Foundations in Beekeeping - Honeybee: Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper - page 33

CHAPTER 4
Foundations in Beekeeping
A few days after the hive inspection, Mr. B called to ask me if I was ready to set up my
first hive. If so, I would have to order my colony of bees in the next few days. It was
already late April and the time for me to make my decision was running out; bee-breed-
ing farms would not ship bees in the warmer summer days because of stress on the bees
andheat-relatedlosses.AtthatmomentItooktheplungeandcommittedtokeepinghon-
eybees. I was ready as I ever would be and knew Mr. B would be there every step of the
way. I had officially become a beekeeper.
Now that I was a beekeeper I would need a beehive. There are many suppliers of
beekeeping equipment in the country, and one can order equipment from them online or
through one of their many catalogs. I picked up a few free catalogs at my beekeepers
meetings to get a taste of what was available.
Turns out there are many styles of hives to choose from and an abundance of ac-
cessories.Ioptedforabeekeepingstarterkit,whichincludedastandardLangstroth-style
woodenbeehiveandallthebasicbeekeeper'stools.Icouldalwaysaddmorebeekeeping
goodies to my collection later on as necessary.
T HE L ANGSTROTH H IVE
The Langstroth hive is the style of beehive that most beekeepers in the United States use
today. Prior to the introduction of the Langtroth hive, bees were kept in hollow wooden
logs, called gums; in clay pots; or in woven bee skeps. With any of these primitive bee-
hives, it was difficult for beekeepers to manage their bees, find their queen, and prevent
diseases. Honey harvest was the most challenging time, and when it came time to collect
the honey from inside the hive, there was little choice but to set these primitive beehives
on fire, killing the queen and destroying the entire colony, in order to remove the bees
from the honey. Then, to enjoy the honey, people had to squeeze it from the comb by
hand or just chew the comb itself.
The Reverend Lorenzo Langstroth is known affectionately among beekeepers around
the world as the father of beekeeping. In 1852, Langstroth's innovative hive design re-
volutionized beekeeping with his use of removable frames that hang inside the hive box.
They were loosely based upon a system invented by another beekeeper, a Ukrainian
named Petr Prokopovich. These wooden frames on which honeybees build their comb
are lined up in neat rows and are easily accessed by the beekeeper, who only has to open