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Today, two-hull bee keeping is practiced by many beekeepers. The double-hive hive, or as it is sometimes also called, the Dadanov double-hive hive, consists of two compartments or buildings. The lower one has a non-removable bottom and a roof. The second body has no bottom, it is superimposed on top of the first. Thus, it is possible to achieve a 2-fold increase in the volume of the hive.
How a double-hive hive works
A standard 12-frame double-hive hive has the following design features:
- Single walls. Their thickness is approximately 45 mm.
- Removable bottom, so it is more convenient to swap cases.
- A roof cover designed for laying the hive insulation.
- Upper, additional, tap holes - 1 pc. for each case. They are made in the form of round holes with a diameter of about 25 mm. Arrival slats are attached under the entrance.
- A flat roof equipped with multiple vents and multiple arrivals.
- Arrival boards of the upper and lower entrances. They are installed vertically (for example, during transportation of hives) close to the walls and cover the entrances.
Advantages and disadvantages
The two-body hive has the following advantages:
- Bee colonies breed better, since the conditions of keeping bees in a double-hive hive for 12 frames stimulate the queen to lay eggs intensively.
- A family in a hive of this design will swarm less.
- The honey yield is increased by almost 50%.
- It is easier to prepare bees for winter.
- The wax yield is increased.
- Bees that were bred in a double-hive hive are generally stronger and have good genes.
Of the disadvantages of double-hull beekeeping, it should be noted, first of all, the large weight of the structure, which is about 45-50 kg, taking into account the framework from which honey is to be pumped out. The superstructure in the process of collecting honey will have to be rearranged more than once, which is physically difficult.
Keeping bees in double hives
The second body is installed on the hive at the moment when at least 8-9 frames with brood appear in the bee colony. If you miss the moment and are late with setting up the second building, the nest will become crowded, unemployment among the younger generation of bees will increase, and the family will begin to swarm.
Most often, the second building is installed on the hive about a month before the main honey collection. If the bees have managed to lay queen cells on the combs, it makes no sense to put the second building - the insects will not build the combs. Destruction of queen cells is a pointless exercise and does not give results. At the same time, the swarming state of bees continues, the period of inactivity is lengthened.
How to place frames correctly
In case of double-hull keeping of bee colonies, the frames must be placed in a special order. Several frames (usually 2-3 pieces), which contain the sealed bee brood, are moved to another body. They are moved along with the bees sitting on them. Also add one design with brood of different ages. A honey-beech frame is installed on the side, after which those that contain brood, then a fresh foundation and a frame in which there is a little honey taken from stocks.
Last but not least, place a partition and a layer of insulation. The queen moves to the second body and actively lays eggs in empty combs.
As the number of bees in the body increases, frames must be gradually added until there are 12 pieces. The bees living in the upper building begin to work actively, build new honeycombs. This is a good time to replenish the farm's sushi supply, replacing newly built honeycombs with fresh foundation. But such manipulations are possible only if the uterus has not yet switched to the honeycomb and has not begun to lay eggs in it.
The frames begin to regroup just before the honey harvest begins. All sealed brood and combs must be transferred to the upper hive body. As soon as a new brood begins to hatch, the combs will gradually free up for fresh honey. Frames containing open brood and brood of different ages must be rearranged into the lower body. Moving can be started no earlier than 12 frames are typed in the upper case.
Due to the above-described arrangement, double-housing bees have become popular. If the structures are not moved in time, the honey frames in the upper body will be located next to the brood, which deprives the two-body bee keeping of any sense. During intensive honey collection, you should constantly replace full frames with empty ones. Thus, the bees will be provided with a supply of free space for honey, and the beekeeper will reap a good harvest.
Content with a dividing grid
The dividing grid is one of the many gadgets in the beekeeper's rich arsenal. Its purpose is to prevent the queen and drones from entering certain sectors of the hive. Most often, the dividing structure is used when growing queen bees.
The principle of operation of the separating lattice is very simple - the queen and drones are larger than the working bee, they cannot crawl through the cells, while the bees move freely throughout the hive at this time.
In double-hive hives, the uterus should be isolated in the lower part of the hive during the main bribe. For this, a dividing grid is installed between the housings.
The easiest way to keep
With this method, you can significantly reduce the labor costs of the beekeeper. After the second body is installed, several frames are transferred from the lower part of the hive, containing brood of different ages. On the vacated places, frames with rebuilt honeycombs are installed.
To the frames with brood, which are in the upper body, add 3 more pieces - with a small amount of honey and one with fresh foundation. They should be separated from the free space of the case using a partition and insulated from above with a pad filled with dry moss.
As soon as the bee colony begins to grow, the frames are gradually added (up to 6 pcs.), Placing them next to those where there is brood. The queen moves to the upper body of the hive and begins to lay eggs in empty combs rebuilt by worker bees.
How to form a temporary layering with a young uterus
The design of the double-hive hive allows keeping bee colonies with two queens. This method significantly strengthens the family by the time of the main honey collection and prevents swarming. Layers are made only in areas where the period of honey collection comes late, and by this time a lot of bees have bred. From overpopulation, bees begin to sit back, lose energy and swarm. This can be avoided by layering, since the nest can no longer be expanded. Layering is also needed by strong families who are ahead of the rest in their development. The same thing begins to happen to them - they do not have time to reach the main honey collection and form a swarm.
At the moment when all frames are inhabited by bees, in order to create a layer, several of them are removed with bees, a young queen and a sealed brood. They are moved to another building, food is placed next to it - frames with honey and bee bread. For a 100% result, you can shake the bees into the upper body from another design. The main thing is not to let the old uterus into the layer.
The case with a new layering is installed on the hive from which the frames were taken. In this case, the tap hole should be placed in the opposite direction from the tap hole of the lower body. It is best to transplant the cuttings in the morning, and to add the young uterus in the afternoon and keep in isolation for about a day. The uterus is emptied the next day. Approximately 2 weeks after the introduction, the young uterus begins to intensively sow eggs on the honeycomb. To prevent conflicts between the old and young uterus, a partition is installed between the bodies.
How to connect layers before honey collection
Attaching layering just before honey collection is not an easy task. It can be implemented as follows:
- In the case where the layering is to be placed, the honeycombs with honey are changed to empty ones and placed near the tap hole.
- The honeycomb must be surrounded by a pillow or diaphragm, and the rest of the frames must be removed deep into the body.
- A weak partition is made between the new and old frames, for example, from an old newspaper.
- In the evening, frames from one body are transferred to another, before that the bees need to be sprayed with a weak solution of valerian tincture to give them the same smell.
- The uterus should be isolated using caps or cages.
- After that, the bees from the layer will make attempts to get to the food and gnaw through the newspaper partition.
This is one of the most optimal ways to attach layers to the main family before the main honey collection.
When to remove the second hulls from bees
The second hives are removed from the hives in the fall, after the bribe is completely over. This work must be done before the cold weather begins. At the same time, it should be noted and selected honeycombs that are suitable for wintering. After the second buildings are removed after the honey collection, the total amount of honey in the hive is recorded on all frames. This allows you to calculate the gross output. Frames heavily clogged with bee bread, with very young or too old combs should be removed from the hive. They shake off the bees and hide them in a spare box.
If the flow has stopped completely, the bees can start stealing honey. Therefore, it is necessary to dismantle the second buildings from the hives in the evening, after the end of summer, or in the early morning, before it begins.
Conclusion
The two-hull housing of bees allows you to save the working energy of insects, while the young individuals are fully loaded with work. The population of the hive is placed on a larger number of frames, the bees are not crowded in the nest. All these moments prevent the emergence of the swarm instinct. As a result, bees work more efficiently in a double-hive hive and produce more honey. In addition, the design of the double-hive hive allows growing layering next to the main family, which allows you to get a strong honey plant by the period of the main honey collection.
