Foundations in Beekeeping - Honeybee: Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper - page 35

M Y FIRST BEEHIVE ARRIVED THREE DAYS AFTER I ORDERED IT . When the delivery
truck pulled into my driveway, I ran out to greet it like a kid runs to an ice cream truck.
The hive came packed in two large, heavy boxes with charming illustrations of hon-
eybees printed on the sides. I carried each box to my back patio. Using a box cutter, I
meticulously sliced through the top of the first box where the seams met, and then un-
folded each flap to expose the aroma of fresh pinewood and beeswax.
The precut wood was packed snugly with the galvanized nails. There were also
twenty sheets of beeswax foundation, wrapped between cardboard for safety. The
second box held the beekeeper's tools of the trade. Wrapped in protective paper was
a beekeeper's hat. The hat was tan and resembled a woven safari helmet with a black
mesh veil that protects the face and neck from curious honeybees, making visiting the
honeybees seem like a religious experience. Also included in the second box was a
white protective beekeeper's jacket, which had a zipper around the neck to attach it to
the veil, and the indispensable hive tool. The hive tool is primarily used to pry open
hive lids that have become stuck shut with beeswax or propolis.
I also found a pair of beekeeper's leather gloves that were long enough to reach
my elbows. The last item I pulled out of the box was a smoker, which looks like large
stainless steel can with bellows. Beekeepers light a small fire inside these canisters and
squeezethebellowstodrawairintotheflame.Afewpiecesofnewspaper,driedleaves,
and twigs can quickly transform a smoker into a fireplace, but beekeepers agree that
keeping your smoker lit during an entire hive visit is possibly the most difficult part of
beekeeping.
A SSEMBLING THE H IVE
A Langstroth beehive looks a lot like a wooden file cabinet. But its rectangular boxes,
stacked neatly on top of one another, are not file drawers. They are called deeps or hive
bodies and they hold the wood frames on which the colony of honeybees live, build
theirhoneycomb,andraisebrood.Eachdeephasfoursides,butnotoporbottom,since
they sit on top of one another. Grooves on the outside of the deeps act as handles for
lifting. My deeps were the standard 9⅝-inch size. I later learned some beekeepers opt
for medium-depth hive bodies that are 6⅝ inches deep. Since these medium hive bod-
ies hold frames that are shorter, they weigh less and make lifting or maneuvering them
easier on the beekeeper's back.
Putting together my first hive might have been quicker if I'd been able to watch
someone else do it first or if I'd had some experienced help. But I was surprised at how
easy mine was to assemble. I was able to finish it using only a hammer and a little el-
bow grease, especially since the precut main parts simply locked together, tongue-and-