Parts of a beehive

Yesterday was my first class, and I think it went well. Among other things, the coordinator explained the parts of the hive, which consist of:


An outer cover, which is, simply put, a lid.

An inner cover, that acts as a spacer between the outer cover and the main part of the hive.

Honey supers, which are boxes that each have 10 "frames" that bees will put nectar, and later honey on.

A queen excluder, which keeps the queen bee in the lower part of the hive.

The brood box(es), which is the part of the hive that the queen lives in, and where she lays her eggs, also known as brood.

The bottom board, that is a base that the other parts rest on

And the hive stand, which serves to keep the hive off of the ground.



















I also ordered my 2 hives yesterday, I'll get them next week at class. Once I get them, they will need to be assembled and painted, and returned at the march class. After I give the hives to the coordinator, they will put 4 of my frames from each empty hive into an active beehive. The queen of that existing hive will lay eggs on my frames, and in April, those frames will be put back in my hive. Those frames are going to be the beginning of my new hives.

Tomorrow...

My name is Sam Hatch, I'm 15 years old and a soon-to-be beekeeper. The Collin County Hobby Beekeeper's Association gave me a scholarship that includes a beehive as well as several classes to teach me about bees. My first class is tomorrow, and in April I will be getting my hive. At the class tomorrow, we will order my safety equipment. The gear that will keep bees from stinging me consists of a hat with veil, a pair of gloves and a smoker (to calm the bees). I'll also be getting a hive tool, which is like a small crowbar used for opening the hive, which I'll be talking about later.


I'll be using this blog to chronicle my metaphorical bee journey, and to tell (some of) the world about bees. In the next few weeks, I'll be reading First Lessons in Beekeeping, by Keith Delaplane. This is the standard book for most new beekeepers in the area. The book will teach me about the anatomy of a bee, all about the hive, when the best time to harvest honey is, and the habitat needs of bees.

Look forward to my next post!