Complete British Cedar National Hive

Manufactured at Rand, Lincolnshire, the National Hive is made from sustainably sourced Canadian Western Red Cedar.

You will find this bottom bee spaced, single walled hive in use all over the British Isles. It is still the most popular by far, perhaps because one of the distinctive features of national beehives is the use of standard frame sizes, making it easier for beekeepers to interchange frames between hives. It is an attractively designed hive with rebates (grooves) that serve as substantial hand grips, and frames with longer lugs for ease of handling. The design of national hives facilitates good ventilation and provides protection for the bees against the elements and pests.

It is based on square boxes (460mm): a brood body and (usually) two supers. The brood box is where the queen bee lays her eggs and the worker bees raise the young bees. Above the brood box, the supers are added to allow the bees to store surplus honey, which can then be harvested by the beekeeper.

This hive is for complete self-assembly at home. 

The complete hive as standard comprises:

•  Open mesh floor with:
  • varroa board 
  • entrance block 
•  Brood body (225mm deep) with:
  • Stainless steel runners
  • 11 Hoffman self-spacing frames (DN4)
  • wired foundation
  • dummy board
• Stainless steel wire queen excluder
• Two supers (150mm deep) each with:
  
  • Stainless steel runners 
  • 11 Hoffman shallow frames (SN4)
  • wired foundation
• Crown board with 2 removable porter bee escapes
• 4" roof, with galvanised metal covering 
• Stainless steel nails for assembly.