The best configuration for your beehive will vary from region to region. If you have long winters in your area most beekeepers consider getting a 2 Deep Brood Box Configuration with Medium Supers. If you have shorter winters you might consider a 1 Deep Brood Box Configuration with Medium Supers.
For more information on this, you can check out Beekeeping 101's Article: How Many Brood Boxes Should I Have?
The best bees are local bees! They are already acclimated to your environment.
We suggest you get ahold of your local beekeeping clubs & apiaries to find out where they get there's.
Better yet you can catch your own swarm in the springtime. Check out this youtube video on how to build a swarm box (link)
Choosing a place for your bees' permanent home is a huge decision. It can be the difference between having a strong or a struggling hive.
Too little sunlight can invite pests and mites, while neglecting a wind barrier can end up knocking over your hive and exposing it to the elements.
In this guide we've compiled the 10 major factors in this consideration, but ultimately it's up to you as the beekeeper and property owner to decide which location is best for your hives.
Keep reading our article at https://www.galenafarms.com/blogs/articles/where-should-i-place-my-beehive
We're sorry if this happened to you!
Small wooden pieces and the shipping process aren't always the best combination. Sometimes shipping wooden pieces can have its difficulties, things can be damaged, and we aren't perfect either.
We do double box all of our beehives to try to prevent these kinds of issues, but even still, they do come up. If there is an issue, please let us know within 14 days of receiving your product. After contacting us we'll assess the issue and in most cases we'll send you a replacement piece.
You can email us at info@galenafarms.com
During business hours, we typically ship within 24 hours of when the order was placed. In some cases we do ship your product out on the same day you order it, but if not, you can expect it to be shipped on the following day.
Please note that if you are ordering an assembled product, this may take a little more time.
We use both FedEx and UPS to ship our products, whichever is faster. We ship from central Ohio and on average products take 1 to 5 days to reach your house.
We try our very best to get your beehives to you as fast as possible. Please order and assemble your hive well in advanced to the arrival of your bees so you know there will be no issues.
If you're unhappy with a product for any reason, we apologize. We strive to find and sell the best products for the best price. If you wish to return your product we can return unassembled hives, hive parts, and unused hive accessories.
In the sales process, we are as up front and honest about our products as we can be before you buy. This is why we think it's fair that when you decide to return a product, we'll make it as easy as possible by sending you a return label, but you'll be responsible for the shipping costs incurred. This cost will be deducted from your refund.
You can email us at info@galenafarms.com
To qualify for free shipping, you must purchase $50 or more in products and live with in the continental United States. If your order doesn't quite hit the $50 mark, we have a number of low cost accessories that can be added to your order. As a benefit to you, we also give deep discounts for purchasing in quantities of 2+, 5+, or 10+ of a product so that you can easily meet the $50 minimum on free shipping.
If you wish to have beehives shipped to you out of the United States, then please contact us via email and we'll get you a rate quote.
You can email us at info@galenafarms.com
Every beehive we sell uses the industry standard Langstroth dimensions for the exterior of the hive. Using these universal dimensions means that all of our bee boxes and hive parts will fit on any other box regardless of the brand, including Flow hives.
Please note that the industry standard dimensions for an 8 frame hive are different than the industry standard dimensions of a 10 frame hive -- 8 frame hive parts and 10 frame hive parts are not interchangeable with each other.
Although, we do use the industry standard dimensions on the exteriors of all of our hives, some of our beehives have a slight adjustment to the thickness of the boards. The industry standard is 3/4" thick wood for exterior boards. If this width is increased it results in better insulation in the winter and better stability in high winds. Changing these interior dimensions does not change the fact that they will still fit on to any other box or hive part with no issue.
For Busy Bees 'N' More the thickness of the exterior boards are 3/4"
For Hoover Hives the thickness of the exterior boards are 13/16"
For NuBees the thickness of the exterior boards are 13/16"
Absolutely! You can always buy more supers down the road and stack them on later. Although, you may want to keep in mind that buying a large number of boxes in a kit or buying in bulk will save you money in the long run.
Once the dovetails are cut, Hoover Hives soak their beehives in wax. The boards are given time to allow the wax to be absorbed into the wood so that the internal grains are completely saturated and protected. The boards are then pulled from the wax and allowed to dry. After this initial soak, they are dipped again into a second coat of wax so that the wood develops the lustrous allure that they've become famous for.
Because of the protective qualities of wax, the beehives do not need to be painted, nor do they need to be periodically waxed again in order to keep the quality of the wood from deteriorating.
Even though the quality of the wood will not deteriorate over time, admittedly the exterior finish may diminish after living through a couple years of harsh elements. If the exterior appearance of the hive is important to you, you will likely want to rewax your hive. This is optional, but you may want to do this every two years after the harvest and before the winter. At that time, simply yield some of the beeswax from your bee frames, melt it, filter it, and evenly coat the hive like you would with normal paint.
To learn more about the process behind the lustrous allure of Hoover Hives, check out www.https://hooverhives.com/product-features/
We have not heard of anyone experiencing this issue. The wax will not melt off as a result of the heat. Wax begins to melt at 144 degrees Fahrenheit, which means it won't have a problem given the realistic conditions the world has to offer.
A large colony of bees may contain 40,000 to 60,000 bees once late spring or early summer hits. This can even swell up to 75,000 bees during the heat of the summer.
A single brood box can hold around 50,000 bees in it if there are only bees in it. Unfortunately, the reality is that your bees are likely to fill some of the outer frames with honey instead of brood. This can lead to you using a second brood box.
The number of deep brood boxes that you'll need on your beehive can vary depending on where you live. If you have long winters most beekeepers consider getting a 2 Deep Brood Box Configuration with Medium Supers. If you have shorter winters you might consider a 1 Deep Brood Box Configuration with Medium Supers.
For more on how many deep brood boxes you'll need check out Beekeeping 101's Article: How Many Brood Boxes Should I Have? https://www.beekeeping-101.com/how-many-brood-boxes-should-i-have/