Dadan frame size: drawings of beehives, how to make your own hands, technology for keeping bees | Beekeeping 2024
Beginning beekeepers need to learn a lot of different information - about insects, collecting honey, building bee houses. The Dadan hive with standard frame sizes is used more often than others in apiaries, so it is important to familiarize yourself with the arrangement of each type of such a dwelling. It is necessary to study the instructions, description and features - given that they can be made independently (you will need familiar tools and materials).
Description of the Dadan hive
The bee dwelling of this species is named after the French beekeeper Charles Dadan, who designed the house. Features:
- may consist of one or two cases;
- easy to assemble at home or buy store-bought;
- it is allowed to set a different number of frames - from 8 to 16;
- fixed bottom, considered as a bearing element.
Attention! A distinctive feature of this type of hives is the simple design of each element. Therefore, even a novice beekeeper can assemble this type of insect dwelling.
Single body version is easier to transport and rearrange from place to place. Such a hive is easy to prepare for wintering thanks to a simplified design.
Advantages and disadvantages
The positive aspects of Dadanov's bee houses are as follows:
- bee colonies can be set up and bred in an upright position, which is a more natural way;
- beekeeper can work with extensions on his own - without additional help - due to the light weight of the element;
- two-hull dwelling turns out to be quite spacious, which prevents swarming of bee families.
Attention! The treatment of the nest from pests, fungi and other diseases is carried out in the central part of the hive, so chemicals and solutions practically do not fall on the frames with combs placed on them.
Features of content and annual maintenance in the video below.
The device of the bee house allows you to extract honey from different levels, and the frames can be self-assembled or store-sized, which allows you to extend the life of the hives. The disadvantages include the following points:
- there is no possibility to constantly open dwellings to check and prevent swarming of the family;
- It is not easy to move a bee in the assembled state - the house turns out to be bulky, you will need the help of a second person;
- in the autumn and winter periods, the bee colony will need to be constantly fed - insects remain within the framework, and they prefer to put honey in half-frames.
There are fewer disadvantages than advantages - that's why Dadan hives are used by beekeepers more often than others.
Drawings and dimensions
For the construction of beehives according to the Dadan project - and today it means according to GOST - established drawings and dimensions are used. The final values depend on how many frames will be in the house (8, 10, 12, 14 or 16). For example, for a 10-frame house with a removable bottom, the roof width is 58.5 cm, and for a 12-frame house it is 60.0 cm.
Attention! For each type of bee house, there are certain sizes of internal and external elements, so it will not be difficult for beginners to study the provided instructions and choose the right options.
Required tools and materials
Bee hives of the Dadan type consist of several elements:
- cap;
- liner;
- shop;
- case;
- second body (maybe one);
- bottom.
In order to start the assembly, you need to prepare the workplace - to ensure a flat surface of the table, to eliminate possible interference (the surface should not slip, be wet, nothing should interfere at hand). From the tools you need to prepare the following:
- carpentry board (minimum thickness - 4 cm);
- glue designed to work with wood;
- plywood boards;
- paint (the following colors are considered optimal - white, light shades of blue, yellow and gray).Attention! It is necessary to paint the bee houses in different shades, which helps to solve several issues at the same time: it helps the insects to navigate in the apiary and inside the dwellings, bright colors decorate the bee farm and please the eye;
- clamp and hammer.
The amount of materials depends on the planned number of houses and the frames located inside. In order for the bee houses to stand longer, the following points must be considered:
- only high-quality wood can be taken into work;
- before assembling the boards must be dried - the moisture index should not exceed the threshold of 15% (can be determined using a special moisture meter or according to established tables of wood weight and moisture ratios);
- the roof should be installed as close as possible to the walls, the gaps should be closed with insulating material (moisture and drafts are unacceptable).
Adjustment of parts to each other is a must if you plan that the hives should "hold out" for more than one season.
Handmade
The main advantage of Dadanov's hives is that the dwelling can be assembled independently - materials and tools are available to every beekeeper. It is important to prepare the workplace, check the expiration date of paints, glue and other elements. To make the case, you should take into account the nuances from the following video.
8-frame hive
Dadan's hive for a bee family can be assembled even by a novice beekeeper - no additional carpentry skills are required. Assembly features of the 8-frame house:
- prepare a dry ventilated room, a flat area for collecting parts;
- collect the required amount of materials (boards, drill with screws, glue, and more). Attention! When buying materials, you need to consider the toxicity and environmental friendliness of the elements. You need to check glue, paint, wood - there should be no foreign impregnations, odors or colors;
- prepare drawings of the bee house;
- start collecting elements - all parts must be adjusted in such a way that there are no gaps, distortions;
- after installing the parts, it is advisable to coat the joints with the selected glue;
- use appropriately sized levels, angles and other measuring instruments to check.
The result should be rectangular modules, on top of which you need to install small bars to secure the next floors. Near the cases and the store, you need to form folds for placing waxed frames.
Attention! The main thing that the beekeeper should follow during assembly is the even connection of the elements, the absence of distortions. Slots that could not be eliminated or smeared with glue must be closed with a primer. This will help protect the nest from moisture, drafts.
Assembly order - from the bottom to the top, then the cracks are primed and the finished bee house is painted.
10 frame
For such a hive, you will need wood 3.5-3.7 cm thick. A ten-frame house has more weight and dimensions than the previous version of the bee dwelling.
Assembly features:
- if the wood is of different thicknesses, narrow and wide blocks should be alternated for greater stability;
- the technique for connecting elements is the same (you also need to monitor the presence of slots and bevels);
- Building width 37 cm, outside 44 cm (if wall thickness is 3.5 cm).
Such houses can be moved. 10-frame buildings are easy to move, so they are used in mobile apiaries. On the sides, you can install additional slats so that you can conveniently pick up the house and move it.
12-frame
For such a house, boards 4 cm thick are used. In cross section, the Dadan hive turns out to be square. Inside - 45 cm, outside - 53 cm. The height can be different - depending on the number of cases installed (usually no more than two, but some beekeepers prefer to experiment).
14 frame
Features of the Dadan bee hive for 14 frames:
- if the house will consist of one body, the height of the hive will be 67 cm;
- width of the finished structure inside - 50 cm, outside - 60 cm;
- depth in the transverse direction of the frames will be 58.5 cm.
A 14-frame house is large enough for stockpiling. For the same reason, the queen quickly breeds worker bees in the spring.
16 frame
This option is rarely used - the buildings are bulky, clumsy. 16-frame houses are often built without a store, and left for the wintering of insects. The width of wooden elements must be at least 4 cm, external additional elements - from 2 to 2.5 cm.
Attention! Hives for 14 and 16 frames are very bulky, you won’t be able to work with them alone. Due to their size and weight, they are rarely found in apiaries.
How to keep bees in the Dadana hive?
The technology of keeping bee families in Dadan hives is slightly different from keeping insects in small houses. The beekeeper should consider the following features:
- during the period of abundant bribe, the bees quickly fill the combs with food, so the process of laying eggs is limited;
- to avoid laying restrictions, you need to install a store and empty it in a timely manner;
- insects winter in the same house they live in in summer - the hive is insulated from the outside with available materials (polystyrene foam, pillows, etc.);
- there should be several closed and opened frames inside at the same time;
- if you want to move the subframes, you need to make sure that the queen remains in the same place;
- on the sides of the brood it is worth adding frames with honey inside.
The keeping of bees in Dadan's hives differs in some nuances. By and large, the procedure is not much different from using other types of houses. Details in the next video.
Hives of Dadan - one of the options for keeping bees in apiaries. You can choose houses of different sizes for 8, 10, 12, 14 or 16 frames. Bee dwellings are easy to assemble on your own.
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