried out in the spring at the moment when the second building is filled with brood, and the lower one is practically freed from it. When changing the cases, the uterus gets free space for laying eggs. The term for manipulation falls at the beginning - mid-May. So, the first building is put up, and the one that was above, with a brood, is moved down. The uterus moves into an empty housing, and the bees begin to actively develop its territory. Working bees are fully engaged in feeding and developing territories, which simply does not leave them any opportunities for swarming.

In general, a layered structure of 3 tiers is obtained:

• in the lower is a closed brood;
• on average, the uterus and eggs;
• in the upper - larvae.

Worker bees have the ability to move freely around all buildings, providing the larvae, eggs and uterus with everything they need. When a closed brood hatches in a hive it will become crowded, therefore, 15 days after the first movement of the hulls, an urgent expansion of the nest is carried out by adding a new hull. Install it between the first and second. At the same time, 1 and 2 cases are immediately interchanged.

Frames with artificial wax are placed in empty cases. In a similar way, 4 and 5 hulls are added, while interchanging the hulls with the brood, deliberately making a gap between it and the bulk of the working bees. If for some reason the nest needs to be reduced, the upper 2 case is rearranged to the bottom of the hive, and the first is simultaneously moved to its top.

Features wintering in the hive

Strong families remain wintering in 2-3 buildings:

• the lower 1 or 2 corps is occupied by autumn late brood;
• the top is a feed extension.

10 frames with honey (approximately 20 kg) are installed in the aft hull. Of the 10 frames 2, the top should be honey-pepper. Perga is the pollen of plants collected by bees, rammed and placed in cells, which are then filled with honey. It will be needed in early spring, presumably in early March, when the uterus will actively lay eggs.

Did you know? Bees have sexual intercourse on the fly at a flight speed of 69 km / h. In this case, the male dies immediately at the end of the process.

In the lower case, in addition to brood, there is a ball of bees and a uterus. With this arrangement of the nests, the bees have access to fresh air, and the feed is always in a heated state, due to the heat and moisture generated by them. In this case, assembly of the nests is not required before wintering. It is enough to leave the desired number of cells in the sealed state during the main bribe. During the winter, the bees, gradually spending food, move to the upper case.

How to make a do-it-yourself hive Ruth

Making a hive of Ruth on your own makes it possible to save a lot on buying such structures. The bottom line is to learn how to make boxes, which are compartments and stores that can be easily rearranged from place to place. All compartments and stores are the same size.

Necessary materials

To perform the work you will need the following materials:

• wooden beam;
• a board with a thickness of 10-15 mm for the roof - it can be made from a sheet of plywood;
• 22–40 mm thick board for the execution of the body;
• film or tarpaulin for roof sheathing;
• plywood sheet for lining the inner walls.

Dimensions

The size of the standard case is 46.2 × 40 × 24 cm. The standard size of the frames 44.6 × 23.3 cm includes the distance to the hive walls. Each part of the hive is equipped with diaphragms from boards 12–15 mm thick. The width of the diaphragms should be such that the insects could not crawl through them. The height of the frames is equal to the height of the diaphragms.

Did you know? Bees communicate with each other using special signs. For example, finding a source of food, the insect begins to wind circles around it, alerting its brethren.

The roof is made of boards or plywood of the same width. Due to the fact that when installing the roof, a sub-ceiling space is formed, the hive will be protected from overheating. Feeders and heaters will be localized in the upper compartment. In order to ensure their convenient removal and installation, oval holes are cut out on the sides. In the hive, dividing boards are used between the buildings, which are used throughout the year. The bottom is made of boards with a width of 20-40 mm. It will simultaneously play the role of an arrival board.

Sizes of tap holes:

• lower - 10 × 250 mm, the indent from the right side of the structure is 50 mm;
• upper - 10 × 100 mm, right margin of 120 mm, indent from the upper bars 30 mm.

Blueprints

For beginners, drawings are attached.

Drawing of the hive of Ruth, designed for 10 frames in cross section

A drawing of the hive of Ruth, designed for 10 frames in longitudinal section

a - section along the frames; b - section across the frames; 1 - bottom; 2 - case; 3 - frame; 4 - ceiling; 5 - an apron; 6 - ventilation frame; 7 - the roof.

Assembly

Step-by-step assembly instructions for the hive of Ruth:

1. Assemble parts of the inner walls from boards 20–40 mm wide. Fasten them with glue.
2. Build the outer walls, covering the inner plywood. Connect the piers with nails, driving them in half the length.
3. Before the roof and bottom are installed, you need to build the upper and lower slots. Holes can be cut with a jigsaw.
4. Complete the roof with a rectangular front. The roof surface needs to be sewn up with a film or tarpaulin. The ventilation gap for the winter can be easily closed with mineral wool.
5. Attach the bottom so that in front of it protrudes beyond the entire structure by 50 mm.
6. The store has no differences from the main body. It can be placed under the main body or performed as an independent part.

Video: do-it-yourself hive Ruth

Tips from experienced beekeepers

Some tips from experienced beekeepers to help newbies avoid mistakes:

1. When constructing a bee house for the first time, it is better to use ready-made drawings and standard sizes.
2. Before constructing a real building, make a mock-up on thick cardboard. So it will be easier to identify design flaws and correct them in the drawing.
3. Do not use metal materials for the construction and cladding of structures for bees - in such a house insects will die.
4. Select the thickness of the boards for structures, taking into account the climatic conditions of your region. In a cool climate, hives should be made thoroughly so that the bees do not freeze in the winter.

If you are a completely novice user in the matter of breeding bees, it is better to buy the first hive. In this case, it is necessary to give preference to the Dadans, since it is quite difficult even for experienced beekeepers to cope with the root hive before wintering. When you gain experience, you can gradually switch to root ones and try to build them yourself. Important! For the summer, the removable roof can be equipped with glass. So you will have the opportunity to observe the behavior of bees in the hive.

Abroad, most owners do not even get money from collecting honey and selling it. They rent apiaries equipped with multihull hives from spring to autumn. Rutov hives are very popular abroad and gradually migrate to our territories. At some points, their maintenance is quite time-consuming, but all the prospects that open to the beekeeper in the presence of such a hive more than cover its shortcomings.