Bee hives are structures used in beekeeping.
They are shelters for honeybees, queen bee and her young ones.
The honey, royal jelly and beeswax are processed inside a bee hive.
This makes it the most basic tackle to have when starting out a bee farming project.
Bee hives come in varied styles but selecting the right one is not necessarily easy.
There are considerations that one should make before choosing and buying a hive.
Beginners are specifically advised to use bee hives that are commonly bought by many other people.
Chances are that these structures are preferred because they are cheap and readily available anywhere in the world.
One of the best hives to go for is called langstroth.
It normally consists of white boxes that are stack together to create a usable hive.
The bees, therefore, trace the bottom of the hive in order to build a brood nest.
In the process they fill up the boxes with honey and food for the broods and queen bee.
Buying langstroth hives is advantageous because it is universally used, meaning that many beekeepers love it.
In addition, it remains the most convenient equipment for anyone looking to do a large, commercially viable beekeeping project.
What is more, the supplies are readily available in the marketplace and educational resources on the langstroth are numerous.
One of the drawbacks concerning these bee hives is the fact that they are heavy.
So a farmer may be forced to remove some parts and store them elsewhere.
There are views that the artificial cell size used in langstrong bee hives could cause health problems.
Harvesting or hive repair cannot be a simple affair without adequate smoking to confuse the bees.
Top-bar hive also is very common among beekeepers.
The brood nest is usually at the back while the honey is stored at the front.
This style is ideal because it enables bees to create cell sizes organically, unlike the Langstroth.
Secondly, it is light and simple to work with.
Another reason why many choose the top-bar hive style is because harvesting does not disrupt the bees too much.
Therefore a farmer can take a risk to harvest honey without using a smoker or wearing protective gear.
People who have physical disabilities are advised to purchase top bar bee hives.
It also has a few demerits.
During the cold seasons bees can die easily and it might be difficult to save them because of the minimal local support in regard to the top-bar hive.
If improperly constructed, this hive is likely to have issues with ventilation.
In addition, combs could form abnormally or break and the apiarist may not have control over this.
Warre bee hives are very commonly used as well.
They are normally tiny with square shaped supers.
Their top bars lack frames too.
Warre hives have a roof and a sawdust-packed quilt.
The sawdust is normally used to collect moisture which escapes through the roof.
These bee hives are easy to manage because they require little to no inspections.