Utah Beekeepers' Association

As Currently Organized since 1892; Serving and Representing Utah's Beekeepers Since the Early 1860's.
Mission Statement: Our aim is to keep beekeepers in the state of Utah informed about what is happening in the industry; to promote beekeeping and honey production for all Commercial, Sideliner and Hobbyist Beekeepers.

Equipment Selection Tips

Honey bees really don't care what kind of cavity they move into as long as it's not too big, too small, too cold, too drafty, or too wet. So, pick a design that easy to use and which complies with the law and best beekeeping practices (eg, movable combs for ease of inspection and harvest).

It's important to understand that no hive design, regardless of the promises made by its advocates, will ever compensate for poor beekeeping practices. So, pick a design that makes best beekeeping practices easy.

You will find many hive designs, some modern, some classic, some ancient. The most popular hive design in the US is the Langstroth hive developed in 1852 by Rev. Lorenzo Langstroth. This hive is designed to accommodate honey bee behaviors while facilitating management. It has several size variations to me the needs of brawny beekeepers and those who can't lift heavy boxes, commercial beekeepers and hobbyists, novices and the experienced. It is a proven system and is the most recommend hive design for beginners.

Advocates of some non-Langstroth hive designs (and of treatment-free beekeeping) like to claim better survival of their bees. However, an examination of their claims typically reveals creative math. For example, they might say that they start the year in July with 10 healthy colonies and a year later they have 10 healthy colonies. What they don't readily reveal is that they typically lose half of their colonies during those 12 months. In the Spring, they split the surviving colonies, catch swarms, and buy new bees to make up for the losses -- then brag about their success! Further If you want to really measure a beekeeper's success, ask him/her how many colonies made it from July to the following March and much honey they produced per hive -- without feeding syrup. The typical answer is "I'm not in it for the honey".

Other, less popular, hive designs include Top-Bar, Layens, horizontal hives, Dadant, National, and Warré. None will ever compensate for poor beekeeping practices.