The Beehive and Your Knowledge Of It by Dave Henry
The most significant part of beekeeping is to do with the hive itself because it’s where the colony spends the majority of its time. Over time, beekeepers have made significant developments on hives to allow for the extraction of honey to be easier.
Langstroth Hives
The Langstroth hive is the most popular beekeeping hive in use in North America and is now the standard around the world. 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. At any one time, there are ordinarily ten combs within the structure. These frames don’t possess a top or a bottom. The combs merely hang freely inside – something most people find quite astonishing. In most cases, the combs consist of a sheet of wax or can be made of plastic. Using the wax sheets as a starting point, the bees then create more wax to construct the honeycomb. The bees will then deposit the honey and the pollen into the cells of the comb once complete. The box is made to accommodate the removal of frames that are saturated with the honey that needs to be extracted.
Top-Bar Hives
In Africa the top-bar hives are very common. For hobbyists, these are becoming more popular in the United States. Top-bar hives have bars along the top and the honey bees use the bars to suspend their wax 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. Producing honey in large quantities is not supported by this particular design. The top-bar hive does have an edge though. And that is that the honey it produces is of the highest possible grade.
Local Policies and Positioning
Regardless though of the type of hive a beekeeper ends up using, there are other things to consider when one is thinking of keeping hives on their property. First, a beekeeper needs to look at the local government guidelines to see if there any restrictions to actually keeping bees. The amount of space that is available and the where in that space the hive should go is also quite important. Beehives should never be put in a spot that is near to schools, homes or any other place where there will be a high concentration of people. 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. In some cases, beekeepers use their bees purely to pollinate their crops. Also, the bees will require fresh water, whether it’s a natural source or is given to them by the beekeeper. Something else to think about concerning the position of the hive are predators such as skunks, racoons and even bears. Vandals can also be an issue when there is the potential for “free” honey. The hive also requires protection from the elements such as severe weather but does need to be accessible at all times of the year. Though bees themselves are active at specific periods of the year, beekeeping is a fulltime occupation and continues through each season.
About the Author
This article was written by Dave Henry in conjunction with Scott Harvey, another like-minded beekeeping enthusiast.
I have much more information about the beekeeping hive and how to effectively maintain it.
So head over to http://www.insidebeekeepingsecrets.com/ and use these resources – in no time you’ll own a thriving beehive and enjoying your own honey that will be the envy of everyone you know!
Top bar hive full of bees
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