Bee Hives

I guess that when talking about beekeeping equipment then hives are the place to start. There is a huge amount to think about before you start and it is really important to consider all your choices before you start as it is a real pain to change over along your journey as all your beloved tools and hive parts may not be compatible with your desired set-up in the future.

First choice is the type of hive

There are loads of different types of Hive available. Loosely speaking here are a few of the more popular ones. All hives have pros and cons but it is something really important to think about in the early stages of your beekeeping journey. Whilst not the end of the world, having the wrong hive choice for your desired outcome will be difficult to change and will mean that your equipment inventory will have non compatible parts. This can be a real pain in many aspects so most beekeepers will choose one hive type and stick with it.

1. Langstroth – World wide standard
2. National – UK Standard
3. WBC – Pretty and looks amazing in the garden.
4. Top bar hive.

My choice was largely directed by my interest in the Flow Hive system, and when I bought into the initial fund raising campaign it was only available in Langstroth. I have therefore stuck to Langstroth ever since, and indeed the flow system. To this date I still don’t own a spinner and only harvest clear honey from the flow system.

My favorite Hives.

I started my journey with some lovely wooden hives and ended up with a few simple Langstorth wooden flat tops. These were great but i have since expanded onto a few different types and love to try out new structures.

Paradise Honey Poly Hive

Technoset Plastic Hive

What I am looking for in a hive.

The beekeeping world is full of hives and opinions so i think it helps to think very carefully about what you are after in a hive and base your hive choice on your requirements. going down the wrong path too early can be costly if it sets you in the wrong direction and forces you to continue to “Do Wrong” just so that your equipment will fit. Here are some of my requirements when it comes to judging a new hive set-up..

• Warm in winter cool in summer – This is key to my liking of poly hives. bees spend less effort regulating their temperature and more effort making honey.
• Fully Lockable – It is really useful to be able to lock your bees up. This could be because you need to transport them, or because your neighbor is spraying pesticide and you want to give your bees 24 hours inside. Being able to lock them up securely is super important to me. I often transport my hives around and having them loose in the car with me is not a funny joke. On more than one occasion I have had to stop at lights and jump out of my car to expel a load of bees much to the amusement of the car behind.
• Entrance that can be reduced and choose between queen excluder locked and fully open. – managing your hives through their entrances is standard practice. being able to open and close the entrance and restrict the queen form leaving is useful as well as being able to open fully in the height of summer.
• Adjustable feet- being able to level your hive on a slightly wonky stand is very useful design aspect of the hive.

Hive Naming

I trend to name my hives after the colour of the brood chamber:

• Red Hive (RH)
• Green Hive (GH)
• Blue Hive (BPH)
• Blue Wood Hive (BWH)
• Red & White Hive (RWH)
• Purple Hive (PH)
• Yellow Hive (YH)