Multi-frame American Langstroth Nucleus Hive 6 Frames

01 · THE SYSTEM

Floor and roof that cross between formats

Lyson’s Multi-frame line shares floors, roofs and feeders between Langstroth and Dadant bodies: the hygienic floor and low roof of this nuc fit the bodies of the Multi-frame Langstroth hive (2874) and the Dadant Blatt and US hives (2875, 2877). In an apiary running two frame sizes, that saves duplicate floors and roofs and leaves more room in the van. Outside the line there is no crossing: it does not stack with wooden bodies or other brands of polystyrene.

02 · HOW IT ARRIVES AND GOES TOGETHER

Dovetails by hand and a coat of paint

The body walls join with plastic dovetail rails that push together by hand, no screws or tools, and come apart the same way for cleaning or flat storage. The plastic floor has a ventilation mesh, takes a pressure washer and is neither gnawed by mice nor bored by wax moth, two classic plagues of the wooden nuc stored over winter. It arrives white and unpainted: two coats of water-based acrylic outside before stocking it, which is what protects polystyrene from the sun, as across the line.

03 · WHAT FOR

Splits, swarms and queens on six frames

Six American Langstroth frames of 448 × 232 mm: two of brood with bees, one of stores and room to grow, the textbook spring split; it also takes a freshly caught swarm or a mated queen with her frames until she gets going. Polystyrene insulates and a small nuc warms up sooner, so the colony builds even when short of bees. Once it fills the six, it moves to the 10-frame Langstroth (2874) with the same floor and roof, and the nuc body is free for the next split.

04 · BEFORE YOU BUY

Body, low roof and hygienic floor are supplied, without frames, foundation, feeder or paint.