The Basic Components of the Honey Bee Hive
The honey bee hive consists of several boxes that are named after their colony use versus simply the size.
The most common naming convention among beginning beekeepers is simply a brood box and a super. The brood box is the box where the queen lays her eggs (the “brood”) and the super box is where the remaining worker bees place the honey stores. So, you may also hear them called honey supers.
The more experience beekeepers tend to use the size and function in their names, so you may a “deep box” or “deep brood box”, which refers to the box as before where the queen lays her eggs.
Super boxes for the Langstroth hive come in 3 sizes:
- shallow ask known as
- medium also known as an Illinois Super
- or the no longer commonly use Wisconsin Super
Then we have top and bottom boards that also come in different variations:
Top boards with inner and outer covers, used mostly up north and Migratory Top boards more commonly used in Florida since we don’t have a huge temperature differential that causes condensation inside the hive.
Bottom boards can be solid or screened. The screened bottom board is known to be used in the control of the varroa destructor mite.
Then we have frames and sometimes we have foundation.
Beekeeper Mentoring | Hands-on Year 2 & Onward w Experienced Beekeeper
***This event is limited to 9-10 people who have previously taken Bee Mentoring with us in the past***
There's no better teacher than experience and hands-on for beekeeping. Unique and one of a kind opportunity to actually work the bees in actual bee hives for after your first year under the guidance of an experienced beekeeper. You will be learning how to use the tools, what you are looking for, tests for pests and have personal hands-on experience working in hives for an entire bee season. Fast track your learning through the mentorship of a UF Advanced Master Beekeeper.
Join us every 2 weeks on Saturday of each month for as long as you like.
You and your fellow beekeepers will suit up and partner up to take care of three 5-frame NUCs, grow them to 10-frame hives, do splits and re-queen as needed, harvest honey and all the tasks in between that may be needed for the year. Want to continue your learning experience in beekeeping and fine tune your techniques? REGISTER today!
LOCATION: GreenView Aquaponics Family Farm & Apiary, at 4160 Old Burnt Store Road, N, Cape Coral, FL 33993
WHEN: Starts April 9th every other Saturday morning from 9:00-10:30a.
AT EACH SESSION:
First 15-20 min starts with an overview of the Best Management Practices for the month as well as the Tasks to be completed today
Next hour or so, we’ll suit up conduct the hive inspections on the NUCs and any increases made from those NUCs as well as look for any seasonally relevant events and what you should be doing in your hives. You'll be filling out a hive inspection report at each session as part of your bee journal that you will be compiling through out the year.
During the course of the year, We’ll observe, discuss and complete the following:
- Identification of eggs, open brood, and capped brood
- Brood patterns and what they mean to you as a beekeeper
- Finding the queen
- Honey and pollen stores and what they mean to you as a beekeeper
- Pest identification
- Pest testing & treatment
- When to add/remove super boxes
- Managing brood boxes
- Gaps in the brood nest
- Adding/removing supers
- Walkaway Splits
- Maintaining hive strength consistency
- Harvesting honey
The last 15-20min of end of each session, the group will fill out their hive inspection reports for each colony and we will discuss what to prepare for the next session.
We will post the hive inspection reports in an online portal, where you can review the progress of the 3 NUCs throughout the year. as well as other bonus material.
Have questions between sessions? or not sure what you see in your hives at your own apiary? We will be available between sessions for Q&A through a private What'sApp group. Feel free to post any interesting research, pictures from your hives that might interest others in the group.
You will also receive a "Bee Journal" notebook that you will bring to each session to add handouts and your hive reports as an invaluable resource for years going forward. This will guide you on what to do with your hives at your own apiary during the year and in the future
This is a month-by-month commitment with a limited number of seats, so if you feel you can no longer attend, please let us know so we can open the seat to someone on the waitlist that would like to. If you discontinue and want to rejoin the group, you may be able to rejoin if a new seat comes available after the waitlist has been fulfilled. As much as we would like 100% attendance, we understand that life happens and things change.
Participation Requirements each time you come for a mentoring session
- Bring your own PPE (bee jacket or veil, gloves)
- Bring your "Bee Journal" notebook (you will receive one at the first session)
- Bring pen/pencil
- Sign eWaiver of voluntary participation here => Click Here for eWaiver
- Wear appropriate farm/beekeeping attire (ball cap, long pants, long sleeves if PPE is a veil, closed toed shoes, and weather appropriate)
- Hydrate before coming (start the evening before). We will provide plenty of water and shade.
Haven't taken Bee Mentoring with us?
Sign up for the Next BeeMentoring here This is a requirement to participate in the mentoring program, so we know everyone started with the same basics. If you register without being a prior student, your registration will be cancelled and refunded.
TERMS and CONDITIONS
- Weather, Holidays and/or Farm emergencies may change the date of an upcoming mentoring session. We will do our best to reschedule these as soon as possible when possible. MakeUp sessions may or may not always be possible. We reserve the right to make these changes as needed and cancel sessions when necessary.
- Signed waivers are required to participate in any farm educational activity involving bees.
Other options:
Learn more: How to Select a Bee Smoker
