Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Bee Space
When honey bees move into a natural cavity, such as a hollow tree, they construct
their nest by instinct, carefully producing the familiar beeswax combs that hang
from the top of the cavity and attach to the sides for support, extending nearly to
the floor of the cavity.
To keep that spatial comfort zone called
bee space
, they leave just enough room
between their combs so they can move from one comb to another, store honey, take
care of their young, and have some place to rest when they aren't working or fly-
ing outside the hive. This space is not random. Measured, it is not less than ¼″ (0.6
cm) and not more than
⅜
″ (1 cm). This distance does not vary between a natural
cavity and a manmade beehive, and honey bees are unforgiving if presented with
larger or smaller spaces. If there is a space in your hive larger than
⅜
″ (1 cm), the
bees will fill it with beeswax comb in which to raise brood or store honey. If the
space is smaller, they seal it with propolis. They do this to ensure there is no room
in the nest for other creatures.
There are a couple of exceptions when it comes to comb building of which
you should be aware. Bees won't fill the space between the bottom board and the
frames in the lowest box in a hive. They leave this space open to accommodate
ventilation; the fresh air coming in the front door could not circulate through the
hive if comb came all the way to the floor. Generally, honey bees also won't fill
the space between the inner and outer cover. This rule is broken only when there is
a lot of available food and not enough room in the hive to store it.
The opening of the hive can face any direction that's convenient for the traffic flow of
people and bees. It's not critical which way it faces; just remember that your family uses
your yard, and being able to keep your bees in check is important to everybody. Finding
the best location for your hive will undoubtedly be a compromise between what you,
your neighbors, your family, and your community consider important. Once you have
decided on the best place for your hives, you have to consider the hive itself.
Equipment
Tools of the Trade
Hives
We've already looked at the basics of the beehives you'll have. Seriously consider using
preassembled, medium-depth, eight-frame boxes and appropriate frames. Amazingly,
there are no standardized dimensions in the beekeeping industry. The dimensions of
