Frame Spacing

Quinby spaced his frames -- and
therefore the combs of the colony -- 1 1/2 inches from center to
center. He followed former apiarists, such as Dzierzon, in this,
and thought it the correct distance. Langstroth spaced his
combs a fraction over 1 3/8 inches apart and thought it correct.
The manufacturers of hives of the United States, without
investigating the matter very deeply, made the spacing of frames
exactly 1 3/8. They had good authorities behind them, for
Berlepsch, one of the leaders of the middle of the 19th Century,
asserted that this spacing was the one followed by bees. Adopting
the Quinby hive, we adopted his spacing. -- C. P. DADANT 1920

The Langstroth hive is more extensively used than any other in the world. It is virtually the standard in the North American Continent, Australia, New Zealand, and the West Indies. I understand that the U.S.S.R. has largely adopted it also. This hive takes ten frames which measure 17-5/8" x 9-1/8" which are more closely spaced than others.  My personal experiences of it, which have been considerable, have not led me to a very favourable judgment of its merits. I dislike the shape of the combs, which I consider too shallow, and the close spacing of the frames is a feature I dislike very much also.  -- R. O. B. MANLEY 1946

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