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Today, the double-hull keeping of bees is practiced by many beekeepers. A two-hull hive, or as it is sometimes called, a Dadan two-hull hive, consists of two compartments or buildings. The bottom has a non-removable bottom and roof. The second body has no bottom, it is superimposed on top of the first. Thus, it is possible to achieve an increase in the volume of the hive by 2 times.
How a two-hull hive works
A standard two-hull hive for 12 frames has the following design features:
- Single walls. Their thickness is approximately 45 mm.
- Removable bottom, so it is more convenient to change places in places.
- Roof lining designed for laying the hive insulation.
- Upper, additional, notches – 1 pc. for each corpus. They are made in the form of round holes with a diameter of approximately 25 mm. Arrival slats are attached under the notches.
- Flat roof equipped with several ventilation flaps and several landing boards.
- Arrival boards of the upper and lower entrances. They are installed vertically (for example, during the transportation of hives) close to the walls and cover the entrances.
Advantages and disadvantages
The two-hull hive has the following advantages:
- Bee colonies breed better, as the conditions of keeping bees in a two-hull hive for 12 frames stimulate the uterus to intensively lay eggs.
- A family in a hive of this design will swarm less.
- The yield of honey is increased by almost 50%.
- It is easier to prepare bees for winter.
- Increased wax output.
- Bees that have been bred in a double-hulled hive tend to be stronger and have good genes.
Of the shortcomings 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 be late with the setting of the second body, the nest will become crowded, unemployment will increase among the young generation of bees, the colony will begin to swarm.
Most often, the second body is installed on the hive about a month before the main honey collection. If the bees managed to lay queen cells on the combs, it makes no sense to put a second body – insects will not build honeycombs. The destruction of queen cells is a meaningless occupation and does not give any result. At the same time, the swarming state of the bees continues, the period of inactivity lengthens.
How to place frames correctly
With a two-hull content of bee colonies, the frames must be placed in a special order. Several frames (usually 2-3 pcs.), which contain 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-bee-bread frame is set on the side, after it those that contain brood, then fresh honeycomb and a frame in which there is some honey taken from stocks.
Lastly, put a partition and a layer of insulation. The uterus moves to the second building and actively lays eggs in empty combs.
As the number of bees in the housing increases, it is necessary to gradually add frames until 12 pieces are typed. The bees living in the upper body begin to work actively, build new combs. This is a good time to replenish the stock of sushi on the farm, replacing newly built honeycombs with fresh foundation. But such manipulations are possible only if the uterus has not yet switched to the comb and has not begun to lay eggs in it.
Frames begin to regroup just before the start of honey collection. All sealed brood and combs must be transferred to the upper body of the hive. As soon as new brood begins to hatch, the combs will gradually be released for fresh honey. Frames containing open and mixed-age brood should be rearranged in the lower box. Moving can be started no earlier than 12 frames are typed in the upper case.
Due to the arrangement described above, double-hull keeping of bees has become popular. If the structures are not moved in time, then the honey frames in the upper body will be located next to the brood, which deprives the double-hull keeping of bees of any meaning. During intensive honey collection, you should constantly replace the 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 divider grid
The dividing grid is one of the many devices from the rich arsenal of the beekeeper. Its purpose is to prevent the uterus and drones from getting into certain sectors of the hive. Most often, the dividing structure is used in the cultivation of queen bees.
The principle of operation of the dividing grid is very simple – the queen and drones are larger than the worker bees, they cannot climb through the cells, and the bees at this time move freely throughout the hive.
In double-hued hives, the queen should be isolated in the lower part of the hive for the duration of the main flow. To do this, a dividing grid is installed between the buildings.
The easiest way to keep
Using this method, you can significantly reduce the labor costs of the beekeeper. After the second body is installed, several frames containing brood of different ages are transferred from the lower part of the hive. Frames with built-up honeycombs are installed on the vacated places.
Three more pieces are added to the frames with brood, which are located in the upper body – with a small amount of honey and one with fresh foundation. They should be separated from the free space of the body with a partition and insulated from above with a pad stuffed with dry moss.
As soon as the bee colony begins to grow, the frames are gradually added (up to 6 pieces), placing them next to those where there is brood. The uterus moves to the upper body of the hive and begins to lay eggs in empty combs built by worker bees.
How to form a temporary layer with a young uterus
The design of a two-hull hive allows you to keep bee colonies with two queens. This method significantly strengthens the family by the time of the main honey collection and prevents swarming. They make layering only in areas where the period of honey collection comes late, and by this time a lot of bees have bred. From overpopulation, the bees begin to idle, lose energy and swarm. This can be avoided by layering, since the nest can no longer be expanded. Layers are also needed for strong families that 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 the frames are inhabited by bees, in order to create a layer, several of them are removed with bees, a young queen and sealed brood. They are moved to another building, food is installed nearby – frames with honey and bee bread. For a XNUMX% 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 layers.
The body with a new layer is installed on the hive from which the frames were taken. In this case, the notch should be placed in the opposite direction from the notch of the lower body. The layering is best transplanted in the morning, and the young uterus is placed in the afternoon and kept in isolation for about a day. The uterus is released the next day. Approximately 2 weeks after the placement, the young queen begins to intensively sow combs with eggs. To prevent conflicts between the old and young uterus, a partition is installed between the buildings.
How to connect layering before honey collection
Attaching layers just before the honey collection is not an easy task. You can implement it like this:
- In the case where the layering is to be placed, honeycombs with honey are changed to empty ones, placed near the notch.
- Honeycombs need to be surrounded by a pillow or diaphragm, and the rest of the frames should 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, the frames from one body are transferred to another; before that, the bees must be sprayed with a weak solution of valerian tincture to give them the same smell.
- Queens should be isolated with caps or cages.
- After that, the bees from the layer will attempt to get to the food and gnaw through the newspaper partition.
This is one of the best ways to attach layering to the main family before the main honey collection.
When to remove the second body of the bees
The second buildings are removed from the hives in the fall, after the bribes are completely over. This work must be done before the onset of cold weather. 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 accounted for on all frames. This allows you to calculate the gross volume of production. Frames heavily clogged with pollen, 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 bribe has completely stopped, the bees may begin to steal 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 double-hull keeping of bees allows you to save the working energy of insects, while 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 a swarm instinct. As a result, bees work more efficiently and bring more honey in a double-hued hive. In addition, the construction of a two-hull hive allows you to grow layers next to the main family, which allows you to get a strong honey plant by the time of the main honey collection.
