Lesson 18: Bee Space
The small gap that makes modern beekeeping possible
If you remember one number from the equipment chapter, make it this one: bee space is about ¼ to ⅜ inch (6 to 10 millimeters). It's the gap bees naturally leave open so they can move around, and every part of a modern hive is built to respect it.
What bee space is
In a wild nest, bees hang their combs from the top of the cavity in parallel sheets. They keep a regular gap between neighboring combs, and between the comb edges and the walls of the cavity. That gap is just wide enough for bees to walk freely on both combs, back to back, while keeping the combs close together so the nest loses less heat.
That gap is bee space. A space that size lets a bee pass but is too small for the bees to build comb in.
What bees do with other gaps
Bees are very consistent about gaps:
| Gap size | What bees do | What beekeepers call it |
|---|---|---|
| About bee space (¼–⅜ in) | Leave it open as a walkway | Bee space |
| Much bigger than bee space | Fill it with comb | Burr comb (or brace comb) |
| Smaller than bee space | Seal it with propolis (bee glue) | Glued-up parts |
Burr comb is irregular comb built in the wrong place, attached to neighboring combs, walls or the lid. It's a nuisance: when you pull the hive apart, it tears, honey spills and bees can be crushed, including the queen.
Propolis in narrow gaps glues parts together so tightly that they're hard to separate. That's why you need a hive tool (lesson 21).
How Langstroth used it
In 1851 Lorenzo Langstroth built a hive in which every gap between parts (frame to frame, frame to wall, box to box, frame to lid) is bee space. The bees don't glue those gaps shut or fill them with comb, so each frame lifts out and goes back without damage (lesson 5).
(An earlier movable-frame hive was designed by Petro Prokopovych in Ukraine in 1814, but Langstroth's design spread widely after his book was published in 1853.)
The one place a Langstroth hive usually leaves more than bee space is under the bottom frames, above the floor.
Why it matters to you
Almost every "why is this happening?" puzzle about comb in the wrong place comes back to bee space:
- Missing frames. Leave a frame out, or leave a box of empty space in the hive, and bees will fill the gap with burr comb. (One university guide shows a hive where a beekeeper left all the frames out of a top box; the bees hung combs from the inner cover.)
- Wrong-size frames. A medium frame in a deep box leaves a big gap below, which becomes burr comb (lesson 17).
- Frames pushed apart or not pushed together. Uneven spacing leaves gaps too wide (burr comb) or too narrow (propolis).
- Mixed brands. Parts from different manufacturers may not keep bee space between them. Buy a hive's parts from one supplier (lesson 17).
- Homemade equipment. If you build your own hives, copy the standard dimensions exactly.
What to remember
- Bee space ≈ ¼–⅜ inch: bees leave it open as a walkway.
- Bigger gaps get burr comb; smaller gaps get propolis.
- The Langstroth hive keeps bee space between all parts, which is why frames can be removed.
- Keep frames complete, matched and evenly spaced, and build or buy to exact standard dimensions.
Quick check
- What do bees build in a gap much bigger than bee space?
- What do they do with a gap smaller than bee space?
- You open a hive and find a mass of comb hanging from the inner cover. What probably happened?
Show answers
1. Burr comb. 2. Seal it with propolis. 3. There was a big empty space under the inner cover, for example frames left out of the top box, and the bees filled it with burr comb.
Adapted from: Mississippi State University Extension, Beginning Beekeeping in Mississippi (P3594); Purdue Extension, 4-H Beekeeping Division I: Understanding the Honey Bee (4-H-571-W), Learning About Beekeeping (4-H-1057-W) and Advanced Beekeeping (4-H-1059-W); Delaplane, K. S., Honey Bees and Beekeeping (UGA Extension Bulletin 1045, rev. 2017).
Adapted from university Extension sources. Experienced Georgia beekeepers are reviewing these lessons. See something that doesn't match your experience? Tell us.