Best Langstroth Beehive on 2024: Buying Guides, Components and Kits
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If you are going to start your journey as a beekeeper, then a beehive is the first thing you need to get. There are various types of beehives like Langstroth, Top Bar, Warre, etc. Also, among each type, there are hundreds of options to choose from.
If you have decided to go for Langstroth hives, then the question comes “Which one is the best Langstroth beehive?”. In this article, we are going to cover this question, as well as a detailed discussion on this particular beehive.
Quick View: Top 3 Langstroth Beehives
If you are already in a shopping mood, go ahead and check out the best 3 Langstroth hives:
Still confused? We got you! Hang on with us and read the full review and buying guide.
Before going to the full detailed review, we all have to get a clear idea of Langstroth beehives and all of its components. Then, you will understand what each product is offering.
How does a Langstroth beehive work?
Since the invention of the Langstroth beehive in 1852, the actual design has changed a lot. But, the theory and concept are still the same. These hives usually can be distinguished into three main layers.
- Lower Layer: The base of the beehive works as a stand of the hive, also it is the entryway. Bees enter the hive through the bottom layer, there are many additional components involved with this, like an entrance reducer, landing area, mouse barrier, etc.
- Middle Layer: The mid layer of this beehive contains all the boxes for brood, pollen, honey, and bees. This is the heart of the hive and here all the things happen. The hive can easily be expanded by adding new boxes. There are a lot of related components as well, which we will discuss later.
- Top Layer: The top section is like a hat of the hive. It consists of an inner cover and a top cover. The inner cover has different characteristics and can facilitate feeders, upper entrances, or exits. And, the top cover obviously covers the beehive from weather conditions.
So, the full picture is like this. The lower layer of the beehive is the foundation of the hive, it also is the gate of the hive. The middle layer is where all the actions happen. And, finally, the top layer is the protection of the hive from external factors.
Also, setting up Langstroth beehive is comparatively easier and scalable.
Now, let’s take a look at all the different components of a Langstroth hive.
Langstroth Beehive Components
If you see the picture of a Langstroth beehive below, you will see that it consists of a total of 11 parts. We will discuss the role of each part one by one.
Top Cover: It is the uppermost part of the hive and an essential protector. The most common top cover used is the Telescoping Top Cover.
Inner Cover: Inner cover is another essential part of the top layer. It may come with a small hole, which can be another entrance or exitway for the bees. Also, this hole can give bees access to feeders placed on top of the inner cover. So, if you are planning to use feeders, they go between the inner cover and the top cover.
Honey Super: These are the boxes where bees store honey. These boxes contain usually 8 to 10 removable frames. Box sizes and depth can be different from model to model.
Queen Excluder: This is a metal or plastic mesh grid that prevents the queen bee and drones from passing through it. The size of the holes is designed in such a way that only worker bees can pass through them and store honey in the honey super boxes. This is an additional item used by expert beekeepers. Keep in mind, it increases the stress of the bees and can slow down honey production.
Deep Brood Box: These boxes are used for brooding and the queen bee spends most of the time here. Drones also remain in this section of the hive. These boxes are usually deeper than the honey super boxes.
Solid Bottom Board: This bottom board is like the foundation of the hive. The full weight of the entire hive goes on this. Usually, Langstroth hives get very heavy (almost 50-80 lbs for each box) when fully loaded.
Entrance Reducer: The name says it all, it is a wooden part that reduces the size of the entrance. It is very useful for a young bee colony as it can be difficult for them to defend it. After the colony is fully established and bees can defend the hive well, it is recommended to remove the entrance reducer.
There are a lot of other accessories like oval bee escapes, mouse guards, and a lot of different types of frames for you to explore.
Advantages of Langstroth Beehive
The Langstroth beehive is one of the oldest designs and can be used for hobby beekeeping to industrial honey production. It comes with a lot of advantages, such as:
- Scalability is the best part of this hive. You can easily expand the hive by adding more boxes.
- High honey yields than any other designs.
- Very easy to inspect and harvest honey.
- Controlling swarming is easy.
- Easy to control pests and take care of the bees.
- Easy to breed bees and control the queen.
- Lasts longer than other types of hives.
Disadvantages of Langstroth Beehive
Despite a lot of advantages, Langstroth hive comes with a few disadvantages as well:
- It can become very expensive for beginners.
- Requires high skill and extensive knowledge of beekeeping.
- Other hive products like wax and propolis are not produced that much.
- Becomes very heavy when fully loaded, so needs heavy lifting.
Now, that you have the complete idea of Langstroth beehives, let’s jump into the complete review.
5 Best Langstroth Beehives Review
After extensive research and analyzing all the options available in the market, we’ve compiled a list of the best Langstroth beehives right now.
1. Hoover Hives Langstroth Beehive
The Langstroth Beehive by Hoover Hives comes with 3 boxes. Two of the boxes are deep and one is medium-sized. The best thing about this 10-frame beehive is, it is dipped in beeswax. So, you don’t need to worry about painting or waxing the hive.
The crafting of the box is bee-friendly and also designed to last for years. This beehive comes with all the accessories you will need to start your beekeeping journey.
Hoover Hives chose Fir wood for the construction of this hive, which is reluctant to warp, twist, or shrink. The woods are thick and ideal for insulation. Bees tend to accept the hive quite quickly.
It comes with a bottom board, telescoping top cover, inner cover, queen excluder, entrance reducer, and a lot of other accessories for a complete beekeeping experience.
Honey Hives offers several combinations of Langstroth beehives, let’s take a look below:
You can also buy lots of additional items to get your desired hive setup. Check the list of the extra parts:
Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of this beehive so that you can make your decision.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| ✅ Value for money | ⭕ Instructions are poor |
| ✅ Very sturdy | ⭕ Poor packaging |
| ✅ Craftmanship is top-notch | ⭕ Complains of defective wood |
| ✅ Easy to assemble |
If you are feeling confident, go ahead and buy the beehive.
2. Apimaye Insulated Langstroth Bee Hive
The insulated 7-frame Langstroth beehive by Apimaye is 1st place winner in the Beehive Innovations Award. This is a NUC-size beehive ideal for beginners. However, professionals can use this hive and will get a happy experience.
This beehive does not require painting. It is easy to use, easy to clean, easy to inspect, and also easy to move around. It can withstand extreme weather and there are enough ventilation holes to avoid moisture build-up.
The beehive can be divided with a division board to house two separate bee colonies. There are separate entries as well and two top feeders for managing two hives. You can use this as a single 7-frame hive or two 3-frame hives. This is also perfect for queen-rearing and splitting hives for selling out bees.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| ✅ Comes assembled | ⭕ Poor instruction for beginners |
| ✅ Very sturdy and insulated | ⭕ No wax foundation |
| ✅ Value for money | |
| ✅ Can be split into two hives |
If you are looking to start beekeeping right away, this is the ideal choice.
3. CREWORKS Starter Bee Hive
The third on our list is the Starter Beehive by CREWORKS. It is a two-layered Langstroth beehive. One medium box and one deep box come with 10 frames each.
This hive is made of durable Cedar and Pinewood. Cedarwood is used on the exterior and Pinewood is used for the foundation frames. It can easily last years in outdoor conditions. It also comes with a metal roof to protect it from rain and the outside environment.
It has nice features like a solid bottom board, a widened entrance reducer, a queen excluder, and so on. It is easily assembled and a perfect starter kit for you.
CREWORKS Langstroth beehive comes in different sizes. Check below:
You can also buy additional boxes and scale your bee colony. Now, let’s take a look at the pros and cons of this product.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| ✅ Very good quality and workmanship | ⭕ Provided nails are short |
| ✅ Easy to put together | ⭕ Woods are sometimes soft |
| ✅ Value for money | |
| ✅ Scalable |
If you are looking for a cedar and pinewood beehive, then you should look no other.
4. Honey Keeper Beehive
The complete Langstroth beekeeping box kit by Honey Keeper is another 2-tier beehive. It has a 10-frame medium box with foundations and 10 honeycomb frames deep box. The frames are wax-coated and bee-friendly.
The galvanized telescoping metal cover is rust-proof and protects the beehive. It extends the lifetime of the beehive by protecting it from rain. It also comes with a notched wooden strip which is a perfect entrance reducer.
A flat plastic queen excluder is included with this bee hive. Which makes it a perfect 20 frames with foundations Langstroth beehive.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| ✅ Assembly is a breeze | ⭕ Complains on quality of the wood |
| ✅ Value for money | ⭕ Supplied nails are useless |
| ✅ Great starter kit | ⭕ Reports of missing parts |
| ✅ Well packaged and manufactured |
If you are looking for a cheap starter kit, then this is your best bet.
5. BeeCastle Complete Beehive Starter Kit
The last on our list is the complete beehive starter kit by Bee Castle. This kit includes of the deep brood box, solid bottom, telescoping top, inner cover, queen excluder, and entrance reducer.
It also comes with a beekeeping supplies tool kit, which consists of a bee smoker, bee frame holder, suit, gloves, and other 17 necessary tools. If you are learning beekeeping and want to practice, then it is the best Langstroth beehive starter kit.
The unassembled brood frames are made of Pinewood and foundation sheets are made of food-grade plastic. It is also dipped in beeswax, so bees will easily accept them.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| ✅ Nicely built | ⭕ Inferior quality |
| ✅ Wax coated | ⭕ No size option for suit and gloves |
| ✅ All essential tools included | |
| ✅ Perfect for beginners |
If you are a beginner and want to test out beekeeping, then it will be your ideal investment plan.
Langstroth Beehive Buying Guide
We all want the best home for our bees, and Langstroth Beehive is one of the very best. Bees are very sensitive and need an ideal environment to thrive. In this guide, we will help you decide on which beehive will be perfect for your needs and narrow down your shopping list.
Decide if Langstroth hive is ideal for you
Before any other things, decide first if the Langstroth hive is the one you are going to buy.
Go for Langstroth Beehive if
- You want a scalable beehive and easily available resources.
- Higher honey yield is your priority.
- You are willing to use extraction methods using frames and foundations.
- You don’t need to move around the hive frequently.
Don’t go for Langstroth hives if
- You are looking for a low-maintenance hive.
- You are looking for easy brood box inspection.
- Aesthetics is your priority.
What to consider while buying a Langstroth beehive?
There are several factors while choosing a beehive and your final decision will be based on them.
Scalability: You may be a new beekeeper or an experienced one, but you can not see the future. Adding and removing boxes should be easy so that you can instantly expand the colony or split it into two. As well as all the related tools should be easily available.
Hone Harvesting: You are doing all these for honey. How easy it is to harvest honey should be an important factor. Do the frames fit your harvester, you should be asking these questions while buying the hive.
Longevity: If you are seriously into beekeeping, you should be cautious about the durability of the hive. You are going to use the hives for years, so what materials are used to make the hive should be questioned.
Ease of Handling: You will need to open the hive from time to time. The hive should be easy to handle, if not beekeeping will be a tiresome job. You already know Langstroth beehives can get very heavy when full, you can go for lower frame boxes if you need to reduce weight.
Budget: Another important factor is the budget. If you have the budget to buy the highest quality bees, then you wouldn’t be reading this article. Pick the hive that will not break the bank, and also will serve you for years. That’s why we picked all the value-for-money hives on the list.
Aesthetics: The final factor is the aesthetic. If you are going the place the beehive around your house or in the backyard, then a boring bee box will not look eye-pleasing. You should go for better-looking hives in that case.
We hope that now you will be able to pick the right Langstroth beehive for your needs and will be a proud beekeeper.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here’s the answer to the questions, you guys are always asking:
1. How many beehives to start with
It is recommended to start with two bee hives. Having two hives will give you ample experience. However, if you are just willing to see if beekeeping is for you, then you should start with one beehive.
2. How often should beehives be inspected
You should check the beehives every week or ten days. More frequent inspections will stress the bees and less frequent inspections can be risky for your bees. You will need to check brood, honey, and pollen stores. Also, look for food storage and signs of diseases.
Conclusion
Don’t think too much, go out there and buy the beehive you want. If you make the wrong decision, you can always correct it later. But, if you waste time thinking and deciding, you will not get it back.
Our best Langstroth bee hive list is carefully crafted. All of them offer great value and benefits. You will not regret picking any of them.
