BEEKEEPING
The components of a beehive
Worldwide , there are any number of designs and shapes of hives that beekeepers use to house their swarms . Some are based on designs that have been developed over millennia . Others take into account the availability of local material in their construction and yet others are designed with specific local climatic considerations in mind . In South Africa , the most commonly used hive design is the Langstroth , a flexible multi-chamber design that allows the beekeeper to adjust the size of the hive according to the strength of the swarm . The Langstroth is based on two sizes of chamber . At the bottom , and fitting onto a solid base , is the larger of the two , the brood chamber , which with the base incorporates a small aperture at the base to allow for the entrance and exit of the bees .
Above the brood chamber is a shallower chamber commonly called the “ super ”, which can be fitted in multiples to accommodate larger swarms . It is not uncommon to have a large swarm accommodated in a set-up of three or four supers . Atop the top super is an inner lid which seals and insulates the hive and , to protect the hive from the elements , a larger outer lid is fitted , which
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Basic components of a Langstroth hive showing a brood chamber . One frame is removed to show the wax fopundation sheet . Behind it is the inner lid and to the left the outer lid covered with an aluminium alloy plate .
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