Editing Hive frame (section)

==Specifications==
[[File:Beekeeping langstroth hive frame.jpg|200px|thumb|Empty Langstroth hive frames with thick top bars]]
A Langstroth hive – stackable boxes opened from the top – is usually made to hold eight or ten frames per box, spaced about {{convert|1+1/2|in|mm}} center to center. The frames are made of wood or plastic.

The dimensions of the frames also vary. Various sizes have been given their own names. Confusingly, the "Langstroth frame size" is one; minor variations on it are widely used in modern US beekeeping. The [[Dadant]] frame is larger, others such as the [[BS National Beehive]] are smaller.

In the Langstroth frame design, the top bar length is some {{convert|19|in|cm}}. Boxes may be of three different depths, and these depths may also vary somewhat between manufacturers.<ref name="Michigan">Michigan Beekeepers' Association - ''In the Beekeeper's Work Shop'' - Building a Bee Hive: The Frames http://www.michiganbees.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Frames_20140701.pdf</ref>
* Deep: {{convert|9+1/8|in|mm}}
* Medium: {{convert|6+1/4|in|mm}}
* Shallow: {{convert|5+3/8|in|mm}}<ref name="Michigan"/>

The frame is made of:
* One '''top bar''': It has two ears from which the frame hangs in the hive box. These are the only contact points with the box. Since [[L. L. Langstroth]] (around 1851), the middle part of the top bar is thicker, usually twice as thick as the ears (''see picture above''). It significantly reduces the building of wax over and between the frames. In addition, the frames are also better to grip. It can have a groove on the bottom in which the wax foundation or strips fits or an edge (usually made of wood) on which the bees attach the wax.<ref>Bush Farms - Foundationless - http://www.bushfarms.com/beesfoundationless.htm</ref><ref name="Michigan"/> [[Horizontal top-bar hive]]s are associated with the use of movable top bars without frames, usually hold in a larger single box.
* Two '''side bars''': They are about as thin as the ears and usually have three or four small holes to attach the wax foundation.<ref name="Michigan"/>
* One '''bottom bar''': It is as thin as the side bars and usually has a groove in which the wax foundation sits.<ref name="Michigan"/>

The bars may have furniture – hooks or eyes – to allow for the attachment of wires to brace the frame together.

Frames can be outfitted with [[wax foundation]], starter strips or left empty for bees to build the entire comb.