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.
Advanced Beekeeping | Hands-On Series, includes Suiting Up and Going into the Hives (1-day)
This is a unique and one of a kind opportunity to actually work the bees in actual bee hives as part of the Hands-on portion of the workshop. We will suit you up and take a close look at the bees, doing splits, caging and releasing the queen. You will be learning how to be a more proficient beekeeper, by learning the challenges of increases, splits equalizing your colonies and re-queening with personal hands-on experience working in the hive. Learn from a UF Advanced Master Beekeepers
Class Lecture on Saturday from 9am-1pm at GreenView Aquaponics Family Farm & Apiary, at 4160 Old Burnt Store Road, N, Cape Coral, FL 33993
- Honey Bee Anatomy
- Pheromones
- Increases
- Splitting Colonies
- Equalizing Colonies
- ReQueening Colonies
Hands-On Workshop on Saturday from 1pm-4/5pm at GreenView Aquaponics Family Farm & Apiary, at 4160 Old Burnt Store Road, N, Cape Coral, FL 33993
- Walkaway Split - how to create increases with Walkaway Splits.
- Split with Swarm Cells - how to split a hive once you have Swarm Cells
- Equalizing Hives - why and how to keep your colonies
- Find, Catch, Cage a Queen (practice with Drones)
- ReQueening a Hive - over-the-shoulder with UF Advanced Master Beekeeper
Students receive a kit that includes:
- Increase Essentials book by Dr Larry Connor
- Queen Catcher
- Queen Cage
- Lunch & bottled water
Bee 101 is a pre-requisite for this class. Haven't taken Bee 101? Click here to sign up for the last one before this workshop.
You will need to bring your own PPE (veil and gloves at minimum) and hive tool
eWaiver required for Hands-on Workshop portion. Additional equipment and protective gear available for purchase.
REGISTRATION ends on Thursday before class. REGISTER TODAY, so you don't miss out!
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Limited seats available. Register early
Other options:
Learn more: How to Select a Bee Smoker
