looking to get a hive

[mtingle]

Morning i am looking to buy a hive but dont not whats the best one to get could any one tell me please

 

[B+.]

Morning i am looking to buy a hive but dont not whats the best one to get could any one tell me please

There are advantages and disadvantages with most hive formats.
Traditionally, hives were made of wood but, increasingly, they are made from high density polystyrene.
Possibly the most common type in use in England is the National. However, a single brood box is unlikely to be big enough for a full colony. This has led to larger capacity boxes (e.g. 14*12) which have the same footprint and use much of the same equipment (floors, queen excluder, supers, cover boards and roof).
Personally, I use Langstroth boxes but the bees really don't mind what box you put them in, so long as it is dry.
If you are a member of an association, it might be best to take advice from them on what is most commonly used in your area - at least until you gain enough experience to make an informed choice of your own.
Some of the larger formats (Dadant, Langstroth Jumbo, Commercial, etc) can be quite heavy, so, you have to be quite strong (or have a friend to help) when it comes to moving them around. That being said, put some thought into where you intend to keep them - away from people is best. There is lots of advice on the National Bee Unit website (http://www.nationalbeeunit.com/).

 

[Softley]

Hello.

Most people near you will be using National hives. The National is the most common type of hive that is used by hobbyist beekeepers south of the Scottish border. If you can follow instructions and have a few basic tools, you can pick up a complete flat-pack National hive (less the bees) for £155.

I presume you haven't yet attended a course as most courses would discuss the various hives available. I would recommend you attend a course prior to purchasing anything as there's a lot more to beekeeping than people sometimes realise.

I would start by contacting Bradford Beekeepers Association. A quick look on their website doesn't show any courses but does show there are Thursday evening mentoring sessions that you may be able to attend.

Manchester Beekeepers run a few courses each year (over a weekend) and also have apiary sessions on Monday evenings, but you may be able to find something closer.

 

[madasafish]

It is worth spending some time making an informed choice as switching can be expensive .
Look at cost comparisons of each hive type as well.

 

[Barbarian]

Halifax and District BKA run a course in the Spring.

 

[freddie]

hives

I got national hives and dadant also,dadant being the one of the biggest hives out there which I seem to have less problem with swarming.

 

[Millet]

Personally from my experiences you are better of sticking with nationals till you get into the swing of things, Nationals are the most popular in the UK and if you are buying new colonies in nucs etc they will most probably be all national frames and hive parts.
Once you get going in a couple of years you might think nationals are too small or they may not suit you, by then you will have gained some experience and hopefully be able to make your mind up weather you need some of the bigger types of hives on the market.
Good luck anyway.

 

[Beefriendly]

This is a sort of chicken and egg story. The type of bees kept and the fecundity of the queen will determine the hive size, not the beekeepers preference.
Nationals are very adaptable and single or double brood boxes will cope with most situations. Not ideal but a good compromise.
Dadants are for fecund bees, no good putting Cornish Amms or most local bees in one of those, they get lost with all the room.

 

[REDWOOD]

Depends on your style of beekeeping, there are pros and cons on most formats, the standard national seems to be a popular choice with new beekeepers as the frames are smaller and lighter than say a 14x12, however with prolific queens they will soon become crowded in a single box.

 

[Softley]

Depends on your style of beekeeping, there are pros and cons on most formats, the standard national seems to be a popular choice with new beekeepers as the frames are smaller and lighter than say a 14x12, however with prolific queens they will soon become crowded in a single box.

All true. I find a lot of beginners that struggle to manipulate a standard deep frame when it's full of brood and stores. I wouldn't advise buying 14x12 unless they know their thumbs are up to it.

 

[JWF]

I agree softly about avoiding larger frame formats to start with.

One benefit of standard Nationals is that if you want to switch to a bigger format later you can use commercials or 14*12s and still use your national supers, plus there it is relatively easy to switch a colony across between these formats.

 

[psafloyd]

Morning i am looking to buy a hive but dont not whats the best one to get could any one tell me please

Before you do, have you had any experience or training? If not, don't buy anything until you do.

There are a number of good reasons for doing that.

It's expensive, so don't shell out any money before you know:

a) you're not frightened by the nasty buzzing things;

b) you find it fascinating;

c) you can manipulate frames/boxes;

d) you're not allergic to stings;

e) you understand just a little of what it can do your family/social life.

All of these things can be learned while undergoing some training. You will also probably find the division (if that is what you choose) will have a discount scheme for the first hive and help you get your first bees from a known source for next to nothing. You will also have access to support and advice –-whether you take it or not.

Apart from that, everything else that has been said stands.

Hello.

Most people near you will be using National hives. The National is the most common type of hive that is used by hobbyist beekeepers south of the Scottish border. If you can follow instructions and have a few basic tools, you can pick up a complete flat-pack National hive (less the bees) for £155.

I presume you haven't yet attended a course as most courses would discuss the various hives available. I would recommend you attend a course prior to purchasing anything as there's a lot more to beekeeping than people sometimes realise.

I would start by contacting Bradford Beekeepers Association. A quick look on their website doesn't show any courses but does show there are Thursday evening mentoring sessions that you may be able to attend.

Manchester Beekeepers run a few courses each year (over a weekend) and also have apiary sessions on Monday evenings, but you may be able to find something closer.

 

[madasafish]

Morning i am looking to buy a hive but dont not whats the best one to get could any one tell me please

If you don't have much upper body strength, a full national brood box may prove a challenge and a Dadant/jumbo Langstroth impossible.. Try to get a lift of one in training.

Of course, if you are built like a brick outhouse, none of the above matters...

 

[psafloyd]

If you don't have much upper body strength, a full national brood box may prove a challenge and a Dadant/jumbo Langstroth impossible.. Try to get a lift of one in training.

Of course, if you are built like a brick outhouse, none of the above matters...

And even if you are so built, BE CAREFUL and lift properly. Many beekeepers tend to twist at times – mea culpa –-and this is what can pop discs.

 

[JWF]

Before you do, have you had any experience or training? If not, don't buy anything until you do.

There are a number of good reasons for doing that.

It's expensive, so don't shell out any money before you know:

a) you're not frightened by the nasty buzzing things;

b) you find it fascinating;

c) you can manipulate frames/boxes;

d) you're not allergic to stings;

e) you understand just a little of what it can do your family/social life.

I'd also add :

f) you're confident that you won't get murdered by your spouse/partner when they inevitably get stung.


As an example, my wife got stung by a bee that hitched a ride into the house on me and then crawled up her trouser let. Oops! And I lived to tell the tale

 

[Wingy]

My hive type was decided by the 2 langstroth hives I was given by a friend. So that got me started and I've just bought a 3rd, made a 4th & made 3 x 5 frame nuc's
Be aware what your getting into is addictive
Wingy

 

[FloatLikeAButterfly]

I got national hives and dadant also,dadant being the one of the biggest hives out there which I seem to have less problem with swarming.

I'm thinking about Dadant too. Worth the investment if you are a beginner?

 

[PapaLazarou]

BE CAREFUL and lift properly. Many beekeepers tend to twist at times – mea culpa –-and this is what can pop discs.

[soapbox mode on] This is a VERY good point. Proper manual handling techniques are so relevant in this pastime, yet how many of us actually follow them? I'm a qualified manual handling instructor, and last weekend I did a taster day and was pretty horrified by the lifting techniques (or lack of) that I saw being displayed.

This is something I might try to offer my local association some advice on at a monthly meeting. I appreciate that we are all different shapes, sizes and ages and that some of us carry various injuries to cope with, but good practices can and should be used. [soapbox mode off]

 

[psafloyd]

[soapbox mode on] This is a VERY good point. Proper manual handling techniques are so relevant in this pastime, yet how many of us actually follow them? I'm a qualified manual handling instructor, and last weekend I did a taster day and was pretty horrified by the lifting techniques (or lack of) that I saw being displayed.

This is something I might try to offer my local association some advice on at a monthly meeting. I appreciate that we are all different shapes, sizes and ages and that some of us carry various injuries to cope with, but good practices can and should be used. [soapbox mode off]

That would be an excellent thing. I'd love to see something similar for our own division. Where would I find someone like that to see if they could do a talk near us?

 

[Beefriendly]

I'm thinking about Dadant too. Worth the investment if you are a beginner?

Hive size is more determined by the type of bees you keep. Dadant ideal for Buckfast, but too big for most local mongrels. So decide which type of bees you intend to keep.first.