The hive

At the beginning of the year, the hive mostly consists of the brood chamber - where the babies live (and where the honey stores are kept over winter). The brood chamber has the only entrance to the hive at the front (often with a little 'lip' for bees to land on). It usually sited off the ground - on a platform of some sort, or legs.
And it has a roof on top.
Sometimes the hives are painted, sometimes simply varnished or treated wood.

A hive with just the brood chamber and roof.

Left and above...
Hives with a brood chamber and one 'super'.
My 'supers' are about half the depth of a brood chamber but in some systems they are the same size.

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A lovely array of very colourful hives in different arrangements and with different rooves.

In Ireland, where we get a LOT of rain, our rooves are often sloped to throw the water off.
We put a block on top so the roof doesn't blow off in the wind.

inside the hives in more detail

Find out more:
Ros and Anna make a research visit to an Apiary  •  Where to put a hive? 
   Inside the Hive  •  Bee Foraging  •  Extracting the honey

More about the book:
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