Beginning beekeepers need to study a lot of different information - about insects, collecting honey, and constructing 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 structure of each type of such dwelling. It is necessary to study the instructions, descriptions and features - given that you can do them yourself (you will need the usual tools and materials).
Description of the Dadan hive
The bee house of this variety is named after the French beekeeper Charles Dadan, who designed the house. Peculiarities:
- may consist of one or two buildings;
- easy to assemble at home or purchase a store-bought version;
- it is allowed to install a different number of frames - from 8 to 16;
- the bottom is fixed and is considered a load-bearing element.
Attention! A distinctive feature of this type of hive is the simple design of each element. Therefore, even a novice beekeeper can assemble this type of insect housing.
The single-hull version is easier to transport and move from place to place. It is easy to prepare such a hive for wintering thanks to its simplified design.
Advantages and disadvantages
The positive aspects of Dadanovsky bee houses are as follows:
- bee colonies can be installed and reared in a vertical position, which is a more natural way;
- the beekeeper can work with extensions independently - without additional help - due to the low weight of the element;
- the two-hull dwelling turns out to be quite spacious, which prevents swarming of bee families.
Attention! Treatment of the nest against pests, fungi and other diseases is carried out in the central part of the hive, so chemicals and solutions practically do not reach the frames with honeycombs placed on them.
Features of the content and annual maintenance in the video below.
The structure of the bee house allows you to extract honey from different levels, and the frames can be self-assembled or store-bought, which allows you to extend the life of the hives. The disadvantages include the following:
- there is no opportunity to constantly open homes to check and prevent colonies from swarming;
- It is not easy to move the beekeeper when assembled - the house turns out to be bulky, the help of a second person will be needed;
- During the autumn and winter periods, the bee colony will need to be constantly fed - insects remain within the frames, 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
To build hives according to Dadan's design - and today this means according to GOST - established drawings and dimensions are used. The final values depend on the number of frames 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 - 60.0 cm.
Attention! For each type of bee house, certain dimensions of internal and external elements are established, so it will not be difficult for beginners to study the instructions provided and choose the appropriate options.
Required tools and materials
Bee hives of the Dadan type consist of several elements:
- lid;
- liner;
- shop;
- frame;
- second building (maybe one);
- bottom.
In order to start assembling, you need to prepare the workplace - ensure a flat surface of the table, eliminate possible obstacles (the surface should not slide, be wet, nothing should be in the way). The following tools need to be prepared:
- processed carpentry board (minimum thickness – 4 cm);
- glue designed for working 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 bee houses in different shades, which helps to solve several issues at the same time: it helps insects navigate in the apiary and inside the houses, bright colors decorate the bee farm and are pleasing to the eye;
- clamp and hammer.
The amount of materials depends on the planned number of houses and the frames located inside. In order for bee houses to last longer, the following points must be taken into account:
- Only high-quality wood can be used for work;
- before assembling, the boards must be dried - the moisture content should not exceed a threshold of 15% (can be determined using a special moisture meter or using established tables of the ratio of wood weight and its humidity);
- the roof must be installed as close to the walls as possible, the gaps must be covered with insulating material (moisture ingress and drafts are unacceptable).
Adjusting the parts to each other is a must if it is planned that the hives should “last” more than one season.
DIY making
The main advantage of Dadanovsky hives is that the housing 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
Even a novice beekeeper can assemble a Dadan hive for a bee colony - no additional carpentry skills are required. Features of assembling an 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, etc.).Attention! When purchasing materials, you need to take into account 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 a bee house;
- start collecting elements - all parts need to be adjusted in such a way that there are no cracks or distortions;
- After installing the parts, it is advisable to coat the joints with the selected glue;
- To check, you should use appropriately sized levels, angles and other measuring instruments.
The result should be rectangular modules, at the top of which you need to install small bars to secure the next floors. Near the cases and the magazine you need to form folds for placing waxed frames.
Attention! The main thing that the beekeeper must monitor during assembly is the smooth connection of the elements and the absence of distortions. Cracks that could not be eliminated or coated with glue must be covered with a primer. This will help protect the nesting area from moisture and drafts.
The assembly order is from bottom to 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. The ten-frame house has more weight and dimensions than the previous version of the bee house.
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 no different (you also need to monitor the presence of cracks and bevels);
- the width of the building is 37 cm, outside – 44 cm (if the wall thickness is 3.5 cm).
12-frame
For such a house, boards 4 cm thick are used. In cross section, the Dadanovsky hive turns out to be square. Inside - 45 cm, on the outside - 53 cm. The height can be different - it depends on the number of buildings installed (usually no more than two, but some beekeepers prefer to experiment).
14-frame
Features of the Dadanovsky beehive with 14 frames:
- if the house consists of one building, the height of the hive will be 67 cm;
- the width of the finished building inside is 50 cm, outside – 60 cm;
- The depth along the transverse direction of the frames will be 58.5 cm.
The 14-frame house is large enough for collecting supplies. For the same reason, in the spring the queen quickly breeds worker bees.
16-frame
This option is rarely used - the buildings are bulky and clumsy. 16-frame houses are often built without a store, and are left for wintering insects. The width of the wooden elements should be at least 4 cm, external additional elements - from 2 to 2.5 cm. The size of the structure increases to 60 cm inside, and taking into account the thickness of the structural elements, the outside will be 68 cm.
Attention! Hives with 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 not often found in apiaries.
How to keep bees in Dadan's hive?
The technology for keeping bee families in Dadanov hives is slightly different from keeping insects in small houses. The beekeeper should take into account the following features:
- during the period of abundant feeding, bees quickly fill the honeycombs with food, therefore the process of laying eggs is limited;
- to avoid restrictions on egg laying, it is necessary to install a magazine and empty it in a timely manner;
- insects overwinter in the same house in which they live in the summer - the hive is insulated from the outside with available materials (foam plastic, pillows, etc.);
- There should be several closed and open frames inside at the same time;
- if you need to move the stretchers, 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.
Keeping bees in Dadan 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.
Dadan hives are one of the options for keeping bees in apiaries. You can choose houses of different sizes with 8, 10, 12, 14 or 16 frames. Bee houses are easy to assemble yourself.
