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.
Mission
Gulf Coast Beekeepers of Florida! If you live in Sarasota, DeSoto, Charlotte, Collier or the northern part of Lee counties, we welcome you to join us for bee-friendly events & workshops! All skill levels encouraged to join!
At our meetings, we will be discussing what should be going on in your south Florida hive that month, any current problems we face as beekeepers, from current pest and infections to local and state legislative as well as where to get equipment and supplies locally and any current bee-related events.
We will have a honey booth during each County Fair where we will sell local honey, honey straws from our members and give away free information on beekeeping and honeybees.
Seasonally, there will be two Intro to Beekeeping courses to help encourage and educate new beekeepers. We are working on bringing these courses online in the future.
Some of our beekeepers also sell their Honey at the local farmers markets and others may participate in bee removals. So, there will always be something for everyone.
Meetings will be held on
- first Saturday of each month at University of Florida/IFAS Charlotte County Extension 1120 Centennial Blvd, Pt Charlotte, FL
- second Tuesday of each month at University of Florida/IFAS Collier County Extension
14700 Immokalee Rd, Naples, Florida
- third Tuesday of each month at GVA farm, 4160 Old Burnt Store Rd N, Cape Coral, FL
- 4th Tuesday of each month online on Zoom
JOIN GULF COAST BEEKEEPERS of FLORIDA
Gulf Coast Beekeepers of Florida ($25 Jan-Dec) member benefits:
- Private Facebook Group page with online classes, Q&A, troubleshooting and more. Post your pictures and let us help you. Mentoring and Beekeeping comraderie that help you celebrate your wins and troubleshoot your hive as you learn beekeeping.
- Monthly educational meetings, workshops and events at IFAS Collier and Charlotte county Extension offices. Collier county is the 2nd MONDAY each month from 6-7pm. Charlotte county is the 3rd TUESDAY each month from 6-7pm.
- 10% discount on beekeeping supplies from GreenView Aquaponics online Farm Store with free delivery to monthly meetings
- Advance Registration and Discounts on beekeeping events at GreenView Aquaponics Family Farm & Apiary.
- End of Year party
Types of Gulf Coast Beekeepers Association of Florida Membership:
- Single GCBA membership $25
- Couples GCBA membership $30
- Family GCBA membership $35 (any member of the same household)
- Youth GCBA FREE (ages 12-16)
- Children under the age of 12 are most welcomed at the meetings with a parent, but may not be able to participate in all the events that go into the hives, involve making certain beekeeping equipment, etc.
Add optional Florida State Beekeeper Association ($30 Jan-Dec)
Membership to FSBA is not required to join GCBA, although it is highly encouraged. They are the unsung heroes that protect beekeepers large and small with not only outreach and education, but also by standing up for us all with efforts for beekeeper-friendly laws.
FSBA Member benefits:
- Support for honey bee research and beekeeper education
- Support of sound beekeeping practices
- Support of Florida Apiary Inspection Program and prudent apiary regulation
- Support of local, small-scale processing and marketing of honey through reasonable food safety regulations
- Annual conference and tradeshow
- Florida Honey Queen program
- Educational outreach
- Representation on Florida Honey Bee Technical Council
- Representation on Florida Farm Bureau Apiary Advisory Committee
Other options:
Learn more: How to Select a Bee Smoker
