- If you already have hives then stick with the same design.
- What are others in your club using?
- What is available?
- What material do you want the hive to be made from?
- How does appearance affect your choice?
- How does cost affect your choice?
Advantages of sticking with what you have:
- Hive components you have will fit all your hives.
- You know you can handle the weight of the hives.
- The hives you have may be too heavy when loaded.
- They may not be a local design so parts are hard to get.
- You just want to try a new type of hive.
- Local knowledge helps - some hives work better in different areas.
- You will be able to call on local expertise in hive building.
- You will be able to borrow/buy components from others locally.
- You may find a design on the Internet that is not available.
- Some hive designs go out of fashion.
- Is it to be made of wood?
- Wood can be painted - but:
- Only paint the outside.
- Use an insect friendly paint.
- Use a porous paint - prevents paint bubbling.
- If wood then is it to be cedar or pine?
- Cedar is naturally rot proof.
- Cedar hive will last many years.
- Cedar hive will cost more than one in pine.
- If not wood then what about polystyrene?
- Polystyrene is light weight so easy to carry.
- Polystyrene is light weight so blows over easily.
- Polystyrene cannot be sterilised with a blowtorch.
- Polystyrene will probably not last as long as a cedar hive.
- Some people want a classical hive - the WBC.
- Some people do not mind - as long as it is tidy.
- The most expensive is a WBC hive in cedar.
- The least expensive is a National hive in pine.
- At peak laying time the queen could lay 2000 eggs a day.
- It takes 21 days for a new egg to become an adult worker.
- So a brood box requires:
- Cells for larvae (21*2000) is 42,000 cells
- Cells for Drones is 500 cells
- Honey stores is 10,000 cells
- Pollen stores is 10,000 cells
- Spare and unusable is 9,000 cells
- Total number of cells required 71,500 cells.