Parts of a Hive
Like many beekeepers in the U.S., we use Langstroth equipment: rectangular boxes with removable frames. One of the common challenges for new beekeepers trying to figure out how to get started is understanding the terminology used when talking about parts of a hive. This is key both in understanding what equipment you need, and understanding directions people give when talking about how to work with your bees.
Here you can find the terminology we commonly use when talking about our hives and the parts that make them up. Although these terms work for us, we acknowledge there are many synonyms and slightly different terms used by various suppliers and content creators.
Hive
A hive is a colony of bees living in one full set of all the pieces of equipment listed below. What equipment is part of the hive changes throughout the season, but a “hive” commonly refers to the colony and the stack of equipment it is living in. Each colony has one queen and all of her workers and drones living together.
Starting from the Bottom
Hive stand — Simply what you set the hive on. It gets boxes off wet ground and can improve pest deterrence. Though you can buy fancy stands, really anything works. The keys are level, strong, and stable. We often use 2x4 frames and concrete blocks. Hives full of honey are very heavy, and if the stand is not level, the bees will build the comb level, and it won’t be “true” to the frames. Side-to-side level, with a slight tip forward so water runs out, is ideal.
Bottom board — The floor of the hive. It is the piece that sits on the hive stand, and that the hive bodies stack on top of. There are many types, and we have a variety just based on what we could find most economically when we needed more.
- A solid bottom can help in cold/windy sites.
- A screened bottom can aid monitoring (e.g., debris or mite drops) and summer ventilation.
Entrance reducer — A piece (often wood) that makes the entrance smaller by blocking part of it. We use entrance reducers when the colony is small or during robbing pressure to make it easier for them to defend their hive.
Boxes / Hive Bodies / Brood chambers / Supers
There are many names used for the wooden boxes filled with frames that construct the majority of the hive. What they are called is more about how they are being used than about how they are constructed. They all have the same width and length, but are typically available in three different heights.
Deeps refer to the hive boxes that are 9 5/8 inches tall.
Mediums refer to the hive boxes that are 6 5/8 inches tall.
Shallows refer to the hive boxes that are 5 11/16 inches tall.
Functions of Boxes
Any of the hive body sizes can technically be used for any purpose. Most beekeepers use deeps for brood chambers, but the discretion largely comes in for supers. Any size hive body can be used as a super; we use mainly mediums. Really, the consideration is weight, as a deep full of honey can be very hard to handle without equipment. Bees can get a lot more honey into a medium than they can fit in a shallow.
Hive body / brood box — The box where the queen has access and the colony raises brood. These are typically the boxes left with the colony through the winter months. During the summer, we choose to manage with a single brood chamber, giving the queen one deep for all brood rearing. We use additional deeps as supers in the summer so we can give each hive two additional full deeps for winter. So, our hives have one deep brood chamber in summer and three deep brood boxes in winter.
Super — Anything above the brood nest. Some people say honey super for medium or shallow boxes, but really a deep can be a super as well.
Queen excluder — A grid (metal or plastic) that lets workers pass through but blocks the queen, keeping brood out of honey supers. You don’t have to use an excluder, but we do to ensure we keep brood out of the supers we want to extract honey from. When used, the excluder provides a clear definition of what is a brood box and what is a super.
Frames and comb
The hive bodies, regardless of size or purpose, are all filled with frames. It is common to find equipment designed for both eight and ten frames. We use all 10-frame equipment, except for our nucleus colonies. “10-frame equipment” simply means ten frames fit in each box. The frames come in different heights to fit each of the different box sizes (deep, medium, and shallow).
Frame — A wooden or plastic rectangle that holds the comb and allows you to take it in and out of the hive body. There are many types made in wood or plastic. Except when producing comb honey, we always use frames with foundation (a wax or plastic sheet) that guides straight comb.
Comb — The hexagonal wax cells bees build. Brood comb holds eggs, larvae, and pupae; honey comb stores nectar and pollen. The bees build this, and all you can do is provide them the right conditions and resources.
Top of the hive
There are a variety of solutions for the top of a hive. Really, the goal here is to seal the top from rain and pests, as well as to provide some insulation to help the bees control their climate. Most kits you buy have an inner cover and a telescoping cover that goes over it. This can be helpful for some feeding options. We use double-reflective bubble insulation to seal the top of each hive, and a variety of covers from simple 3/4 inch plywood to traditional telescoping or migratory covers that are flatter for pushing hives tight together.