Multi-body bee houses come in different types. For example, a hive called “Boa Constrictor” was invented by beekeeper Vladimir Davydov and is valued by beekeepers due to its small size and light weight. It will be useful for beginners to familiarize themselves with the advantages and disadvantages of such a home, features of use, and possibilities for assembly at home (drawings, nuances, recommendations).
general description
The weight and size of such bee houses are the determining factors. However, in Russian apiaries such structures are rare. Peculiarities:
- small-format type of bee housing;
- Honeycomb frames are installed inside. Attention! Sotoramki differ from the usual Dadan frames. The size of such elements is almost a quarter smaller - 28 cm by 11 cm. These are suitable for small families;
- During installation, the foundation will need to be cut into four equal parts, after which it will be possible to insert the boa constrictor “weaving”.
During the assembly process, you can refuse to use wire, which sometimes has a negative effect on the wood (rust, deformation, sagging).
Advantages and disadvantages
The advantages of this type of bee housing include the following:
- low weight of the structure (even with honey);
- small size (bees occupy such an area faster);
- no additional insulation in the form of pillows is required (the bees form their own microclimate inside, so there is no liner);
- no need to install nucs - queens can be hatched in the nest;
- The lower tray allows you to collect debris and dead insects, as well as dead mites left after treatment.
Attention! There will be no problems with collecting honey - small sections of the multi-hull house can be removed and cleaned. In this case, two hundred frames are placed simultaneously in one honey extractor.
The design has no significant flaws. Dwellings of the “Boa Constrictor” type can be unstable - it is necessary to install 8-10 buildings in height. The main nest is based not in one or two sections, but in four or five. Another feature is that you will need a lot of parts and elements during assembly.
Dimensions and drawings
To prepare the parts, you need to use ready-made drawings, where you will need to take into account the following dimensions:
- section walls (front, side) should be 37.5 cm in length, 13.5 cm in height, thickness - 3 cm;
- sidewalls – length 34 cm, height 13.5 cm and thickness 3 cm;
- the bottom is assembled separately - the front and rear parts are 37.5 cm, the height is 9 cm, 3 cm in thickness; the harness is 34 cm in length, 9 cm in height and also 3 cm in thickness.
Attention! You will need to prepare a large number of folds and grooves: from the bottom inside (1.5 cm by 2 cm), from the top, from the outer and inner sides (1.5 cm by 1.1 cm), from the sides (2 cm by 2 cm).
Features of use
The keeping of insects in hives of the “Boa constrictor” type is practically no different from the process of breeding bees in other types of bee housing. Some nuances:
- when the buildings are rearranged, the microclimate inside remains virtually unchanged, which is especially important in spring weather;
- no more than five buildings are left for the winter;
- in the spring, the retractable part of the tray is removed, the debris is removed (you can replace the element with a new one if disinfection is planned to be carried out at another time);
- 7-10 days after the first summer, you need to install a section of an additional body with foundation placed inside the hive (a metal grid is placed under it), after which the sections are placed in the standard order.
Expansion is necessary to prevent the process of swarming insects. During the summer, you need to check the lower “floors” and periodically remove empty or beebread-filled blocks. The features of keeping bees in such buildings are presented in the following video.
How to make it yourself
Bee hives of the “Boa constrictor” type can be purchased at the store or made independently. For assembly you need to prepare a workplace, materials, drawings and tools. Peculiarities:
- for construction it is necessary to take natural wood (for example, linden, aspen - without foreign impregnations and impurities);
- prepare parts in accordance with the drawings (mark, cut and polish elements);
- assembly of parts begins from the bottom;
- you need to decide in advance on the number of buildings for the hive;
- at each stage you need to check the joints - there should be no distortions or cracks (in this case, you need to treat the places with glue or coat them with putty).
In the front part you need to leave a hole with a diameter of 1.3 cm - this is a hole for bees, which will also need to make a plug (close and open the hole). You also need to leave recesses on the sides for carrying hives.
Bee houses “Boa constrictor” are not as common (as, for example, Dadanov’s). The cases are small, the frames are smaller than standard options. Dwellings of this type have several advantages (light weight, several buildings, easy to carry).
