Natural Beekeeping International Forum

[dolmen]

I was wondering if any members are using or have used layens hives? they caught my attention lately and I really like what I've been reading, but would appreciate the learned experience of others before I'd venture into yet another hive.
At the moment I have a mixture of Rose hives and Nationals.

[BBC]

Hello Dolmen

I'm running a Deep Long Hive at the moment which is quite close to the Layens 'a grenier' (granary) format, albeit with central frames which are only 12" deep. The colony within it has come through winter without any difficulties.





That, unfortunately, is the sum total of my experience thus far with anything approaching a pukka de Layen hive. However, just in case it may be of passing interest to you, I'll briefly mention here something I'm currently working on - which is to some degree based on de Layens' thinking.

Emile Warre (in 'Beekeeping for All'), spoke well of the Layens frame format, but wasn't keen on the horizontal format of the hive itself.

The A-Z Hive, much favoured by Slovenians and which has been enthusiastically 'discovered' by experimental Americans recently (despite it's complexity and the requirement for uber-precision in manufacture) has, over the years, been enlarged to accommodate two sets of brood frames, one stacked above the other. Whilst understandably pursuing a common frame standard, it seems not to have occurred to anyone to make a double-height frame instead. Doing so would bring the frame dimensions very close to those of de Layens, and at the same time (hopefully) eliminate much of the A-Z hive's existing complexity. So - that's what I'm currently working on.

The frames have now been made and fitted with starter strips and temporary top bars. The intention now is to get these drawn-out within a stack of two National deep brood boxes before being installed into a much simplified A-Z hive body. Here's an example:



I'll post about progress with this project, if it should be of any interest to anyone.
'best,
Colin
(BBC)
_________________
Bees build Brace Comb for a reason, not just to be bloody-minded.

[dolmen]

Thanks for that Colin, very interesting and I look forward to further updates.

I bumped into another bee keeper that just happened to have built himself the ERB hive, larger again than Layens. He never had any bees in it, however he has agreed to build me one in the next few weeks, so that is something I'm looking forward to receiving, hopefully in time for the swarm season.

[dolmen]

I still haven't received my Layens hive but am hoping it will be here before the swarms.
How are you getting on Colin with your own version?

[BBC]

The weather during this winter and spring has been very challenging indeed - fluctuating between Siberian freezing temperatures and extreme heat-waves. Far more weird than usual. One consequence of all this is that most of my colonies were found to be of a pathetic size during the first inspection of the year (although they've all recovered now) - except those on deep frames which had thrived whilst the others had stumbled. The colony in the Layens-style Long Hive was found to be the strongest of all, by a significant margin. So strong in fact that I've selected it for queen-rearing, and have now transferred that colony into a vertical stack in order that I can use a divided Cloake Board.

Meanwhile, the hive itself has been moved about 30 feet away, and now holds a former nucleus colony which over-wintered very successfully on five 14"x12" frames. I've moved the blocks to one end, and will now be using this box as a 'Stash Hive' (somewhere in which to hold frames removed from queen-rearing hives for short periods).

With regard to Layens Hives in general - I recently came across a French site which described the various Layens formats thusly:

[dolmen]

Thanks for the in-depth reply, interesting so many variations on a theme!
I've since been in contact with my hive maker and its looking like it may well be an ERB Einraumbeute, which is what I had wanted originally.
I have a few National bait boxes out at present, no scouts seen and the OSB's are sitting with three tiers, those that made it through the winter are going well, plenty of pollen going in. My losses were heavy at 60%, all still with plenty of stores, bee's just dwindled down to a cup full and succumbed to the cold I suspect. Wondering if it may have been down to poorly mated queens? Strangely my only two surviving hives were OSB's a one tier and a two tier! both mesh floors, the Nationals died out and some of those were strong, and all leaving stores.