Modular beehive

According to the preferred embodiment, a hive system for housing a plurality of bee colonies. The hive system comprises a hive system body, including a framework and a plurality of perimeter walls forming a hive system interior space. At least one divider wall is used to divide the interior space into a plurality of bee chambers, with each bee chamber housing one bee colony. It is thus an advantage of the present invention to provide an improved structure for housing bees.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Technical Field 
This invention generally relates to a beekeeping, and more specifically 
beehives. 
2. Background Art 
Honey bees have been domesticated and raised for centuries. Some bees are 
kept for the honey, pollen, propolis and other products they produce. 
Other honey bees are kept strictly for their use in pollination. The 
pollination of plants with honey bees is a vital part of the agricultural 
system. With the increased use of pesticides limiting the number of 
natural pollinators, the use of honey bees specifically to pollinate 
fields has become a growing industry. 
Since the 1850's, the hives used for most bee keeping operations have 
remained essentially unchanged. Beehives are typically a type of box in 
which multiple "frames" are stored. The frames are wood or plastic boards 
hung in the hive onto which honeys bees draw out wax "honeycomb." The 
honey bees use the honeycomb to raise young, store pollen and of course, 
store honey. These frames are removable from the hive, allowing the 
beekeeper to remove honey and otherwise work with the hive. 
There are several important requirements for commercially used beehives. 
First, the hive must provide the bees with protection from the elements, 
i.e., they must be weather-tight and well insulated. Second, the hive must 
maintain the proper spacing between individual components, i.e., the space 
between the frames and between the frames and sides. If spaces in the hive 
are too large, the bees will fill in the space with wax called "burr comb" 
or "brace comb." If the spaces are too small, the bees will close off the 
space with propolis. Thus, the elements of a hive must be properly spaced 
or the elements will be stuck together by the bees, making it very 
difficult to access the hive and remove its parts when needed. 
The basic design of almost all bee hives used in commercial apiaries today 
dates back to the 1850's Langstroth design. Unfortunately, there are 
several disadvantages to the Langstroth design. 
First, the Langstroth hive has been traditionally made entirely from wood. 
Although wood has some advantages such as low cost, use of wood 
exclusively causes many problems. An entirely wood hive suffers from 
excessive wood rotting caused by the inherent humidity in the hive and the 
effects of weather. Additionally, the Langstroth wood design was 
dimensioned using true lumber dimensions of 1852. Because wood is no 
longer so dimensioned, the Langstroth design results in excessive wood 
waste, increasing its cost. 
The Langstroth hive also has the disadvantage of being formed with 
permanent fasteners such as nails or staples. A typically Langstroth hive 
could have over 190 of these fasteners. It is common for the high moisture 
fluctuations in the hive to force the fasteners out of the wood in the 
hive, weakening the hive and potentially causing injury to workers and 
vehicle tires. Also, the permanent nature of the fasteners makes it 
difficult to replace individual pieces of the hive that become rotted or 
damaged. 
Typical Langstroth hives are also poorly insulated. Most use no insulation 
and are not well sealed. This can allow the hives to become too hot in the 
summer and too cold in the winter. 
The typically Langstroth hive is also poorly designed with regard to the 
use of accessories such as pollen traps, entrance reducers, mouse 
excluders, vented closures, frog excluders or shaded entrance devices. For 
this reason it is sometimes difficult to use these accessories 
efficiently. 
Perhaps the greatest limitation of the Langstroth hive design is the 
difficultly in moving the hives. The Langstroth hive as designed was never 
intended to be moved. This limitation can be a burden on all types of 
beekeeping operations, but it is especially problematic for pollination 
hives that are typically moved frequently from one area to the next to 
pollinate agricultural crops. Honey bees used for pollination must be able 
to be moved frequently, in all seasons, and often for great distances. 
The Langstroth hives are relatively unstable and easily fall over and break 
apart while being moved. This has forced beekeepers to use a variety of 
devices i.e., straps, metal squares and hive staples, to hold the 
Langstroth hive together while loading it on a truck. Furthermore, once on 
the truck, all manner of straps, ropes, "V" boards and laths are used to 
secure the hives while the truck is actually in motion. Once the hives 
arrive at the fields, they are preferably distributed across the fields. 
Again, the inherent instability of the Langstroth design makes it 
difficult to use tractors and forklifts to move hives across the rough 
fields without them falling over and breaking apart. These problems have 
led to the industry practice of paying beekeepers a premium when it is 
necessary to spread the hives across the fields. 
The Langstroth hives are also not easily sealed, making it difficult to 
move the hives. Unsealed hives must either be moved only at night 
(impossible when interstate distances are involved) or using giant nets 
that cover the trucks. The nets are expensive, and require extensive time 
to set up and remove from the trucks. 
The Langstroth hives also have the disadvantage of being inefficient in 
their use of truck space. The dimensions of the hive do not efficiently 
use the space on the truck and they are difficult to stack. Because the 
hives do not fit well on current sized trucks, the cost of moving the 
hives is excessive. 
Some attempts have been made to improve the basic hive design. For example, 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,199,832 issued to Glasscock et al, discloses a hive design 
made of urethane foam panels that provides improved insulation without 
being disliked by the bees. Likewise, U.S. Pat. No. 3,968,531 issued to 
Cartwright discloses a molded plastic hive. Both of these designs overcome 
some of the limitations of the Langstroth hive design, such as 
susceptibility to wood rot and limited insulation, but they do not address 
many of the problems of the Langstroth design. 
Thus, the hives used today suffer from several limitations and problems. In 
particular, Langstroth and other known hive designs are particularly 
unsuited for pollination bee colonies that must be frequently moved from 
one field to the next. Therefore, there existed a need to provide an 
improved hive design that overcomes the limitations and problems of the 
prior art. 
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION 
According to the present invention, a hive system for housing a plurality 
of bee colonies is provided. The hive system comprises a hive system body, 
including a framework and a plurality of perimeter walls forming a hive 
system interior space. At least one divider wall is used to divide the 
interior space into a plurality of bee chambers, with each bee chamber 
housing one bee colony. It is thus an advantage of the present invention 
to provide an improved structure for housing bees.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 
A beehive system of the preferred embodiment is provided that overcomes the 
limitations of the prior art in an efficient and cost effective manner. 
The beehive system stores multiple bee colonies in an easy to construct 
and flexible system that allows multiple bee colonies to be easily 
transported. The preferred embodiment system further allows for individual 
portions of the hive system to be easily replaced when they become damaged 
or rotted. 
Referring to the figures, FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a hive system 100 
in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention. The 
hive system 100 comprises a hive system body. In the preferred embodiment, 
the hive system body is a rectangular parallelpiped, with a rigid 
framework outlining the exterior corner edges of the rectangular 
parallelpiped. The rigid framework 102 can comprise any suitable material, 
such as plastic, wood, aluminum, but the preferred embodiment uses strong, 
inexpensive, and durable metal for the framework 102. 
In the preferred embodiment with a rectangular parallelpiped hive system 
body, there are four exterior perimeter walls 104. The four exterior 
perimeter walls include two front walls 106 (one not shown in FIG. 1) and 
two side walls 108 (one not shown in FIG. 1). 
The preferred embodiment is dimensioned to provide a hive system 100 that 
contains a plurality of optimally sized bee colonies, that each hold 
industry standard sized frames, in a manner that is inherently stable and 
easy to move. Furthermore, the hive system 100 is dimensioned to be 
manufactured from currently available materials with little or no material 
waste. With this in mind, the preferred embodiment has front walls with an 
outside length of 3'9.875", and side walls with an outside length of 
3'5.875". The height of the exterior perimeter walls is preferably 
1'8.125". As will be shown later, this results in a preferred embodiment 
bee hive system that is able to house eight colonies of honey bees, each 
with a hive chamber that holds fourteen industry standard Langstroth-type 
frames with appropriate bee spacing. A hive system 100 with these 
dimensions also has the advantage of efficiently using space on standard 
size commercial trucks that typically have an eight foot wide bed. 
Turning briefly to FIG. 3, FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of an exterior 
perimeter wall 104 and a portion of the inner hive chamber. The exterior 
walls 104 sit on a hive system floor 115 in framework 102. The exterior 
perimeter walls 104 preferably comprise a multilayered wall, with a 
exterior surface portion 110 comprising a suitable weather resistant 
material, such as thin plastic. The preferable plastic is an ultra-violet 
light resistant polypropylene. The use of polypropylene for surface 
portions of the walls provides a weather resistant, long lasting wall that 
does not require paint or other finish. One type of suitable material is a 
copolymer polypropylene manufactured under the trade name Coroplast. Of 
course, other suitable materials such as other polymers (polyolefins, 
polyurethane), fiberglass, metal or treated wood can be used. 
The exterior surface portion 110 is preferably sealed to framework 102 
along the bottom edge to prevent water from leaking between the framework 
102 and exterior surface portion 110 into the hive system 100. The 
preferred method of sealing uses a bead of ultra-violet light resistant 
silicone between the surface portion 110 and the framework 102. Of course, 
other suitable materials such as latex based caulking and solvent 
adhesives can be used. The use of these types of sealants seals the frame 
system 100 while allowing the exterior surface portion 110 to be removed 
without excessive difficulty if necessary. 
The exterior perimeter walls 104 also preferably comprise a core 111. The 
core 111 provides increased insulation for the hive system 100. The core 
111 preferably comprises a insulating material such as expanded 
polystyrene (EPS) or other insulating foams. Of course, other suitable 
insulating core materials can be used such as urethane foam board, bubble 
insulation and fiberglass insulation. 
The interior portion 112 of the walls 104 preferably comprises a wood 
interior 112. The wood sheet 112 preferably comprises a structural 
paneling such as plywood or Orientated Strand Board (OSB). Of course, 
other materials can be used such as cross-laminated wood veneer. To 
maintain proper spacing in a hive system 100 with the preferred 
dimensions, the wood interior 112 should comprise 1/2 inch thick wood, 
with a nominal thickness of 15/32 inches. 
In the preferred embodiment an vent space 113 exists between the wood 
interior 112 and the core 111. The vent space 113 creates a path for 
moisture from inside the hive to vent out, reducing the possibility of 
wood rot. The vent space 113 can be maintained by a variety of methods. 
One easy method uses a few strips of polypropylene, such as excess from 
the exterior surface portion 110 material, between the wood interior 112 
and the core 111. 
In the preferred embodiment an air space (not shown in FIG. 3) is created 
between the exterior surface portion 110 and the core 111. This air space 
can be created by providing a polypropylene exterior surface portion 110 
that is cut precisely to fit the framework 102 at 85.degree. F. The 
polypropylene exterior expands when heated by ambient air temperature of 
direct sunlight, causing it to bow out approximately 1/2 inch, creating an 
air space. 
In the preferred embodiment, the exterior walls 104, including the exterior 
surface portion 110, core 111 and wood interior 112, are not permanently 
fastened to the hive system and can thus be easily replaced when needed. 
Returning to FIG. 1, the hive system 100 also comprises at least one 
divider wall (e.g., 120 and 122). The divider walls serve to divide the 
interior space of the hive system 100 into a plurality of hive chambers 
for housing a plurality of bee colonies. In the preferred embodiment, the 
divider walls include a center divider wall 120 extending from one side 
wall 108 to the other. Thus, the center divider wall 120 divides the 
interior hive system space into two portions. In the preferred embodiment, 
each of these portions can then be subdivided into a plurality of hive 
chambers by the use of additional divider walls, in particular, subdivider 
walls 122. 
The number of subdivider walls 122 can be adjusted to allow the hive system 
100 to house the desired number of honey bee colonies in separate hive 
chambers. Additionally, the size of hive chambers themselves can be 
varied. This allows the hive system 100 to store honey bee colonies of 
different strengths that require different size hive chambers. 
In the preferred embodiment, none of the divider walls are permanently 
attached to the hive system. Thus, all divider walls, such as center 
divider wall 120 and subdivider walls 122 can be removed easily and 
replaced when needed. Preferably, the divider walls comprise wood, such as 
plywood or OSB. To maintain proper spacing in a hive system 100 with the 
preferred dimensions, the divider walls should comprise 1/2 inch (15/32 
nominal) wood. 
In the preferred embodiment, the hive system 100 includes six subdivider 
walls 122 in addition to the center divider wall 120. Thus, the hive 
system 100 can be divided into eight hive chambers, housing eight separate 
honey bee colonies. Each hive chamber is covered with a chamber lid 126. 
(in FIG. 1, one lid is removed to show the frames within the hive 
chamber). Each chamber lid 126 preferably has a slot about 1/8 inch thick 
and 3 inches long. The slot facilitates a hive tool being used to lift the 
chamber lid. When the hive system is made according to the preferred 
embodiment dimensions, each of these eight hive chambers can hold two 
levels of seven standard Langstroth sized frames, for a total of 14 
frames. The preferred embodiment hive system is thus dimensioned to house 
eight 14 frame bee colonies, and is thus optimized for use in agricultural 
pollination operations. 
Additionally, in the preferred embodiment, one or more subdividers can be 
removed, resulting in two 14 frame chambers becoming one 30 frame chamber 
(removing the subdivider adds room for one additional frame on each 
level). When the hive system is dimensioned according to the preferred 
embodiment, the removed subdivider can be placed directly atop the 
combined hive chambers. This configuration is illustrated in FIG. 1. In 
particular, a subdivider 124, substantially identical to the other 
subdividers 122, has been removed and placed atop two of the hive chamber 
lids (not shown in figure), forming one larger hive chamber. Thus, the 
subdivider 124 seals the larger hive chamber by blocking the gap that 
exists between the chamber lids when the subdivider wall is removed. 
Each of the front walls 106 has a plurality of hive openings, with at least 
one hive opening provided for each of the plurality of bee colonies. In 
the preferred embodiment, plastic ABS couplers are inserted into the hives 
openings 130. The ABS couplers used are designed to fit over standard ABS 
pipe that is commonly used for drainage pipe in residential housing. The 
plastic ABS couplers used are preferably adapters used for 3 inch diameter 
ABS pipe. This allows 3 inch diameter ABS pipe to be fit into the hive 
openings 130 to facilitate a wide variety of accessories being placed into 
the openings. These fittings can thus be easily affixed by sliding the ABS 
pipe into the fitting as needed. Of course, other suitable entrance sizes 
and materials may be used, such as 2 inch ABS or PVC pipe. Likewise, more 
conventional slot-type entrances can also be used. 
For example, a hive closure adapter 132 can be fabricated by stretching 
tight wire mesh across a portion of ABS pipe 134. With the hive closure 
adapters 132 inserted into the ABS couplers, the hive openings 130 are 
sealed such that bees cannot escape the hive system 100. This allows a 
hive system to be transported without the normally required extensive and 
expensive netting over the truck. As another example, #4 mesh on a pipe 
can serve as a mouse excluder while allowing the bees to come and go. 
Other possible accessories that can be easily made from 3 inch ABS include 
frog excluders, entrance reducers and pollen traps. Thus, the preferred 
embodiment provides a hive system that is easy to move without extensive 
netting and is easy to attach a variety of hive entrance fittings. 
To facilitate moving the hive system 100 an integrated pallet base is 
provided on the underside of the hive system 100. The pallet base 
comprises three rails 140. In the preferred embodiment, the three rails 
140 comprise standard treated two-by-fours screwed into the framework 102. 
This allows the hive system 100 to be easily loaded and unloaded using 
conventional forklifts. Also, each of the three rails 140 can easily be 
replaced if needed. With the pallet base 140 and the inherent stability of 
the design, forklifts can be used to easily and rapidly distribute the 
hive systems across fields. This allows the hives to be placed for 
efficient pollination of agricultural crops and honey production. 
Turning to FIG. 2, FIG. 2 is a sectional view of hive system 100 
illustrating a hive chamber 200 in accordance with the preferred 
embodiment. The hive chamber 200 is a portion of the hive system 100 
interior space bounded by a subdivider 122 and a center divider 120. Each 
hive chamber such as hive chamber 200 houses one honey bee colony. Inside 
the hive chamber 200 are two lower frame rests, including a front lower 
frame rest 204 and a rear lower frame rest 202. Preferably, the lower 
frame rests 202 and 204 are 1/2 inch plywood or OSB. The lower frame rests 
are preferably placed in the hive chamber 200 and held in place only by 
the dividers and exterior walls, and the frames 210. With no permanent 
fasteners used, the frame rests can be easily removed when needed, such as 
if they become rotted or damaged. The front frame lower rest 204 
preferably includes an opening that corresponds to the hive opening 130. 
Atop the lower frame rests 202 and 204 sit a plurality of frames 210. The 
frames 210 are preferably industry standard Langstroth-type frames, thus 
compatible with traditional hives. In the embodiment with the preferred 
dimensions, seven frames sit upon the lower frame rests with proper 
spacing needed to provide correct bee spacing. Additionally, the lower 
frame rests 202 and 204 serve to maintain proper bee spacing between 
frames 210 and the exterior walls 104 and the center divider 120. Thus, 
with the proper bee spacing, the bees will not fill the gaps with propolis 
or draw burr or brace comb out in the gaps, either of which would cause 
the pieces of the hive system to become stuck together and difficult to 
remove. 
Atop the frames 210 sit two upper frame rests 206 and 208. Preferably, 
these two upper frame rests are 1/2 inch plywood or OSB. One upper frame 
rest 206 sits at the rear of the hive chamber 200, adjacent the center 
divider wall 120. Another upper frame rest 208, sits at the front, 
adjacent the exterior wall 104. Atop these two upper frame rests sits 
another plurality of frames (not shown in FIG. 2). In the preferred 
embodiment dimensions, seven frames can sit on the upper frame rests 208 
with proper spacing between each frame. Thus, a total of 14 frames reside 
in hive chamber 200. 
The upper frame 206 and 208 rests are preferably notched with two raised 
portions at each end. The two raised portions at the edges of the top of 
the upper frame rests prevent the frames from moving all the way the to 
edge of the frame rest. This provides the proper bee spacing between the 
outer frames and the exterior side walls 108 and subdividers 122. In the 
preferred embodiment, the raised portions are 3/4 inches tall and have a 
3/8 inch width. The two lower frame rests 202 and 204 can also be notched 
in a similar manner, although in that case the raised portions should have 
a 3/8 inch height. 
The upper frame rests are also preferably dimensioned to hold and be held 
in place by the dividers, exterior walls and the frames. Again, with no 
permanent fasteners used, the frame rests can be easily removed when 
needed, such as if they become rotted, damaged, or if the frames in the 
bottom of hive chamber require removal or inspection. 
Returning to FIG. 1, the preferred embodiment also includes a hive system 
roof 150. The hive system roof has a rigid framework 152 around its 
perimeter, sized slightly larger than the hive system such that it can 
slide over the hive system framework 102. Again, the roof framework 152 is 
preferably a metal framework made from L-shaped metal, commonly known as 
"angle iron." The hive system roof 150 is preferably a multilayer design 
with an exterior portion, a core portion and an interior portion. The 
exterior portion is preferably 1/8 inch fiberglass with ultra-violet light 
inhibitors. Of course, other exteriors could be used, such as ABS plastic. 
In the preferred embodiment the fiberglass is sealed to the roof framework 
152 with a silicone based sealant. 0f course, other types of sealants can 
be used. 
The core portion of the hive system roof 150 is preferably a material with 
good insulating qualities, such as expanded polystyrene (EPS) or other 
insulating foams with a preferred thickness of 3/4 inch. 
The interior portion of the hive system roof 150 is preferably made of a 
material which will protect the core portion. In the preferred embodiment 
the interior portion is made of 1/8 inch thick polypropylene. Of course, 
other suitable materials such as fiberglass or wood paneling can be used. 
Together, roof 150 serves to insulate the hives from excessive heat and 
cold, and also keep rain and other weather from entering the hive system. 
Returning to FIG. 2, the floor 115 of the hive system is preferably a wood 
floor made from material such as plywood or OSB. Additionally, in the 
preferred embodiment, holes in the floor for each hive chamber are 
provided and covered with a tight mesh screen or filled with a plastic 
mesh plug. This allows for further ventilation of the colonies. This can 
be especially important when the usual hive openings are closed off during 
transportation, causing bees to clog up the openings in an attempt to 
leave the hive chamber. 
A hive system has been disclosed that overcomes the limitations of the 
prior art. In particular, the preferred embodiment hive system is one in 
which almost all pieces are individually replaceable. This is accomplished 
by dimensioning the framework, perimeter walls, divider walls and frame 
rests to hold each other in place without the use of fasteners. Thus, when 
one pieces rots or breaks, it can be easily replaced in the field, without 
requiring a trip to a woodworking shop. Furthermore, the preferred 
embodiment does not require paint, and is instead protected with exterior 
surfaces that are weather and sunlight resistant. The design is also well 
insulated, and includes air spaces to allow moisture to vent. 
While the invention has been particularly shown and described with 
reference to a preferred exemplary embodiment thereof, it will be 
understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and 
details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of 
the invention.