Lorenzo L. Langstroth and The Quest for the Perfect Hive The early history of beekeeping Lorenzo Langstroth The Moveable-frame Hive The earliest evidence of human interaction with Lorenzo Langstroth was born on Langstroth found that the bees would honey bees dates back 8,000 years to a Meso- December 25, 1810 in Philadelphia, seal the top of the Bevan hive to the lithic cliff painting in Spain that depicts a human Pennsylvania. He attended Yale Col- bars with propolis, meaning that the figure robbing a colony of its honey. Honeycomb lege and was eventually ordained as bars would remain attached to the theft was probably the reason for our ancestors’ a minister. He had a childhood inter- cover when it was removed. In 1851, first intentional encounters with bees. est in insects and was first introduced Langstroth discovered that if he creat- to beekeeping in 1838, when he saw ed a 3/8” space between the cover and a large glass jar containing glistening the bars, the bees would not glue them honeycomb. Langstroth’s first hives, together. He eventually realized that if this 3/8” space surrounded all sides of purchased in 1838, were simple box the frame within the hive box, he could easily lift out the frames without hav- hives with crisscrossed sticks inside ing to cut them away from the hive walls. This “bee space” set Langstroth’s which provided support for honey- hives apart from all the others, resulting in a true moveable-frame hive. The identity of the first beekeepers is unknown, but the oldest historical evi- combs. dence of beekeeping comes from ancient Egypt. Ancient Egyptian beekeep- The first hive Langstroth constructed that incorpo- ers used horizontal hives constructed from dried mud and straw. The bees Langstroth arranged for the con- rated his bee space bears little resemblance to the were quieted using a censer (a dish that contained burning incense). Then struction of a leaf hive based on hives we see today. These initial hives had a portico the honeycomb was removed by hand, broken into pieces, and placed in jars the writings of Francis Huber, entry and a hinged cover that enclosed the frames. where the wax would separate from the honey. The honey was poured into and of several bar hives, as de- The design of the Langstroth hive changed dur- vessels that were sealed for storage and transport. scribed by Edward Bevan. Each ing the 70 years following the completion of his first hive. Better construction and the use of interchange- When beekeeping moved into central Europe, hive provided Langstroth with The modern beehive able parts permitted beekeepers to manage their horizontal hives were replaced with upright hives made important design features that hives more economically, but the bee space was the from hollowed logs, but these logs were heavy and dif- he incorporated into his own hive The Huber leaf hive crucial feature that permitted these hives to stand ficult to move between apiaries, or bee yards. What design. The Huber hive had en- the test of time. was needed was a strong yet lightweight hive that closed frames within which the A log hive could be made from easily obtained, renewable mate- bees produced their comb, while rials. Straw “skep” hives, essentially derived from bas- the Bevan bar hive used wooden kets used to carry coal, were developed to meet this bars that were fitted into rabbets, need. These hives were commonly used in Europe for permitting the cover to rest flush Read The Quest for the over a millennium. against the bars. The Bevan bar hive Perfect Hive by Gene Kritsky

A straw skep hive to learn more about the history of the beehive. 1 Bee Culture THE MAGAZINE OF AMERICAN BEEKEEPING