The bottom board will go underneath the bottom brooder box. The bees can easily move from box to box since the bottoms are open. The boxes are created this way so that they can be arranged in any order (as long as brood boxes are on bottom and honey supers are on top). The frames hang from the sides of the box and the bottoms are completely open. When you look at the brood boxes and honey supers, you’ll notice that they don’t have bottoms. An elevated hive is easier to inspect and work than one that sits low to the ground. You can elevate your hive by putting the hive stand on cinder blocks. A hive placed directly on the ground is more susceptible to fungal infections and rotting from wet ground. It also keeps the hive off of the ground. Hive stands also provide a landing area for the bees returning to the hive. The hive stand serves as the base for the entire hive. Queen excluders are a metal or plastic piece meant to keep the queen in the brooding area. The queen excluder is placed directly over the brood box, preventing the queen from entering the honey boxes. Worker bees will also begin making nectar and bee bread in the brood box to feed the queen and the growing young bees. Worker bees will quickly start building comb where the queen will lay eggs. You will release your new bees into one brood box. This will be the first box that you’ll provide your bees with. The hive will have one or two brood boxes depending on the size of the colony.īrood boxes contain the frames where the queen will lay eggs (hence the name ‘brood boxes’). The brood boxes are the large boxes that are on the bottom of the bee hive. Some people prefer the look and natural feel of unfinished wood. Many honey bee supplies come in unfinished wood and painted options. You’ll also want to consider the finish of the boxes. When you’re shopping for honey bee supplies for your hive, keep in mind that not all equipment is universally sized. There are several components in the honey bee hive.Ī basic hive includes a hive stand, the bottom board, an entrance reducer, one or two brood boxes, one or two supers, an inner cover and an outer cover. The hive is the stack of boxes where the bees live, raise young and store honey. I’ll never recommend products that I don’t absolutely love. To receive the supplies, they requested that I write a review article that was purely my opinion and experience with their product and services. To write this post, Mann Lake provided me with beekeeping supplies. To view my affiliate disclaimer, click here. I’m here to break down the options for you and let you know which honey bee supplies are necessary and which ones aren’t. If you’re a new beekeeper, you can easily find yourself overwhelmed with options. Honey Bee Supplies: What do you need to get started beekeeping?Ī quick search online will pull up thousands of honey bee supplies.
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