{"id":6176,"date":"2021-11-11T12:36:33","date_gmt":"2021-11-11T17:36:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beekeepingfornewbies.com\/?p=6176"},"modified":"2022-09-11T17:41:20","modified_gmt":"2022-09-11T21:41:20","slug":"beehive-frames-and-foundation-a-beginners-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beekeepingfornewbies.com\/beehive-frames-and-foundation-a-beginners-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Beehive Frames And Foundation (A Beginner’s Guide)"},"content":{"rendered":"
Updated on September 11th, 2022<\/p>\n
Langstroth hives<\/strong> are the most common beehives used in North America. The hives consist of vertically stacked, modular boxes. Each hive box contains movable frames for holding beeswax.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So what are beehive frames and foundation?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Beehive frames and foundation create a space where bees build wax comb to store food and raise brood. Rectangular frames hold a wax or plastic sheet of foundation embossed with hexagonal cells serving as a base for drawing straight comb. Frames are movable for inspection, transfer, and honey extraction.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Beekeepers may use frames without foundation, a practice naturally called \u201cfoundationless\u201d beekeeping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While an individual frame with foundation may cost less than $2, total costs add up as you need as many as 10 frames per box. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The options available when it comes to frames and foundation can be confusing if you are beginning backyard beekeeping. In this article, we will help you understand the choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Langstroth frames and foundation facilitate beekeeping in several ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A Langstroth hive is a modular system of vertically stacked boxes containing movable frames. The Langstroth hive’s design focuses on the concept of “bee space.”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Generally, bees will not propolize or build wax in any space that is about 3\/8 of an inch wide, the distance of bee space. Areas of that size are left open for the bees to travel within the hive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Frames are designed to leave a bee space gap between each frame and each component around it<\/strong>: adjacent parallel frames, frames above and below, sides of the hive box, bottom boards, and covers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bee space prevents components from being connected with beeswax and thus remain movable. <\/strong>Movable frames can be taken out of the hive for inspection, relocated to other hives needing food or brood, or removed to extract honey as efficiently as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Frames help keep bees building comb in a straight line so they are easier to manage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Honey is efficiently removed from sturdy frames and foundation using centrifugal extractors that spin at high speeds.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhy Use Hive Frames<\/h2>\n\n\n\n