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The National Beehive is the most commonly used form of hive amongst British beekeepers. Their build quality can vary quite considerably depending on where they are made and how much the beekeeper is prepared to invest.

Unfortunately, most hives are designed for human convenience and don't always take into consideration the biological needs of the bees. A bee's natural habitat is a tree cavity which varies quite considerably from a standard off-the-shelf hive.

Providing a habitat for beekeeping purposes is always going to have compromises but there are several ways we can make adaptations to both the equipment and managing methods for the benefit of the bees.

These adapted National Hives have:

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• A custom made solid floor with a pullout tray lined with wool wood

• 3 round 30mm entrances

• 2 x Brood boxes fixed together, insulated with 20mm cork / 15mm wool wood

• 10 x Deep Frames with starter strips and a divider board

• Wool wood crown board with emergency feed hole

• 1 x Super Box with 11 frames for storage / extraction of excess honey

• 6 Inch Deep insulated roof

 

Delivery and setup included plus mentoring advice. (Fuel charges may apply if outside of my catchment area of Cornwall.)