Inside the Hives

Beehives are made of stackable boxes to a standard size (usually a Langstroth hive). Each box holds 8-10 frames that bees form into cells using wax. The weight of these cells form them into the hexagon shape that is efficient as well as strong!

The shallower boxes stacked on top are for storing honey.

Large brood boxes on the bottom hold the bulk of the colony of bees including worker bees, drones, new larvae, and the queen bee. There is only one queen per hive.

< The outer edges of the frames are full of capped honey (white) and pollen (various shades of yellow) to feed the brood or bee larvae

< The inner part of the frame is full of capped brood (pale yellow) that will hatch into new worker bees

Queens are marked by colors on their thoraxes (yellow dot above) to help us spot them in the hive and to mark their hatch date. Queens can live up to 3 years. New queens hatch from peanut-shaped cell on the edges of frames or on the middle of the frame if they are superseding of the existing queen.

Old queens leave the hive as a swarm. The queen and scout bees land on nearby branches, buildings, or fences with several thousand workers from the hive and a few drones. Meanwhile, several new queens hatch in the old hive, fight to the death, and the winner will take over the hive. This continues the queens legacy (i.e. genetics) in the old hive while she moves on to a new location.

Two swarms of bees, each with an older queen who has left her original hive

A swarm of bees entering a new hive

A swarm of bees marching into a new hive after being caught from the neighbor's yard

Beekeepers try to keep swarms from happening by making sure the colony does not run out of room - adding more empty boxes or "floors" to their apartment building. Or by moving the old queen to a new hive and making her think she swarmed. This way we don't lose thousands of our bees. If we happen to find or capture a swarm, then hey - free bees.

Did you see a Swarm of Bees?

If you see a honey bee swarm, IMMEDIATELY contact your neighborhood beekeeper or call Your Local Beekeepers Association Swarm Hotline: (919) 932-1335 (for Orange County, NC).

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