Beehives Built For Bees
Beecentric hive is a Warre hive, 8 frame Langstroth hive hybrid handmade and sold in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The apicentric hive is designed to work with the natural behaviours of the honeybee. The result is happier, heather bees, and less work for the beekeeper.
The beecentric hive can be managed like a traditional Langstroth hive (by adding to the top; super) or in the style of a Warre hive (adding from the bottom: nadir). The hive uses 8 frames instead of 10, as the over-wintering cluster of bees is the same width as the hive. Using medium boxes for everything (brood and honey) simplifies your beekeeping operation and increases your options.
Each beecentric hive consists of:
- Three, 8 frame medium hive boxes (uses standard Langstroth frames sold separately)
- Integrated Pest Management (IPM) bottom board with plastic insert
- Warre style quilt box
- Warre hive style peaked roof
- Two mobile entrances (entrances are distinct pieces and can be placed anywhere one the hive for maximum versatility)
- Two entrance reducers of different sizes.
The hive boxes of the Beecentric Hive is designed to work with the same standard medium Langstroth frames that you can buy at any bee supply store in North America. As a result, the Beecentric Hice is compatible with any market honey extractors, medium frames feeders, and foundation.
Unlike conventional Langstroth hives, the Beecentric Hive uses eight-frame medium boxes for both brood and honey. No need to worry about purchasing separate boxes or two sizes of frames. The only difference between a brood box and honey super is what’s in them. This is especially helpful for splitting colonies or making nucs. With a common size box, splitting a hive is easy – simply transfer brood, pollen, and some frames of honey from an established hive into an empty hive box. No need to worry about mismatched frames and box sizes. Everything is consistent.
Eight frame medium boxes are ideal for over-wintering because they are the same width as the brood nest and overwintering cluster of bees. With less space to heat, the bees don’t have to work as hard. In larger 10-frame hives, it’s not uncommon for overwintering bees to starve when the temperature drops down, and they’re unable to reach honey contained within the outer two frames. The 8-frame hive eliminates this problem by matching the hive to the natural dimensions of the bee cluster making is a must-have feature for cooler climate beekeepers.
When filled with honey, eight-frame medium boxes weigh between 40 and 50lbs. In contrast, ten-frame deep boxes filled with honey can weigh between 75 and 90lbs.
Beecentric hive, Warre style vented roof.
The Beecentic Hive is topped off with a beautiful Warre Roof built to shed the elements. This sloped roof design protects the hive from rain, wind, and snow while ensuring adequate insulation and ventilation. Designed to fit over the top quilt, you don’t need to worry about the wind blowing this one off! Oh, did we mention that it also looks great!
A Warre top quilt is a shallow box that sits on top of the hive and is filled with a bedding material such as straw, sawdust, or wood chips. The quilt box has a 1/8th-inch wire mesh bottom that separates the hive from the bedding material and prevents moisture from building up. Over time, the bees add or remove propolis from the mesh to regulate the airflow. The top quilt is ideal for over-wintering bees, as it provides insulation from the elements while allowing moisture to escape the hive.
Each Beecentic Hive has an integrated pest management (IPM) screened bottom board to reduce varroa mites. Unlike solid bottom boards, screened bottom boards have an open 1/8th-inch wire mesh bottom. Debris (including mites) fall through the mesh bottom as the bees clean the hive and groom each other. In his book, Natural Beekeeping: Organic Approaches To Modern Apiculture, Ross Conrad estimates that [Read more…]