Two aspects of the Long Hive's management are worth pointing out. Swarm control, using the creation of an artificial swarm if queen cells are found, is carried out by using a division board to divide the colony and removing the brood and adhering, queenless, bees to the opposite end, which has its own entrance. Once a satisfactory young queen is in place the division board and old queen are removed and the colony reunited, to fly from the 'new' end. Honey cropping, from Commercial brood frames, isn't a terribly practical proposition for most. The answer is to build your working bee population before the nectar flow, and then to remove all frames without brood and condense the brood nest at the 'entrance' end. In the space created we insert a simple plywood 'bench' or box on the floor, and place shallow frames that fit our extractor (or which provide cut-comb) above.

(Cont.)