Beekeeping can be hard work. Repeatedly lifting 60 pounds of hive material and honey is difficult, if not impossible, for many. Ohio beekeeper Jeannie Saum had limited mobility after two back surgeries, and some of her neighboring beekeepers had similar physical concerns.
“We are two families of beekeepers with eight years experience keeping bees on our one and two-acre country lots, respectively,” said Saum. “We had been keeping bees in traditional Langstroth hives, but aging and health issues have made sustaining our practice increasingly difficult due to the physicality of beekeeping. Working in the heat, as well as standing, bending, and lifting have become difficult for some of us.”
Converting Langstroth Hives to AZ-Style
They learned about a method of horizontal beekeeping done in Slovenia. These Slovenian hives (also called AZ hives) are mounted in a structure with beekeepers working hives on a stool. But the AZ hive’s price tag was too steep for Saum and her neighbors. With support from a $14,986 SARE Farmer Rancher grant, the beekeepers set out to convert their existing Langstroth-style beehives to the more ergonomic AZ-style hives and build accessible hive shelters.
“The design of the AZ hives takes away the physical demands of beekeeping: standing, lifting, bending, carrying heavy boxes, and suffering in high heat and humidity,” explained Saum. “However, replacing one’s existing hive equipment with AZ-style hives is cost-prohibitive. We set out to find an economical way to modify Langstroth hive components that beekeepers already have into Slovenian AZ-style beehives using common hand power tools that most people have. We wanted this to be doable by the average person with only basic woodworking skills.”
The team came up with a way to convert Langstroth components they already owned into AZ-style hives, which they refer to as LAAZY hives. The group included Steve and Jeannie Saum, beekeepers Peter and Laurie Dotson, and Brian and Emily Kellett (right), who were new beekeepers. They used the existing woodenware from their Langstroth hives, $80 of additional lumber and hardware, standard power tools, fundamental skills, and some manual labor.
The team came up with a way to convert Langstroth components they already owned into AZ-style hives, which they refer to as LAAZY hives. The group included Steve and Jeannie Saum, beekeepers Peter and Laurie Dotson, and Brian and Emily Kellett (right), who were new beekeepers. They used the existing woodenware from their Langstroth hives, $80 of additional lumber and hardware, standard power tools, fundamental skills, and some manual labor.
Saum reported that converting traditional Langstroth hive parts into AZ-style hives using their plans was 18% of the cost of purchasing an AZ-style pack in the US, excluding shipping costs.
Building a More Ergonomic Bee Shelter
They constructed a bee shelter wall for the Dotson’s LAAZY hives. The Saums went a step further and converted an old travel trailer into a bee house by gutting the inside and adding framing, siding, and a peaked roof. The Saums can inspect the hives from inside the camper using a rolling office chair. Doing seated inspections meant Saum needed to modify a beekeeping veil and add long patches to the front of her pants to reduce leg stings. Saum also used a longer machete-style tool for inspections instead of the shorter standard hive tool. Saum is happy to report that she can now work with bees in their LAAZY hives.
“Probably the most crucial lesson I have learned is that when beekeeping in the AZ-style hives, one cannot be lackadaisical about scheduling hive inspections,” said Saum. “Most of the Slovenian hives are only two-three boxes high. We built our hives four boxes high because we have a longer growing season in Ohio than in Slovenia. Managing the size of the colony and changing the size of the hive, up to four boxes high, is crucial for maintaining the orderliness inside the hive and preventing swarms.”
Dig Deeper
Detailed plans for the LAAZY hive are available online.