Beehive Ruta: drawings and dimensions, how to do it yourself at home

During the development of beekeeping, beekeepers have developed several different options for bee dwellings. A beginner beekeeper needs to familiarize himself with the features of each in order to make a choice. The Root type hive, also called the Langstroth-Root hive, was developed over 100 years ago in America. Houses have advantages and disadvantages, it is important to take into account the peculiarities of keeping bees in such buildings.

Overview and features of the hive

Root bee houses are used in apiaries in different regions of the country because they can be used to increase the efficiency of breeding and keeping bee families. Features & Specs:

• these are multi-buildings;
• the main principle of the internal structure is to create a space as close as possible to the habitual bees;
• to increase the productivity of insects, certain tricks of the internal structure of the houses are used (the beekeeper can change the number of buildings, after freeing up space, the bees will begin to close up the vacant place);
• the floors of the buildings are not separated by a lid or bottom;
• frames are made small;
• to separate the queen from other bees, she is placed in the lower part of the whole hive and separated with a net.

Attention! It is recommended to rearrange the cases once every two weeks, so these are often installed in regions with a warm climate. Thus, hypothermia of the bee colony can be avoided.

Pros and cons

Root hives are often installed in apiaries due to certain advantages. These include the following:

• increasing the profitability of the apiary due to the rapid growth in the number of insects in the bee family;
• compact - small cases line up vertically, so structures take up little space;
• ruta hives are easy to care for, just study the principles and recommendations of beekeepers.

Attention! Some beekeepers prefer to reduce the degree of human involvement in the life of the bee colony. This approach helps to simplify the care of the apiary, often - to increase the number of collected products.

More about the benefits of Root houses in the next video.

Like other designs, Langstroth-Root houses have disadvantages:

• many beekeepers may find it difficult to manage multi-building structures;
• some stores are quite large, outwardly the buildings look like a multi-storey building;
• Additional grids must be used to separate queen and worker bees.

The indicated shortcomings are compensated by gaining experience. Therefore, beekeepers do not restrict the use of this type of hive.

How to create a Langstroth-Root hive

A beekeeper can assemble a bee house of such a structure on his own, having studied the recommendations and the necessary stages of work - preparation, a list of required materials, dimensions and drawings, assembly instructions.

Preparation

The initial stage is planning. You need to do the following:

• determine the number of frames and cases of the bee house;
• study the proposed drawings. Attention! Some drawings may not take into account the preferences and wishes of the beekeeper. Therefore, in such cases, it is allowed to make adjustments to the proposed options. It is important at the same time to calculate the distances and details before proceeding with the marking;

• calculate the amount of materials needed (wood, insulation, nails, others);
• prepare the workplace and tools.

After reading the provided instructions, the assembly of bee houses will not take much time. It is important to observe safety requirements when working with tools and wood.

Required Materials

In order to start assembling Langstroth-Root hives, you need to prepare the following materials:

• boards (it is desirable to use fir or wood), thickness - 3-4 cm;
• roof boards. Attention! The roof of the bee house can be assembled from boards - like the hulls. Some beekeepers prefer to make the top cover from other materials, for example, from plywood with insulation;

• wood beam for the core;
• what to seal the top of the structure, use a tarpaulin or film;
• plywood for sheathing;
• nails, screws, self-tapping screws;
• hammer, screwdriver, screwdriver and saw, wood glue.

Attention! Tools are prepared and checked in advance. It is necessary to take into account the safety requirements when working with power tools (screwdrivers). In some cases, sandpaper may be required to sand the boards.

Dimensions and drawings

For a 10-frame hive, ready-made drawings and standard sizes are used. Common Options:

• measurement of the body of the beehive - 46.2 cm by 40 cm by 24 cm;
• frame parameters - 44.6 cm by 23 cm;
• additional diaphragm element - 1.5 cm thick.

A small ceiling space should be left between the upper house and the roof. The distance is necessary in order to protect the bee colony from overheating.

Assembly

To use homemade hives, you need to complete several assembly steps:

• assemble from the boards of the case, connecting the parts with glue;
• from the outside, sheathe the elements with plywood, the walls are connected with nails;
• cut the tap holes - upper and lower (an electric jigsaw is suitable for doing);
• after assembling the hulls, cut the roof to the appropriate size;
• the bottom is installed at the final stage so that there is a distance of at least 5 cm from the front side.

Frames are made of several slats - upper and lower, which are connected by side bars.

Difference from Dadanov's

Outwardly, the two types of bee houses are quite similar. Significant differences:

• Dadanov's dwellings are suitable for cold climates because they do not allow the bees to get too cold;
• Root houses are more often used in warm regions - the cases can be rearranged;
• After the winter in the Dadan hives, several frames will need to be replaced.

The main difference is that Dadan type hives are easy to care for, easier than Ruth's houses. These are more suitable for beginner beekeepers.

Technology for keeping bees

Root bee dwellings are characterized by some features of insect behavior. The following are considered key nuances:

• each case holds 10 frames;
• after wintering, the beekeeper needs to install an additional section with foundation;
• then you need to swap the sections in order to activate the growth of the family;
• hulls in Ruta hives are interchangeable.

The houses are prepared smoothly for wintering. First, they close the distances between the roof and the house, check the availability of the required amount of food (if necessary, add sugar syrup). More about wintering in the next video.

Ruta hives are a type of bee house that has certain advantages and disadvantages. The design is easy to assemble on your own, it is important to study the features of keeping bees in advance and take into account the recommendations of experienced beekeepers.

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