Proper hive spacing

Maintain correct bee space — the 3/8-inch (9.5 mm) gap bees need for free movement — throughout every hive body, super, and frame. When equipment preserves this spacing consistently, bees have no reason to fill gaps with burr comb or bridge frames with brace comb.

Why It Works

Bees fill any gap larger than 3/8 inch with comb and seal any gap smaller than 1/4 inch with propolis. Using properly dimensioned, matched equipment keeps all internal gaps within the bee-space range, eliminating the trigger for irregular comb construction.

Tips

• Buy frames and boxes from the same manufacturer to ensure consistent internal dimensions
• Use a ruler or calipers to verify frame spacing is 1-3/8 inches center-to-center in a Langstroth hive
• Replace warped or damaged frames that shift spacing
• Use frame spacers or castellated runners for uniform frame-to-frame distance