Inside the hive
The Brood Box
This is the most important part of the hive. It's where the queen lays the eggs and the nurse-bees raise the baby bees. Usually the brood is in a ball shape in the centre and there are honey stores, nectar and pollen in cells round the edge.
This is the most important part of the hive. It's where the queen lays the eggs and the nurse-bees raise the baby bees. Usually the brood is in a ball shape in the centre and there are honey stores, nectar and pollen in cells round the edge.
Honey bees generall don't sting - only to protect their babies.
But if you're going to take the roof off their home and look inside where the babies are, it's best to be careful.
But if you're going to take the roof off their home and look inside where the babies are, it's best to be careful.
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I wear a suit and gloves - but in making the video on the left, because I'm filming on my phone, I have to leave my gloves off.
That's the only reason I'm talking about being stung. When I make little videos where I don't take the roof off (like filming the bees coming back and forth), I don't bother. |
If you have any problems playing the video or to view it on my YouTube chanel, click here.
The frames
This is an excellent photo if I say so myself. it's a very good example of a typical frame in a brood box:
The capped brood is in the centre - this is all the babies in their cells, with wax caps to protect them.
The caps are permeable so the babies can breathe.
Around that you can see all the workers and nurse bees.
Then at the edges you can see capped honey stores - these caps are flatter and whiter.
This is an excellent photo if I say so myself. it's a very good example of a typical frame in a brood box:
The capped brood is in the centre - this is all the babies in their cells, with wax caps to protect them.
The caps are permeable so the babies can breathe.
Around that you can see all the workers and nurse bees.
Then at the edges you can see capped honey stores - these caps are flatter and whiter.
Below is a close up of nectar and capped honey - and I think some babies (though it could be the light).
Below is a super frame - it's the same as a brood frame just slightly smaller.
Beekeepers give the bees a ready-made frame with cells already started - it speeds up the process as the bees can begin building immediately (versus having to build this stage from scratch).
Beekeepers give the bees a ready-made frame with cells already started - it speeds up the process as the bees can begin building immediately (versus having to build this stage from scratch).
It also keeps the frames neat and workable - below you can see a hive where we only had a few frames and forgot to come back and add more. The bees went 'freelance' and created their onw shaped comb - it was stuck to the sides of the box and itself and not possible to move or work with!
Finally, this is a frame from the Super - so it's ALL capped honey stores (the babies are in the brood box below).
Find out more:
Ros and Anna make a research visit to an Apiary • Where to put a hive? • The HIVE in detail
Bee Foraging • Extracting the honey
More about the book:
Back to home
Ros and Anna make a research visit to an Apiary • Where to put a hive? • The HIVE in detail
Bee Foraging • Extracting the honey
More about the book:
Back to home