A Complete Bee Tree Hive
Bee Tree Hives are designed to allow honey bees to live much more like they’re designed to live - like they do live in the wild - and gives them back the control they need to successfully regulate the micro-climate of the hive, as well as the micro-ecology they’re superintending as they work to live in symbiotic relationship with thousands of other organisms that share the hive with them.
But, Bee Tree Hives accept the same frames that are used in conventional Langstroth hives so that a currently hived colony can easily be moved to a Bee Tree Hive.
The complete Bee Tree Hive is designed for beekeepers who are transitioning to Preservation Beekeeping. All of the components of a complete Bee Tree Hive are compatible with conventional 8-frame beekeeping equipment.
The complete Bee Tree Hive includes 4 components that are all built on an 8-frame hive footprint. It is made of western red cedar - also referred to as non-aromatic cedar - and comes fully assembled except for attaching the legs and handles (this saves on shipping). It is designed to support bee-centered beekeeping by addressing the significant differences between the way honey bees live in the wild and what we have subjected them to with modern, conventional beekeeping equipment and practices.
The complete Bee Tree Hive includes:
- The Eco-Floor/Stand.
- 2 Hive Bodies with double thick walls on all four sides.
- The insulated, ventilated Hive Cover that gives the bees complete control over both the amount and route of their ventilation, and incorporates an inside-the-hive feeder that allows you to feed honeycomb back to the bees without opening the hive, disturbing the bees, or breaking any of their propolis seals.
Bee Tree Hives are built on an 8-frame hive footprint. But, with the double thick walls, a Bee Tree hive body holds 7 frames. This, in conjunction with the fact that the Bee Tree hive bodies are built to hold deep frames, contributes to a narrower, more vertical cavity for the bees to live in. If you view images of honey bees in their winter cluster, almost without exception the cluster is only 7 frames wide.
For an explanation of each piece, please see the videos, photos, and descriptions on each product page.
Shipping is not included in the product prices. Being a one-man operation, I do not have the scales, software, and supplies to pack and ship myself. So, I use a pack-and-ship store as my shipping department. I will deliver your hive components to them, provide them with your phone number or email address, and they will work directly with you on the packing, insurance, handling, speed-of-delivery, and carrier options that best meet your needs.
Bee Tree Hives are a solid, well-built product of substance. As such, shipping is not negligible. But, the folks at the pack-and-ship store will work with you to get you the best possible shipping price given your needs and location.