The CAB Hive
The CAB hive is an improved version of the Langstroth hive specifically made to suit the African bee species. It is made from wood seasoned to 13% moisture content to provide long life. All the joints on the brood box and super box are of dovetail or flat type. There is minimal use of nails on the CAB hive, making it highly durable and resistant to various weather conditions such as extreme heat, cold, and humidity.
It has the capacity to produce more than 10kg per harvest and can be harvested at least six times a year. The hive is compatible with conventional bee feeders, which provide food and water for the bees. It features strong and effective adjustable doors that lock the bees inside during relocation or transportation. Additionally, its frames are professionally finished with high-quality eyelets.
The frame wires are made of stainless steel, which can easily be adjusted with a crimper. The hive can be transported unassembled and then assembled in the field.
The CAB hive is equipped with lockers that hold the bottom board to the brood box, the brood box to the queen excluder, and the queen excluder to the super. It is carefully spray-painted with transparent paint on the outside to protect it from rain and other sources of moisture.
Key Features
- Temperature Regulation: The bottom board is independent and features a temperature regulation board placed under the cover. This board is ventilated on the sides to allow the exit of hot air.
- Top Cover Design: The top cover is assembled using dovetail or flat joints and finished with a tin plate. It includes provisions for air circulation and a suitable chimney on the inner cover. The handles are grooved on the brood box and the super.
- Capacity: Both the brood and super (honey storage) boxes are completed with 10 frames each.
Benefits
- Durability: The Hive Group guarantees a 20-year lifespan of the CAB hive with proper maintenance.
- Standardized Design: The dimensions fit conventional bee feeders, reducing unnecessary bee absconding or migration.
- Pollen Harvesting: The dimensions also accommodate conventional pollen traps, allowing beekeepers to harvest high-value pollen.
- Easy Maintenance: The hive facilitates routine hygiene, bee colony inspection, and overall handling with minimal disturbance.
- Optimized Bee Space: Designed for African bees, ensuring easy movement inside the hive, reducing stress, and maximizing efficiency.
- Propolis Collection: Standardized dimensions support the use of propolis screen traps, an essential medicinal hive product.
- Research Suitability: Suitable for African bee research, including the use of spy cameras and monitoring tools inside the hive.
- Temperature Regulation Board: This board maintains a habitable environment for the bees, with a special heat exit allowing excess warm air to leave. During cold seasons, bees can regulate the heat exit with propolis in under three hours.
- Landing Board: The landing board at the hive entrance helps bees enter comfortably without losing pollen or colliding, and it supports pollen trap attachments.
- Organic Queen Excluder: Made of wood, making the hive rust-free, organic, and a near-natural environment for the bees.
- Efficient Space Usage: Grooved handles minimize wasted space during transportation and storage.
- Bee Escape Accessory: Standardized dimensions allow for the perfect fitting of a bee escape accessory, minimizing the need for smoke during honey harvesting.
