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Video:How to Create a Honey Bee Hive

with Andrew Coté

In this video our bee expert explains how to create a honey bee hive. See how easy it is to create a honey bee hive by following these instructions.See Transcript

Transcript:How to Create a Honey Bee Hive

Hi. I'm Andrew Coté from Andrew's Honey.com and the author of the urban bee keeping bible, here for About.com.

Best Time of Year to Create a Honey Bee Hive

Generally speaking we begin in April or May with our new hive. You want to begin in the Spring time. If you begin too late – first of all you might not be able to find bees, second of all you wouldn't be able to bring the hive to strength. In order for them to produce excess honey for you and in order for them to have enough wears to survive the winter.

Supplies for Creating a Honey Bee Hive

You begin with a package of bees. There are about 12,000 bees in it. Generally they're sold, bees are sold by the pound. From there the queen lays 2,000 eggs a day. So there could be up to 70 – 80 thousand bees in a very strong hive.

How to Create a Langstroth Honey Bee Hive

This is called a Langstroth Hive (check spelling) it's been around since the 1850's and this is the type of hive that I would recommend for those who are just getting started in bee keeping. A Langstroth Hive could run you anywhere from one (hundred) to two hundred and fifty dollars, depending upon what kind you get. You can buy it in a kit. This is dove tailed, nail it together, inside there are frames. This si a landing board. It's not necessary to have it. I happen to like it. It just makes it a little easier for them to land and walk up into the hive. This is called a bottom board, this is called a deep. D-E-E-P, and it's also called the brood chamber. This is where the queen lays the majority of her eggs. Up here is called the honey deep and this is the honey for the bees.

How to Create a Medium or Shallow Honey Bee Hive

Now, if you look at the hive over there, the next hive is what is called a medium, or it's sometimes called a shallow. The place in which the excess honey is stored. And, right here in between the deep and the medium. There is what's called a queen excluder. A queen excluders purpose is to stop the queen from going up into the medium to lay eggs, so that that area is only honey. That's excess honey for the bee keeper. You use it or you don't use it.

Reasons to Create a Honey Bee Hive

People have been keeping bees for millennia. It's a wonderful hobby, it's relaxing, it's almost meditative. Classic rewards to be so connected to nature and I just think that, done responsibly it can be one of the most rewarding parts of your life.


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