Strout Double Deep Frames 2.0 Overview and Construction 

Excellent work

Looks like a great idea, Waiting for an update.

Hey David, nice to see you again, and that your re-doing your great design. Great job. I still have my double deep frames as well, yet they are a solid 18.5" deep with no middle bar. The bees built them out amazingly. I did not need the middle bar simply because I never plan on extracting anything from the first two brood boxes. Congrats again.

Hi David I have been keeping bees for over 40 years and I am very impressed with your ingenuity. Most beekeepers are scientists at heart and always experimenting with new ideas. I transitioned to all Langstroth medium frames about 15 years ago as my ageing back wasn't happy with my lifting boxes of Langstroth deeps. This year I built two top bar hives and one Langstroth horizontal deep. I am very pleased with the ease of working the bees in the top bars hives and will populate the horizontal Langstroth with a new queen raised after the summer solstice. I have hundreds of medium frames and was trying to determine how I could use them in the horizontal Langstroth and saw someone on You Tube who was connecting frames with zip ties. I cut the top tabs off of some medium frames and zip tied them to the bottom of another medium frame and built a box to fit the new arrangement. The two mediums equal about 1@ 1/3 Langstroth deep. The box fits 21 of these frames that equals 28 Langstroth deeps. This is temporary measure to see how the bees survive a northern Ohio winter. I will be ordering your frame plans for a more permanent solution for my next Strout hive. I predict many more contributions to beekeeping from you in the years ahead.

Liking the improvements Dave!

We LOVE it, David!! Laughing out loud, and so impressed.

Thanks David.

Very cool, thanks for sharing. Have you see Layerns hives? Deep horizontal hive, size of frame inbeteeen your double Langstroth and single langstroth.

this is a very impressive design :)

عمل موفق باذن الله تعالى وأفكار جيدة شكراً جزيلاً

That is a terrific design. I guess a combination of the best of a Lang and a Layens which solves the “spinner dilemma”. We currently have a long lang. I just might try this over the winter.

Have you thought about changing the inner basket for the honey extractor? If you changed it, you wouldn't have to have the frame divided into two pieces and you would still be able to extract honey. Instead of bothering with frames all the time, you will only bother once when adjusting the honey extractor. There are also hives (Leyens, look for example for Dr Leo Sharaskin on the youtube) which have high frames and can be used in honey extractor.

hiya, been thinking about making a double deep frames on a long bar hive and it strikes me you could insert two identical brood frames in a hive literally sitting one top of each other with no gap between (a 1mm gap in practice)...all one would need is a vertically grooved channel somewhere in in the box that allows you to drop and slide one frame underneath the other...if you had a vertical grove cut on towards both ends it would allow one to slide all the frames out one by one...if you had a groove in the middle of course then you would need the centre frame suspended from the bottom by a couple of nails or similar poking out...i'll be making such a hive over the winter and will send you the pics when done...thanks again :)

liking the 2.0

David, Thanks for the 2.0 design. I bought your plans. I like the thinness of this dove-tail better, but I will probably stick to the same top bar due to the fact that I use Round Rapid feeders in on my top covers and I like to use beetle traps. It is easier for me to just look in and see where the most activity is in the hive. Keep innovation my friend. Thanks.

Thank for your work, great idea! I built a 36 frame horizontal hive, then when I was sanding it for paint it dawned on me it's only a row of 9 inch deeps. I live in North Idaho and that will not get then through the winter I can make a mod to the hive and have been thinking of the frames. I have my first nuc's coming in a week and scrambling trying not to break the bank. Thanks just purchased your 2.0

Will be interesting to see how durable and slideable these frame’s wil be two to five years from now. I’ve been a beekeeper for over a dozen years and bees love to glue things together. I’ll take chunky any day cause it’s no fun having frames come apart in a hive

I've been wanting to get into hobby beekeeping for awhile now and I've been searching for the perfect hive (perfect for me) and I believe I just found it. It's my opinion you'll be remembered in history for your invention here. Good job sir! Do you think you might bee for sale someday?

I love this idea. But over time do you feel the bees will glue the slide joint making it harder to separate?

I recently bought your plans for your double deep frames and I’ve built 33 of them for a new hive. As I’ve started building the hive I’ve realized I may not fully understand how it all works together. Could you answer a couple of questions? 1 - When assembled in the hive - the 1 3/8 frame hangers (top most part of frame) all fit flush against each other so that there’s no space for the bees to move across the top of the frames like they can when you use regular frames. Is this correct? On your September 2022 Hive Update video your hive seemed to have wooden slats on the top of your frames, so I got worried that perhaps I built my frames incorrectly and there should be space to allow the bees access to the top. 2 - Given the bees can’t access the top of the frames, what technique do you use to feed your bees. I was planning to use a division board feeder, but that won’t work with this set up if the bees can’t access the top of the frames. Thanks for your help. I like your videos.

I recently learned about the horizontal hive idea and like it. I love the things you have considered in this design. Since I currently use the Langstroth type hive, I want to use what I have on hand.That said, I have been reviewing your video on building the double deep frames and one question comes to mind. you said you are using a 14 degree bit but is it 1/4 inch, 5/16 inch ?? please clarify thanks

Does the sliding dovetail get mucked up with propolis and burr comb?

Do you have plans for the original frame with the removable hanger?

I have none of these tools. So if you ever sell these outright, let me know. Thanks!

Could you build a one piece without the middle bar, but with the same outer dimensions?

This idea with az hive

I don’t have those equipment. Do you sale them

Where can i get frame plans?

The Earth is 6000 years old. no more.

Check out vino farms videos he did this also

David, I'm not sure how to contact you other than on here. I think your 2.0 frame plans have a wrong dimension. The Double Frame Dovetail Top Bar dimension (sheet 5/8) should be .25" and .25" not .5" and .25" with a total thickness of .5" not .75" If the Bottom Bar (sheet 6/8) is .5" height that leaves .25 for the top of side bars. Top Bar (sheet 3/8) is OK. .25" fits Top Side Bars, So the Dovetailed Top Bar should be a total of .5" Tall like Top Bar. I made 2 different cuts with both dimensions and the .75" thick does not look right. I ripped my Dovetailed Top Bars down to .5" thick and it works much better. You might want to change your dimension of .5" to .25" on sheet 5/8. Thanks.

Wax the dovetail and it will side better.

Don't reinvent the Wheel, look up langstroth jumbo frame and the Single brod chamber Dadant System Fairly popular in europe

If something is a really good idea you do not have to force it on people. If you do some research you will most likely find that this law came in shortly after tge pattent was approved on Langstroths hives. This is how things happen so often. Grease the right palms and they ensure you make a good profit.

You lost this subscriber at “BCE”.

Check out Vinofarm on here. He is also in MA and he just revealed his new design he is trying this year to address some of the same concerns.