Modified Einraumbeute

Modified Einraumbeute

The Einraumbeute (ERB) is a trough hive developed by Mellifera e.V., Fischermühle, Germany. Its frames are Dadant size only rotated through ninety degrees. It is sometimes called the 'golden hive' because its frame and shape is based on the golden section/ratio/mean/proportion. Mellifera's page on the ERB, including links to PDFs of plans is here.

The hive has a Ukrainian precursor which also uses Dadant frames rotated through ninety degrees. According to Fedor Lazutin¹this hive usually has 24 frames. He gives the size of these frames as 285mm wide by 460mm deep (p. 102) or 300mm wide by 435mm deep (p. 111). The former is very close to that of the Bodenschatz Einraumbeute size (285mm x 458mm).

erb_ukraine.jpg (23064 bytes)

I'd been considering making an Einraumbeute for some time, but was put off by the high shipping costs for importing the frames from Germany. However, in 2014, Matt Somerville announced that he was producing the frames and the hive, albeit modified, for sale.² Accordingly I bought a set of 22 and made my modified ERB in the winter of 2014-2015.

The frames and the inner trough essentially follow Mellifera's dimensions. The main departures from Mellifera's design are:

1. Double walls with insulation in between (inspired by Fedor Lazutin's trough hive)
2. Warré hive top-bar cloth, quilt and roof configuration
3. Entrance at one end through a notch in the floor (similar to Warré hive floor)
4. No mesh floor or Varroa tray, but solid floor that slides out
5. Provision for emergency ventilation in front, rear and floor.

No plans are available for this modified ERB as it was largely tailored to scrap wood available from a plant crushing domestic waste wood (furniture etc.) for an electricity power station. The following photos illustrate the construction:

Below left: inner trough in 20 mm pine with cavity wall frame top and bottom. Internal length 830 mm, i.e. slightly more than Mellifera's, allowing room for 22 frames and a follower/division board.
Below right: roof infrastructure adapted from the Warré roof. The ridge board is for use if thin gauge aluminium (e.g. caravan cladding) is used.

erb_inner_trough.jpg (36066 bytes) erb_roof.jpg (23892 bytes)

Below: method for inserting Phragmites australis reed insulation and cladding with 20 mm pine.

erb_insulation.jpg (48619 bytes) erb_insulation_detail.jpg (55095 bytes)

Below left: emergency vents, closed with corks when not used. Below right: removable floor pulled out

erb_vents.jpg (47642 bytes) erb_floor extended.jpg (59285 bytes)

Resting on rails, the floor slides out for cleaning. There is a 3 mm clearance between it and the bottom rim of the inner trough. When in use, that gap is closed with a wedge in each corner, between the rails and the underside of the floor.

Below left: full width entrance, alighting board and entrance restrictor. Below right: entrance detail, floor pulled out
Entrance sizes 60 cm²or 18 cm².

erb_entrance.jpg (28303 bytes) erb_floor_detail.jpg (35904 bytes)

Below left: double Warré-type quilts filled with planer shavings Below right: modified Einraumbeute complete.

erb_quilts.jpg (42178 bytes) erb_complete.jpg (79955 bytes)

Below: ERB frame superimposed on a Lazutin frame

erb_lazutin_national_frames.jpg (37796 bytes)

Frame measurements (mm):
Sommerville (this project): top-bar 325 x 20 (lug 10); side-bar 463 x 10; bottom-bar 285 x 10; midrib 265 x 430; width top/sides 27
Bodenschatz (Mellifera): top-bar 327 x 20 (lug 10); side-bar 458 x 10; bottom-bar 285 x 10; midrib 258 x 422; width top/sides 28

Notes

1. Fedor Lazutin (2013) Keeping Bees with a Smile -- A Vision and Practice of Natural Apiculture. Deep Smow Press, USA. www.horizontalhive.com www.deepsnowpress.com .

2. Matt Somerville, email: matt (at) workingwood (dot) net -- supplier of golden hive frames and modified golden hives