This is a Step By Step assembly guide and honey bee introduction to the NEW Ivry B Hive Design.
It's a horizontal hive, shaped like a cylinder that closely matches some of the oldest bee hives found in the Jordan Valley.
This hive is wood and made without hardware, the original Jordan Valley hives were made of unfired clay and were kept in a structure, possibly a temple at the time of King Solomon.
This is the most unique observation hive I've seen.
WINTER UPDATE Feb 2024: • Ivry B Hive Update, ho...
Learn More about the ancient inspiration for this hive design: www.world-arch...
TODAY, July 25th is the day that Ivry-B is launching a fundraising campaign here in North America. You can learn more about that here:
www.indiegogo....
NOTE the first 300 supporters will receive $150.00 off. Please use this link: igg.me/at/ivry... 44 days left as of July 29, 2023
I do not personally gain or benefit from this campaign in any way. BUT, this hive was presented to me in exchange for my opinion and observations.
Who is this bee hive for?
I think this is a very novel hive that serves as a fantastic conversation piece while providing people with a very safe way to observe honey bees going about their tasks without disturbing them. Beginners as well as seasoned beekeepers will surely appreciate having this hive on the porch, in the honey house, or class-room. I will personally be using it as an educational tool.
The frames are unique and round. I see honey harvesting from these frames as another unique opportunity to take comb or chunk honey. My very small swarm of honey bees have already filled 7 of 15 frames and are making very good use of the space. I will personally try not to pull the frames apart as one very interesting aspect is seeing them fill all spaces with honey comb.
Wintering - The hive is well insulated, more than most of my Langstroth style hives. This hive will remain on deck throughout the year sheltered by a roof.
Honey Harvest - When they finish filling all of the frames, I will harvest only those frames that are opposite from the entrance, and replace them with the extra frames/foundation provided. I plan to make sure they always have empty frames to fill .
No Lifting - As with all horizontal hives, there is no lifting of heavy honey supers. You will be removing the cover and then the transparent inner cover. After that you'll be removing individual frames as needed, or inspecting the frame faces for overall evaluation of hive health.
Burr and Brace comb is going to be attached to the interior surface of the transparent observation window. You will have to peel off the inner transparent layer and clean or replace it as necessary.
Placement - I recommend that this hive be placed in a shaded/sheltered location where direct, mid-day sunlight will not hit the hive when opened for inspection. I also recommend that it be placed so the landing board faces south or south-east for winter sun exposure. I suggest that you place this hive on a stable surface at a height that is comfortable for viewing. You can gather and sit next to the hive on every side but the entrance side. The bees come and go without interruption while you enjoy their interior activities, their sounds, and the wonderful scent of bee-bread and honey.
I personally enjoy having many different hive designs and configurations here at The Way To Bee, this way I can share about each hive's traits and features that benefit the bees as well as those who keep and manage them. It's a pleasure to have a Ivry-B hive added to my apiary. I would have selected the longer version.
UPDATES - I will continue to share about this hive over the next year so my viewers can understand how well it holds up through the seasons, and how the bees do in that interesting cylindrical space.