The modern hive descends from the tree hollow. Three designs — vertical multiple-storey, horizontal long, and the 12-frame with magazines — dominate world beekeeping.
Multiple-storey Hive
Langstroth & Root (c. 1900, USA)
Vertical — nest taller than broad, like a tree hollow
The modern standard. Each storey holds 10 frames (435×230 mm). Nest volume expands by adding a whole storey, not single frames. Walls 20–35 mm thick. Removable bilateral bottom with 20 mm and 10 mm entrance sides.
Long Hive
Traditional European
Horizontal — nest wider than tall
16, 20, or 24 frames (435×300 mm). Nest expands horizontally. A 20-frame hive holds two colonies (two diaphragms, two lower and two upper entrances). The cluster runs front-to-back, not bottom-to-top.
12-Frame Hive with Magazines
European standard
Vertical with shallow honey supers
Storey 450×450×330 mm; magazines 155 mm high hold 10 (not 12) frames. Enlarged lateral planks (44.5 mm) make honey combs more spacious and safer to transport. Popular in the USA as 10–11 frame hives.
Anatomy of a multiple-storey hive
Storey
Box 375×450×240 mm (interior) holding 10 frames. Grooves for frame arms: 11 mm wide, 17 mm deep. Hand-grip openings cut 70 mm below the top edge.
Magazine (super)
Shallower box for honey only; 435×145 mm frames. No flight entrances. Installed only during main honey flows; receives 8 frames to produce thicker combs.
Roof
Flat cap, 80 mm high, 4–5 mm larger than the storey in all directions. Panel of 20 mm planks covered with tin. Ventilation slits in front/back walls along the full width.
Bottom
Removable, bilateral. Reversible: one side gives a 20 mm entrance (winter/summer), the other 10 mm (autumn/spring). Protrudes 50 mm beyond the front wall as a bee board.
Ceiling
Solid 520×445 mm panel with a 40×100 mm bee-escape hole (also used for a feeder or winter ventilation). Smooth side down, leaving 7 mm of bee space beneath.
Dividing grid
Wire or plastic grid sized to the storey interior; isolates the queen in one storey. Honey-loaded bees pass through wire more easily than plastic.
Flight-entrance insert
Block 20×20 mm with two cuts: 50×8 mm (cold weather) and 150×10 mm (warm weather). Withdrawn completely during main honey flows.
Stand
Box of 30 mm deals fitting the bottom's outer dimensions. Lateral sides inclined at 45°; a 140 mm plate forms the flight board with the bottom's protrusion. Treated with bitumen to resist moisture.
Standardization is mandatory
All hive parts must be interchangeable — storeys, magazines, bottoms, ceilings assembled on a strictly horizontal surface with precisely aligned levels. This is especially vital for grooveless hives, where parts join by butt-joints without any grooves.
Only soft, non-pitchy, well-seasoned wood (dried at least one year) may be used. Boards are cut with a 2.5–3 mm processing allowance and a 10 mm face allowance. Frames use a self-dividing design with extended lateral planks (37 mm) to maintain constant spacing.