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Bee Hive Plans: Choosing the Right Design for Your Apiary
Compare Langstroth, Warre, Slovenian and insulated bee hive plans, and learn how to match a design to your climate, lifting ability, skills and budget.
Beekeeping
Keep bees, keep them well.
Practical beekeeping guides: hive plans and types, getting started, seasonal care, inspections, pests, swarms, bee breeds and queen rearing.
72 in-depth guides 13 topics Oct 2026 latest guide
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Guides to start with
Each one links on to more specific articles in its topic.
Types of Bee Hives Compared: Which Style Suits You?
Compare the main types of bee hives, including Langstroth, top bar and Warre, plus National, WBC and nucs, and see which style fits your goals and climate.
Bee Hive Size Guide: Box, Frame and Footprint Measurements
A practical guide to bee hive size: Langstroth box depths, 8-frame vs 10-frame, frame sizes, footprint and spacing, and how size affects weight and cost.
Starting a Bee Hive: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners
Learn how to start a bee hive: what to study first, which hive and bees to buy, where to put them, and what the first year looks like for a new beekeeper.
Preparing a Bee Hive for Winter: A Seasonal Checklist
A practical checklist for preparing a bee hive for winter: varroa control, food stores, reducing space, moisture management, pest guards and winter monitoring.
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Hives
Hive plans, hive types, dimensions and cost.
Hive Plans 5 guides, starting with Bee Hive Plans: Choosing the Right Design for Your Apiary. 5 guides Hive Types 5 guides, starting with Types of Bee Hives Compared: Which Style Suits You?. 5 guides Hive Dimensions Cost 5 guides, starting with Bee Hive Size Guide: Box, Frame and Footprint Measurements. 5 guides
Getting Started & Care
Getting started, seasonal care and hive inspection.
Getting Started 8 guides, starting with Starting a Bee Hive: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners. 8 guides Seasonal Care 6 guides, starting with Preparing a Bee Hive for Winter: A Seasonal Checklist. 6 guides Hive Inspection 4 guides, starting with Bee Hive Inspections: What to Look For and Why They Matter. 4 guides
Pests & Swarms
Hive pests, swarms and splits.
Bees & Queens
Colony biology, bee breeds, queen biology, rearing and management.
Colony Biology 5 guides, starting with Bee Hive Hierarchy: Queen, Workers and Drones Explained. 5 guides Bee Breeds 4 guides, starting with Types of Honey Bees: Races and Breeds Compared. 4 guides Queen Biology 7 guides, starting with The Honey Bee Queen: Everything Hobbyists Should Know. 7 guides Queen Rearing 7 guides, starting with How to Raise a Queen Bee at Home. 7 guides Queen Management 4 guides, starting with How Many Queen Bees Can a Hive Have?. 4 guides