We will produce all natural log hives for honey bees
Our Natural Log hives are made from felled trees which have been removed from forests on a logging program and are between 14 and 18 inches around and 3-4 feet long.
We cut a slice or cookie as they are referred too, which will become the bottom cap for the hive, we then use a wood boring machine to hollow out a 10 inch diameter space which runs almost the full length of the log. This then becomes the base of the log hive and the cookie is then re-attached to the bottom to seal the internal space. We then drill entrance holes at the top and bottom of the log to allow the bees a way in and out of the internal space which they fill with comb (as below) and turn into their new home.
The logs are then placed around 3-4m in the air by securing them to a well established tree for the bees to find. Unlike modern beekeeping where the hives are at ground level the bees in the wild actually tend to have a higher hive to stay away from ground predators.
One of our log hives could hold as many as many as 90,000 bees in the peak of summer when the queen is most active.
Honey bees make honey from pollen and nectar collected from flowers. They live in large colonies with one queen, many sterile females workers and some male drones. In the wild honey bees nest in hollow trees. Honey bees are super-important pollinators for flowers, fruits and vegetables. This means that they help other plants grow! Bees transfer pollen between the male and female parts, allowing plants to grow seeds and fruit.