Honey bee hives are intricate structures that house a honey bee colony, serving as their home for raising young and producing honey. Whether found in natural settings or managed by beekeepers, these hives are complex structures designed to support the colony’s survival and productivity. Understanding their appearance, both externally and internally, reveals the organized life within these busy communities.
Natural Honey Bee Hives
Honey bees in the wild establish their nests in sheltered, dark cavities, such as hollow trees, logs, or rock crevices. These natural hives conform to the irregular shape of the cavity they inhabit, with the bees building wax comb directly into the space. The entrance to a wild nest is often a small, defensible opening, which helps the bees protect against predators and regulate internal temperature. While some species, like the giant honey bee, may build exposed hanging nests, most honey bees prefer concealed locations. The internal structure of these unmanaged hives is entirely organic, reflecting the bees’ natural building instincts.
Managed Honey Bee Hives
Human-made hives, designed for beekeeping, provide a structured environment for honey bee colonies. The most common type is the Langstroth hive, known for its modular, stacked box design. It begins with a bottom board, which serves as the base and includes an entrance for the bees. Above this are the brood boxes, deeper sections where the queen lays eggs and the colony raises its young. Shallower honey supers are placed on top for honey storage, allowing beekeepers to harvest surplus honey without disturbing the brood.
The hive is completed with an inner cover, providing a ceiling and often ventilation, and a telescoping top cover, which acts as a protective roof against the elements. Other designs exist, such as the horizontal top bar hive, where bees build comb from individual bars, and the Warre hive, a vertical stack of smaller boxes designed to mimic a tree hollow.
Inside a Honey Bee Hive
Regardless of whether a hive is natural or managed, its internal appearance centers on the honeycomb. Honeycomb consists of a dense arrangement of hexagonal cells, constructed by worker bees from beeswax they secrete. This six-sided shape efficiently maximizes storage space while minimizing the amount of wax needed for construction. Within these cells, different materials are stored and various life stages of bees develop.
Honey, the bees’ primary food source, is stored in the upper sections of the comb and is capped with a layer of wax once ripened. Pollen, which provides protein for the colony, is stored in cells surrounding the brood area. The brood, encompassing eggs, larvae, and pupae, occupies the central region of the comb, representing the next generation of bees. The hive also contains the queen bee, worker bees, and drone bees, all moving within a precise distance called “bee space,” a specific gap bees maintain between combs and hive parts for easy movement.