Dan1 Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 I have the official plans for building your own dartington LDH. Would various beehaus parts eg, supers, clearer boards, Qx, dummy/dividers, frames and cover boards be easily compatible with it? Ithought I could make big savings by building a wooden hive + furnishing it with omlet bits. (well not that big, but it would save alot of fiddly carpentry, probably still worth making supers) I currently have a TBH but would like to try a long deep hive with frames for the honey side of things (dont tell my TBH friends, they'll think I've gone to the dark side!) Oliver90owner if you're reading, it sounds like you might be best qualified to answer this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 I would not claim to be 'best', but am reasonably qualified! Just build your Dartington. I use National supers generally, as I am not so keen on those half-supers. I have extracted some of the large format frames this year - first time ever. Previously I have always used spare extra deep stores frames for autumn feed in other colonies. I have a standard deep brood frame body with deep half supers. Not sure what mesh was used for the floor. I doubt I will use it as it is - all my broods are extra deeps - but may add an eke to take extra deeps if I did decide to use it. Looks like it may have been a Stamfordham supplied kit, but again, I can not be sure of that. I have not yet checked it over carefully, but it looks OK. I am in Lincolnshire but Cambs, Rutland and Northants are all less than a 5 minute drive...... Regards, RAB (Remember Robin Dartington used extra deep frames but just called the hive a 'Long Deep' and not a 'Long Extra Deep'.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan1 Posted June 17, 2011 Author Share Posted June 17, 2011 Oliver90owner, Thanks for that. So National supers will fit on the dartington? Deep half supers; are they 5-6 frames but deeper than the omlet supers (ie using 14 x 12 frames)? What are the advantages of using deep framed supers, doesnt this defeat the easy lifting object of this type of hive>Oh and what's an eke? Sorry for all the extra questions! Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 When talking National, there are 3 frame sizes. Shallow, deep and extra deep (jumbo). When talking the original Dartington Long Deep Hive, it is unfortunate that the British Standard nomenclature was not adhered to at the inception. They use extra deeps (Robin refers to them as 'deep' frames) in the main body and shallows in the supers. But the variants are obviously different body sizes (depth and length) and/or utilise different frame sizes in one or both (body and super). The body lengths are chosen to accommodate multiples of those half supers. I think I had a download of the variants at one time but they may only be archive (not current URLs) files on the net now. Robin Dartington could supply on request, I would have thought. The obvious claimed advantage of the deep framed body and supers is the use of same-sized frames throughout. While I have extacted the extra deeps, I am really geared up to shallows as my extractor is the average 9 frame radial. Extracting deeps and extra deeps requires me to fit the screens, and turn the (3 only, at one time) frames during extraction twice. More honey from 3 extra deep frames appeals to me (over the deeps) in the tangential mode! Hope this helps to make it less opaque than mud! Regards, RAB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
