The home for honey bees is termed the hive. “Hive” refers to the wood or plastic structure (domicile) that bees live in. The term colony specifically means the living organism – the bees themselves living in their domicile. However, the terms colony and hive are often interchanged.
The hive entrance is usually placed at the bottom of the hive. The bottom board includes the entrance; once bottom boards were solid but many now substitute a screen bottom. Beekeepers may add other entries/exits to their hives by drilling holes in boxes for added ventilation. Alternately, boxes may be offset or a shim used to make another entry/exit; this is frequently done when supers are added above the brood boxes. This allows returning nectar foragers to directly enter the upper boxes to pass the nectar to hive bees for processing into honey. Older wooden boxes may have other entrances at corners from decaying wood. These openings may become heavily travel-stained and have a propolis coating. Entrances are frequently reduced by beekeepers overwinter and/or the bees close these alternative entrances with propolis.
There are numerous hive configurations. The norm is two brood boxes though one brood box also is common. Standard hive boxes hold either eight or ten frames. Box depths may be standard (deep), medium (also known as Illinois or western), or shallow. Depending upon manufacturer, there are as many as five “standard” box depths. The advantage of eight-frame hive boxes and medium/shallow boxes is they will weigh less when filled with bees, brood, and honey for easier handling and lifting.
When beekeepers divide (split) a standard colony, they may put the divide into a smaller hive structure termed a nucnucleus:
also called a "nuc;" a smaller colony of bees usually with three to five frames. Nucs are splits (divides) made from larger colonies. Nucs are purchased as a method of starting a new colony or as a resource to use to bolster weaker colonies. See more information about nucs <a href="index.cfm?pageID=3093#standard">here</a> and <a href="index.cfm?pageID=3417#nuc">here</a>.
. NucNucleus:
also called a "nuc;" a smaller colony of bees usually with three to five frames. Nucs are splits (divides) made from larger colonies. Nucs are purchased as a method of starting a new colony or as a resource to use to bolster weaker colonies. See more information about nucs <a href="index.cfm?pageID=3093#standard">here</a> and <a href="index.cfm?pageID=3417#nuc">here</a>.
boxes might be a resource hive or be used as a bait hive to attract a bee swarm or used for swarm capture. Nucs are three, four, or five (five is more standard) frames in size. For queen mating purposes or as a queen mating hive, a mini nucnucleus:
also called a "nuc;" a smaller colony of bees usually with three to five frames. Nucs are splits (divides) made from larger colonies. Nucs are purchased as a method of starting a new colony or as a resource to use to bolster weaker colonies. See more information about nucs <a href="index.cfm?pageID=3093#standard">here</a> and <a href="index.cfm?pageID=3417#nuc">here</a>.
(also called a mating nucnucleus:
also called a "nuc;" a smaller colony of bees usually with three to five frames. Nucs are splits (divides) made from larger colonies. Nucs are purchased as a method of starting a new colony or as a resource to use to bolster weaker colonies. See more information about nucs <a href="index.cfm?pageID=3093#standard">here</a> and <a href="index.cfm?pageID=3417#nuc">here</a>.
) of small half-frame length consisting of only two or three frames might be used. Nucs might be overwintered or the contents used as a resource in managing a standard hive. Beekeepers frequently purchase a nucnucleus:
also called a "nuc;" a smaller colony of bees usually with three to five frames. Nucs are splits (divides) made from larger colonies. Nucs are purchased as a method of starting a new colony or as a resource to use to bolster weaker colonies. See more information about nucs <a href="index.cfm?pageID=3093#standard">here</a> and <a href="index.cfm?pageID=3417#nuc">here</a>.
hive to start their own hive.
Beekeepers in northern locations often use two standard-sized (deep) hive bodies, one on top of the other, to allow for normal expansion of brood and adequate comb space to store pollen and honey needed to feed the brood. Modification to one standard and one medium hive body is a common alternative—sometimes three medium depths are used instead of two standard depth bodies. Beekeepers in southern locations are more likely to have a single deep box brood chamber or two medium-depth boxes. Managing brood in one single box has increasing numbers of adherents. It requires more frequent inspections and hive manipulations.
With normal expansion and no swarming, colonies that fully expand their brood chamber will need one to three supers for surplus honey. Skillfully managed colonies in apiariesapiary:
a place where beehives and beekeeping equipment are located; also called a bee yard. An out-apiary is a site away from the owner’s residence.
with favorable conditions and appropriate flowering plants may fill several supers during exception seasons or under heavy nectar flow conditons.
Beehives are kept in an apiaryapiary:
a place where beehives and beekeeping equipment are located; also called a bee yard. An out-apiary is a site away from the owner’s residence.. ApiariesApiary:
a place where beehives and beekeeping equipment are located; also called a bee yard. An out-apiary is a site away from the owner’s residence. of a single to several colonies may be in backyards, on roofs, within buildings, or on rural property. Commercial beekeepers have 32+ equalized (in terms of size of boxes, brood, and adult populations) beehives in an apiaryapiary:
a place where beehives and beekeeping equipment are located; also called a bee yard. An out-apiary is a site away from the owner’s residence.. Commercial beekeepers typically position four colonies on a wooden pallet with bottom openings of the hives toward front and back. The pallets permit movement of the four hives as one unit with a specialized forklift. ApiariesApiary:
a place where beehives and beekeeping equipment are located; also called a bee yard. An out-apiary is a site away from the owner’s residence. usually have colonies positioned close to one another, but for several reasons such as drifting, robbing, or mite movement, more distanced placement of hives, depending upon colony number and space available to site the hives, is better.
The skep, a dome-shaped hive constructed from straw or wooden plant stem materials, is the iconic hive design. It is a “rustic” hive with fixed combs; harvest is done by driving the bees away and cutting out the comb (destructive harvest). It is a popular hive for museums illustrating the history of hive design. Another rustic hive is the bee gum, a tree stump hollow. Bee gums are also harvested via destruction of the comb after driving bees away. Box hives were common before widespread adoption of the Langstroth hive. State laws in many states prohibit the keeping of bees in fixed comb hives. Frames holding combs must be removable for state mandated inspections of bee hives for disease.
The long or horizontal hive has the same bee space principle as the Langstroth hive. The one key difference is instead of being vertically stacked boxes, this hive is a horizontal box. Combs are the standard Langstroth frames and fully removable. Horizontal frames means less lifting, ideal for those who may lack the capability to lift heavy boxes filled with honey and/or bee brood. Long hives may contain 20, 30, or even 40 frames. The frames are the same frame size as a standard Langstroth hive. The colony is contained with follower boards. It is possible to house two or three different colonies in one long hive. The Layens hive is a horizontal hive holding 20 large frames (13” long by 16” deep) on one level.
The Slovenian or AZ hive is a removable frame cabinet-type hive kept inside a building. The hive is opened from the back; the frames slide horizontally backward for removal and inspection. Bees leaving the frames when examined, exit the building by a one-way exit. Hive entrances on the outside of the building need to be distinctively colored and patterned to aid bee orientation.
The Apimaye or thermos hive is an insulated food-grade, UV-resistant plastic hive. It is an insulated Langstroth-style beehive designed for bees living in extreme climates of moisture and/or cold. It holds standard Langstroth frames and is managed vertically. There are other designs for non-wooden hives or for housing of bees in stand-alone structures.
There are numerous alternative beehives that may have non-removable frames. Top bar hives lack full framing of comb; the top bars fit tightly within a protective cover. Frames have a leading edge on their interior side to encourage bees to build their parallel combs in alignment with the top bar orientation. When this occurs, the combs can be removed and examined, but too frequently there is cross combing and top bar hives then become difficult to inspect without extensive cutting of comb. This hive is a longitudinal design. This is a popular backyard hive for individuals who do not wish to extensively interact with their honey bees.
The Warré (war-RAY) hive, created by Émile Warré in the mid-20th century, is another top bar design but is a vertical top bar hive. Identically-sized stacked boxes have no frames or foundation sheets. Bees build honeycomb down from top bars placed within each box. With population expansion, additional boxes are added below the existing comb (termed nadiring) following the method of comb expansion of feral honey bees nesting in tree cavities. These hives are illegal, as are top bar hives that have cross combs, since the brood area may not be inspected for disease.
A popular hive style used in the UK is the WBC Classic Hive developed by William Broughton Carr. It is a double-walled structure that provides extra insulation for England’s cold and damp conditions. The outside wall surrounds separate loose boxes. This makes it difficult to move when full of bees. However, it is a beautiful hive, and you will often see it depicted in old paintings and illustrations. The National hive is a standard movable comb hive of slightly different dimensions than the Langstroth hive. Other countries worldwide may have slightly different hive designs, often named for their developers. Differences are mainly in box dimensions and types of hive covers.
Beehives might be purposed to accomplish specific managements. For example, a bait hive is simply an empty hive or nucnucleus:
also called a "nuc;" a smaller colony of bees usually with three to five frames. Nucs are splits (divides) made from larger colonies. Nucs are purchased as a method of starting a new colony or as a resource to use to bolster weaker colonies. See more information about nucs <a href="index.cfm?pageID=3093#standard">here</a> and <a href="index.cfm?pageID=3417#nuc">here</a>.
box, armed with attractive bee smell (such as an old brood frame) placed within or outside the apiaryapiary:
a place where beehives and beekeeping equipment are located; also called a bee yard. An out-apiary is a site away from the owner’s residence. to seek to capture a swarm. A split/divide is a hive originated from frames of brood and support frames of honey and bee bread removed from one hive and placed in another box. Splits might stay in the same apiaryapiary:
a place where beehives and beekeeping equipment are located; also called a bee yard. An out-apiary is a site away from the owner’s residence. or be moved away from the donor hive.
There is some confusion with the term super. Supers are boxes added above the brood area to capture surplus honey for potential harvest. Supers may be of any size, but some label any smaller-depth box a super. Properly, a super is a box for storage of honey. Supering is the action of adding supers to colonies. Supered colonies are hives that have some supers added to the basic brood area. Most apiaryapiary:
a place where beehives and beekeeping equipment are located; also called a bee yard. An out-apiary is a site away from the owner’s residence. sites will support capture of one to two full or partially full supers. Exceptional seasons or apiariesapiary:
a place where beehives and beekeeping equipment are located; also called a bee yard. An out-apiary is a site away from the owner’s residence. may need more supers on the strongest colonies.
Timely supering of colonies assists in separation of brood area below from honey storage food area above. Brood below and food above is the normal arrangement. In fully expanded colonies, brood will fill most of the comb cells of two brood boxes. When the nectar flow begins, the bees may compact the brood area by filling cells in the brood nest (termed backfilling) with liquid nectar, perhaps leading to a “honey-bound” condition. Such behavior may severely restrict egg laying by the queen, restricting future brood nest and adult population expansion. Such crowding may lead to queen rearing and swarming or result in underpopulated colonies later in season.
Beekeepers need to anticipate colony supering needs (‘oversuper’), thus ensuring sufficient nectar storage space, especially if they plan to harvest honey. Failure to provide adequate super space may limit the potential honey harvest or result in missed opportunity for a colony to provide harvestable surplus honey. Individuals might practice undersupering as the nectar flow begins to slow to ensure honey-filled cells are properly ripened and to consolidate equipment use. In some instances, the bees may only use the middle of a super, filling only the center frames with honey.
Supering colonies for production of honey in the comb is more difficult than supering for extracted honey. Likewise supering with foundation is more difficult than using drawn comb supers. Comb honey and foundation in supers requires monitoring of the nectar sources and adding supers as the nectar flow begins to ensure bees draw the comb in frames, ripen, and cap it quickly so it may be removed promptly. Supering for extracted honey does not require such precise timing of adding or removal of supers.
Honey in supers might also be removed and used to feed bees at another seasonal period rather than used to harvest for use or sale. Honey-filled frames need to be stored to avoid damage from miscellaneous pests; a freezer is an ideal storage for frames of honey intended to be used to feed or harvest at a later date. An alternative is to leave supers with honey in place on colonies until ready to use or harvest to avoid damage - the bees will take better care of honey-filled cells than we can as beekeepers.
Nabors R. 2017. Supering your colonies for the honey flow. American Bee Journal 157(2): 177-178. https://bluetoad.com/publication/?i=374278&p=65&view=issueViewer and https://bluetoad.com/publication/?m=5417&i=374278&view=articleBrowser&article_id=2681807&ver=html5
“Supering Hives”. YouTube, uploaded by University of Guelph Honey Bee Research Centre, 30 August, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F38kxYcYMTM
The beekeeper may need to move bee colonies for any number of reasons. Pollination of agricultural crops involves movement of thousands of colonies annually. Larger-scale beekeepers derive most of their income from rental of colonies for a pollination fee. Colonies are usually moved at night when foragers are inside. Small numbers of colonies may be individually strapped in the back of a pickup truck, but in large-scale movement the beehives are positioned on pallets, and the entire load of 400 to 500 hives is strapped and then netted. In the larger operations, palleted colonies are moved via some lifting device or by special forklifts designed for lifting colonies in sometimes rough terrain onto flatbeds and off-loaded at new sites. Most of this movement is done after dark.
Colonies may also be moved a short distance, for example from one side of a yard to another. The rule of thumb is to move a few feet at a time so bees may re-orient to their home incrementally, or move them over 4 miles distance for a month or so and then move back to the new desired location at the original site; this gives enough time for the bees to forget the original hive location. (See "How to move a beehive..." resource below for further details.) When beekeepers split (divide) colonies, the older bees that are moved to a new hive site may return to their original home site location (drifting) if the colony split is sited in the same apiaryapiary:
a place where beehives and beekeeping equipment are located; also called a bee yard. An out-apiary is a site away from the owner’s residence. location. Nurse-age bees have not yet learned their hive location and remain to care for the brood. Any split should be checked the next day and again a few days later to confirm enough bees remain in the split to care for the brood. If the population is decreased, additional bees (and capped brood frames) should be added to the split.
Flow Hive. n.d. How to move a bee hive (short and long distances). Flow. Accessed 2023. https://www.honeyflow.com/blogs/beekeeping-basics/how-to-move-a-bee-hive
Bond JK, et al. 2021. Honey Bees on the Move: From Pollination to Honey Production and Back. USDA Economic Research Service ERR-290. https://ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/101476/err-290-honey%20bees%20on%20the%20move_summary.pdf?v=838.6
