Because the bee colony inhabits the hive, this makes the hive the most significant element in keeping bees. Significant changes have been made to hives, and over time, this has made the process of extracting honey to be far more manageable than it used to be.
Langstroth Hives
The universal standard in beekeeping hives is the Langstroth hive and this is what is most used in the United States. The Langstroth hive is what's known as a "movable frame" hive. It's the shape of a rectangle, the structure is made of wood and it holds the combs inside. Usually, one will find that the frame will hold about ten combs at a time. The amazing fact about these frames is that there isn't a top or a bottom as the combs simply "hang" inside. The combs are made up of a wax or plastic sheet. The wax sheets enable the bees to assemble more wax to make the honeycomb. Once this process is finished, the bees can then move the honey and the pollen into the combs cells. The box itself is specifically designed to allow the convenient removal of frames that are completely full of the honey that is to be extracted.
Top-Bar Hives
On the African continent, top-bar hives are in very common usage. Top-bar hives are also becoming more widespread in the United States for beekeepers who keep a hive as a hobby. The structure of the top-bar hive consists of bars across the top and the bees use these to hang the combs from. Unlike the frames that can be used again and again in a Langstroth hive, the combs used in top-bar hives can only be used the one time only. This design is not conducive to the production of honey in high volumes. The advantage of a top-bar is that the honey that comes from the clear yellow combs is of the highest possible quality and can be sold as an in-comb honey food product.
Placement of Your Hive
When one is considering keeping a beehive on the property, there are other factors that come into play other than the design of the hive itself. Researching local restrictions on keeping bees needs to be done first before thinking of actually buying the hive and the bees. The space available on your block of land and the placement of the hive also need to be looked at. No beehive should be near to places where a lot of people are known to be. For example - pedestrian crossings, schools, parks or any other recreational area.
There's always going to be someone who sees bees as annoying - especially those that are known to suffer allergies from the sting of a bee. It's advised to place a beehive close to where the bees can easily get to a food source. Also, the bees will require fresh water, whether it's a natural source or is given to them by the beekeeper. Predators need to be considered as well when choosing where to put the hive. These include racoons, skunks and bears. Vandals can also be an issue when there is the potential for "free" honey. Although beehives need to be accessible at any time, they also need to be shielded from bad weather conditions. Though bees themselves are active at specific periods of the year, beekeeping is a full-time occupation and continues through each season.
More Information
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Dave Henry - I live in Melbourne, Australia and am 37 years old. I have always loved literature, reading and writing and have only now begun writing ...
