There are various beehive dimensions that manufacturers use when making beehive bodies. These dimensions make slight differences that cannot be easily noticed. This implies that you can use multiple brands of beehives together.
A 10 frame Langstroth hive has dimensions of 19.875” x 16” x 5.875” (L x W x H), 19.875” x 16” x 6.625”, and 19.875” x 16” x 9.625” for the shallow, medium and deep hives. For an 8 frame hive, they are 19.875” x 14” x 5.875”, 19.875” x 14” x 6.625”, and 19.875” x 14” x 9.625” respectively.
However, a wise beekeeper should consider important factors when making their Langstroth beehive plans. Among the factors are price, size, and weight. Therefore, most people are confused about choosing between the popular 10 frame Langstroth hive dimensions and 8 frame Langstroth hives.
What Is a Langstroth Beehive?
Langstroth hives are the most common beehives in Australia and North America. They are mainly composed of stacking rectangular boxes and have removable frames that enable bees to comb in.
The Langstroth beehive comes in various customizable designs that enable the beekeeper to choose the stacked boxes of their preferable height. The boxes come in 3 depths and 2 widths. The 3 depths are deep, medium, and shallow, while the widths are 10 frames, 8 frames, or 5 frames. however, the 10 and 8 frame hives are the most popular. You can also paint the hive to the looks you want.
10 Frame Langstroth Beehive Dimensions
All 10 frame Langstroth Beehives have similar lengths and widths. They are 19.875 inches long and 16 inches wide. The only varying dimension is the depth. The table below summarizes shallow, medium, and deep boxes that have variable depth measurements:
| Hive type | Shallow | Medium | Deep |
| Length | 504.825mm (19.875”) | 504.825mm (19.875”) | 504.825mm (19.875”) |
| Width | 406.4mm (16”) | 406.4mm (16”) | 406.4mm (16”) |
| Depth | 149.225mm (5.875”) | 168.275mm (6.625”) | 244.5mm (9.625”) |
| Weight | 18.144 Kgs (40lbs) | 22.680 Kgs (50lbs) | 36.287 Kgs( 80lbs) |
8 Frame Langstroth Beehive Dimensions
The 8 frame Langstroth Beehive measurements are too close to the 10 frame. They only have 2 inches shorter widths.
| Hive type | Shallow | Medium | Deep |
| Length | 504.825mm (19.875”) | 504.825mm (19.875”) | 504.825mm (19.875”) |
| Width | 355.6mm (14”) | 355.6mm (14”) | 355.6mm (14”) |
| Depth | 149.225mm (5.875”) | 168.275mm (6.625”) | 244.5mm (9.625”) |
| Weight | 14.514 Kgs (32lb) | 18.144Kgs (40lb) | 29.030Kgs (64lb) |
Parts of a Langstroth Bee Hive
The main parts of a Langstroth hive are as follows:
Outer Cover
This is the top of the hive and is made up of galvanized metal to offer protection from the elements. The telescoping top cover is the most common outer cover as it hangs slightly over the top cover so that water or debris collecting on it can fall off without affecting the rest of the hive.
Inner Cover
Just below the top cover and on top of the topmost super is the inner cover. It’s usually made of wood with an entrance hole and another hole in the middle. The inner cover prevents bees from gluing the top of the super to the top cover and helps regulate the hive temperature.
Hive Frames
In each box there is a frame whose size coordinates with the size of the box. A large super, for example, will require a large frame. The bees build combs on the frame in the brood box for raising brood. In honey supers, bees build combs on the frames to store honey.
To guide the bees on where to build their combs, a foundation is used. The foundation can be of the plastic or wired type. The plastic foundation is the easiest to work with as a beekeeper although bees prefer the wired one.
Super
The super is where bees store the honey. Supers are often stacked upon each other and quite heavy. For this reason, shallow and medium boxes are used for stability. You can use as many supers as you desire.
Queen Excluder
As the name suggests, the queen excluder is meant to exclude the queen from going into the honey supers. It’s placed on the brood chamber and has holes that are just small enough to allow the worker bees to go through it but not the queen bee.
Brood Chamber
The brood chamber is where the queen bee lives and lays her eggs. It’s a deep box seated on the bottom board or the slatted rack. For safety and the continuity of the hive, hives have two brood chambers at the bottom.
Slatted Rack
The optional slatted rack is a piece that raises the brood chamber a bit higher for better ventilation and to reduce congestion in the hive.
Entrance Reducer
The entrance reducer is a rectangular piece of wood that reduces the size of the hive entrance to keep out intruders like mice and robber bees. It’s placed between the brood chamber and the bottom board.
Bottom Board
The bottom board is the lowest piece of the hive and has the entrance to it as well. It can either be of the screened or solid type.
Hive Stand
Below the bottom board is the hive stand which elevates the hive off the ground to prevent moisture from damaging it. It also helps protect the hive from some pests and also keeps it at a good height for the beekeeper to work on the hive.
With these parts of the hive, your bees will be organized such that taking care of them is easy no matter the season. If you already have a hive without bees, you can easily find a bees’ nest in the wild to populate your hive.
10 Frame Vs. 8 Frame Langstroth Beehives
10 frame deep beehives are the most common hives in the US. However, 8-frame boxes are becoming increasingly popular. Therefore, it is essential to differentiate between them to determine the most suitable beehive for your project.
Although the larger frame creates more space for honey and bees, experienced beekeepers do not choose the 10 Frame Langstroth hive. Here are the reasons why:
Weight
Honey and bees add some weight to the hives. An 8 Frame hive will weigh less as compared to a 10 Frame. Therefore, when choosing the right hive for your project, always remember you need to lift multiple boxes at various heights. An 8 Frame Langstroth hive weighs 8 to 16 pounds less than a 10 Frame hive.
The approximate weight of an 8-frame shallow, medium and deep box are 32, 40, and 64 lbs. respectively. On the other hand, 10 frame boxes will approximately weigh 40, 50, and 80 lbs. on shallow, medium, and deep boxes, respectively.
Therefore, if you use deep boxes, you will lift 16 lbs. more on the 10-frame hive. This shows clearly shows the advantages and disadvantages of each type of frame.
Price
10-frame boxes are relatively more expensive than 8-frame boxes. However, the price difference varies with the season, materials, and other factors.
Hive Body Size
Bees often build upwards rather than side by side. 8-frame hives have a narrow body that makes them more natural to bees. Bees nest in a hollowed-out tree. As such, an 8-frame hive acts almost similar to the wild nest.
Winter Conditions
8-Frame hives are advantageous during winter since bees cluster for warmth. The cluster utilizes space in 8-frames, and there is no extra horizontal space, implying that bees can focus mainly on moving upwards as a group.
Faster Filling Boxes
8-frames hives generally fill up faster than the 10-frames, implying that this is at the expense of buying more super and grames as they fill up.
Tripping Hazard
There are more boxes stacked vertically in an 8-frame than a 10-frames beehive. Therefore, an 8-frame hive has more risk of tipping in windy and rainy weather.
Equipment Variations
Since the 8-frames hives have not been in the market for long, you may encounter challenges when looking for pollen traps and top feeders for the 8-frame variety. The most available equipment is for 10-frames hives.
Advantages of 10-Frames Hives
The benefits of having a 10-frame hive include:
- The 10-frame box’s height is lower than the 8-frame boxes. Their width makes them store more honey at a lower height.
- The boxes have two more frames which creates more room for bees to brood and make honey in each box.
- 10-frames hives are popular and famous. Hence, knowledge on managing bees can be shared among beekeepers.
- The whole hive allows you to purchase fewer boxes.
- You will have fewer frames to inspect in the hive when inspecting the frames.
- Most manufacturers make 10-frame boxes accessories.
This makes 10-frame hives some of the best on the market.
Disadvantages of 10-frame Beehives.
The cons of 10-frame hives include:
- Full 10-frame beehives weigh approximately 15+ lbs. more than 8-frames hives.
- Since honeybees prefer moving upwards, they will move outside on the two outside frames to create more honey.
- Average beekeepers cannot lift the heavy 10-frames boxes by themselves.
- Lifting the heavy-weighted boxes poses risks of knees and back injuries.
These downsides, however, aren’t deal-breakers when using this type of hives.
Advantages of 8-Frames Beehives
The pros of having 8-frame hives are as follows:
- The 8-frames hives generally weigh less, reducing the weight to be shifted at once.
- 8-Frame hives occupy less space. This enables you to fit more hives in a smaller area.
- The low-weighted hives reduce the risks of injury posed by heavy hives.
- Bees tend to use more frames on 8-frames hives when moving upwards.
- Honey inside the hives is more accessible and compatible with winter bee clusters.
While less popular than 10-frame hives, the 8-frame ones are beneficial in many different ways.
Disadvantages of 8-Frame Beehives
The downsides to having 8-frame beehives include:
- The high hive stack poses a risk of tapping in adverse weather.
- You are required to purchase more boxes as compared to 10-frame hives.
- Specified equipment is more difficult to find and fit compared to 10-frames boxes.
- You have to handle and move more boxes during honey harvesting.
- During an inspection, you will inspect more boxes.
Even with these downsides, 8-frame hives are some of the best on the market.
8-Frame Hives Vs. 10-Frame Hives: Which is Better?
Although choosing the hive size and frame size is your personal decision, it is essential to consider some important factors. If you are for a popular standard frame in the beekeeping industry, consider choosing the 10-frame hive.
Also, if you are against the heavy weight, choosing an 8-frame hive can be a suitable decision. If you have a low budget for your frames, 8-frame beehives offer you friendly shopping.
Most importantly, if you choose a hive that offers more space for bees’ brooding and honey, a 10-frames hive is the best choice.
Besides Langstroth hives, you can also find self-draining beehives which offer an easy way to harvest honey from the hives without disturbing the hive. This comes in handy during the winter season when opening up the hive can kill the bees.
Bottom Line
As you have seen, a 10-frame beehive slightly differs from an 8-frame beehive. The popular hive gives bees more space for brooding and honey-making. However, the beehive is associated with some adverse risks of injury due to its heavyweight when full.
Therefore, it is essential to consider some helpful discussed factors before choosing it for your next project. Now, with this useful information, make a decision today on whether a 10-frame beehive is perfect for you and secure the boxes for your beekeeping project.
References
Oxford University Press. Lorenzo L. Langstroth and The Quest for the Perfect Hive.
University of Illinois. Integrating Gender and Nutrition within Agricultural Extension Services.
National Museum of American History. Bee Hives Buzzing with Invention.