The Standard American Beehive

Almost all American beekeepers use the standard Langstroth style hive design. This type of beehive has proven to suit the nature of honeybees very well. It is also a convenient size and shape for beekeepers. By having a single standard dimension, all beekeeping equipment is interchangeable, which keeps things simple. In fact beekeepers were among the very first people to recognize the value of interchangeable and modular parts, way back in the mid 1800's. By having modular bee boxes, the size of the hive is easily adjusted to fit the size of the bee population and make room for the bees to store a maximum amount of honey. All of the bee supply companies listed on this page sell the same standard size beehives.

A single bee box with a bottom board and a lid is called a hive body. More boxes can be added on top, these additional boxes are called "supers", or "honey supers". All supers have the same dimensions of length and width, but they can vary in depth, the smaller ones are lighter when full of honey and easier to handle.

Inside each box are 10 frames which contain the honeycombs. The frames are removable so the beekeeper can inspect the condition of the hive, find the queen, or remove frames full of honey.

Here are some links of good companies that sell all the beekeping equipment you'll need to get started being a beekeeper.

Dadant & Sons

Mann Lake

BetterBee

Walter T. Kelley

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