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.
Coconut coir is a 100% natural by-product of coconut harvesting using sustainable methods. It is an alternative to peat moss, rockwool, perlite and vermiculite and is used in the same gardening capacity. Coir is the coarse fibers from the husk on the outer shell of a coconut. Once considered useless, coir is increasingly used as a growing medium by commercial greenhouse operations. Because of its superior water holding capacity, soil aeration and drainage properties, coir is useful in modern hydroponics and as a soil amendment for potted plants, containers and gardens. Coir is superor to peat moss and rockwool for structural stability, water absorption and drainage and will not decomse as quickly lasting longer in your soil. Coir is resistant to disease pathogens.
When coir is included as a soil amendment, your plants require less fertilizers, develop more elaborate and stronger root systems, and are more resistant to disease, pathogens and weeds.
In sandy soils, coir helps to keep nutrients and moisture close to plant roots. In clay soils, it helps to break up hard-packed earth and move nutrients and moisture through the soil. Add one part coir to two parts soil to make a growing medium for pots or outdoor gardens.
Coir comes compressed into bricks for convenient storage. Add water and soak your brick for at least 1 hour to hydrate
• Replaces peat moss, rockwool, perlite & vermiculite
• Compressed bricks are easy to handle & store
• Disease Resistant
• Excellent air space & water holding capacity
• pH Neutral
• Holds between 8 & 10 times its volume in water
Technical Details / Specifications
5kg Coconut Coir Brick expands to 20 gallons per brick.
Shipping weight = 12lbs
Shipping size = 13"x13"x6"
650g Coconut Coir Brick expands to 2.5 gallons per brick.
Shipping weight = 1.5lbs
Shipping size = 5"x9"x3"
250g Coconut Coir Brick expands to 0.5 gallons per brick.
Shipping weight = 1lbs
Shipping size = 5"x9"x2"
Other options:
Learn more: How to Select a Bee Smoker
