The beehive is the place for bees to reproduce and live in the process of beekeeping, and the most basic tool for beekeeping. In 1857, Langstroth, an American, invented the movable frame beehive, which together with the nest base machine and the honey dispenser which were later invented, was called the three great inventions of bee tools. It was the use of these bee keeping tools that ended the thousands of years of traditional bee production methods of using earth nests and destroying nests to get honey, laid the foundation for new bee keeping, and made a huge leap in bee production. 

    At the beginning of the last century, living frame beehives and Italian bees were introduced into China together. Now, there are many beehives used in China, such as ten frame beehives, Dadan beehives, twelve frame square beehives, etc. Their specifications and sizes are different, but their structural principles are basically the same. Beginner beekeepers can buy beehives used by others from beekeepers, or make their own beehives according to specifications.

Design basis of beehive

• 1. Bee path: Bee path refers to the space for bees to pass through and circulate air in the hive. In the beehive, that is, the gap between the nest frame and the nest frame, and between the nest frame and other parts of the beehive. Bee routes shall be determined according to the habits of different bee species and by measuring the natural honeycombs of bees.The modern standard beehive of western honeybees is commonly used, and the bee route is composed of inter frame bee route, front and rear bee route, up bee route and down bee route. The individual size of Chinese honeybee is slightly smaller than that of western honeybee, and the bee path is slightly lower than that of western honeybee.
• 2. Nest frame: Nest frame is an important part of the beehive, which is composed of upper beam, lower beam and side strip. It is used to support, fix and protect the nest spleen. Its shape, size and number play a decisive role in the design of the beehive.

Fabrication requirements of beehive

• 1. The wood for making beehives should be strong, durable, light and not easy to deform and crack. In the north, white pine, red pine, tung wood and basswood are better. Chinese fir can be used in the south. The wood shall be fully air dried or dried before fabrication.
• 2. The four walls of the box body should preferably be made of a single piece of wood. If smaller boards are used for splicing, it is better to use convex concave surface or staggered joint at the splicing point for bonding. When the former is used, the plate with convex surface is placed below and the plate with concave surface is placed above. When the latter is used. The upper plate shall be finished. In order to avoid long rainy days, the rain will leak out of the box and affect its service life.
• 3. The outer wall of the beehive shall be planed as much as possible.
• 4. When making beehives, all parts and sizes shall comply with the current national or relevant department standards. The specification and size shall be accurate and consistent.
• 5. The joints (sockets) between the side walls and the front and rear walls of the beehive must be made tightly and firmly to avoid looseness and deformation during use. When the side walls are connected with the front and rear walls, the joints on the adjacent two walls shall be staggered up and down. The two joints shall not be connected at the same level to ensure the fastness of the box.
• 6. The surface of the beehive can be painted with white paint or tung oil to make the beehive durable, warm and damp.