Sun Hives are a hive design coming out of Germany and now gathering interest in Britain. They’re part of the world-wide movement towards ‘apicentric’ beekeeping – beekeeping that prioritizes honeybees firstly as pollinators, with honey production being a secondary goal.
The Sun Hive is modeled in part on the traditional European skep hive, and is aimed at creating a hive that maximises colony health. The main thing I love about this hive and the enthusiasm surrounding it is not the hive itself, but the philosophy behind it, that of apicentric beekeeping.
In brief, the Sun Hive has an upside down skep hive at its base with curving frames in the top section and no frames in the bottom section. The hive is placed well above ground level (optimal for bees – they never choose to create a hive on the ground).
Like a Warré hive, the Sun Hive allows the queen bee to roam freely through the entire hive and lay eggs where she wishes to, which in turn allows the colony to manage the location and progression of their brood nest, which is great for colony health.
The top curved frames of the Sun Hive provide the ability to (in theory) remove each frame, with the free-form comb beneath coming out as well as it is (again, in theory) attached to the frame directly above.
The Sun Hive can also have a super attached to it on a honeyflow (not sure about that, as I assume that means a queen excluder would be used to prevent brood comb being created in said super, which goes against the idea of allowing the queen to roam the hive, but anyway).
As I said, it’s not the design of this hive that particularly gets me going (though it is very beautiful), but the philosophy behind it… putting bees first before honey yields.
Also, this sort of experimenting is important. We cannot keep relying on the industrial style of beekeeping that is currently the norm. Well managed Warré Beehives are one branch of natural beekeeping, and this hive is another.
What we need, right now, is lots of apicentric beekeepers refining, experimenting and progressing resilient beekeeping techniques. Backed up by good information on bee behavior, not just whacky ideas.
Would this hive style work in Australia? I am not sure, but I suspect it might not be ideal for most parts of Australia. And that is ok. Each continent has vastly different conditions – nectarys, climate and other variations that necessitate adaptation for hive design for effective natural beekeeping.
A hive design developed on the other side of the world, no matter how groovy, is not necessarily going to result in a happy and healthy honeybee colony over this side of the world. There’s seasonal differences, the way honeyflows work is different, humidity, etc.
But Natural Beekeeping, in all its global variations, is at the heart of future honeybee health. The Sun Hive is definitely part of that matrix and is causing many in Europe to rethink hive design to ensure colony resilience.
Sun Hive resources:
- Sun Hive booklet by the hive’s designer Gunther Muncke (via Strathcona Beekeepers)
- Natural Beekeeping Trust in the UK hold workshops making Sun Hives
- Heidi Herrmann, a UK beekeeper using Sun Hives
- In the USA, Michael Thiele is working with the Sun Hive
>> More posts about Natural Beekeeping at Milkwood.net
We run Natural Beekeeping courses with Tim Malfroy in Sydney and beyond which teach responsible, ethical, chemical free Warré Beekeeping for the backyard or small-scale beekeeper. No, it’s not just about the shape of the box and the frames within. It’s an entire, apicentric approach. And it’s awesome.
Lead photo by Heidi Herrmann, of the Natural Beekeeping Trust.
Sounds absolutely wonderful! I’ve tasted the difference in fresh honey from a wild hive, as well as enjoyed local honey from keepers in our area. This method looks like it could parallel the closest with the wild hives. To have opportunity for enjoying that intense flavor would be like living in Heaven! Thanks for sharing!
How does wild honey taste different from non-wild honey? Do they bees visit different plants?
remember one thing your perception is your reality. LOL
Yes, they visit vastly different plants. Domestic bees are often shipped all across the country in order to pollinate one specific crop such as almonds, apples and limes just to name a few. Local wild bees would pollinate some of the commercial plants but not in the percentages that commercial growers need. Wild bees are locally adapted to plants that flower in the area that they cover as territory and live more from the local wildflowers than commercial vegetable and fruit crops, though, as stated before, they do end up pollinating/ collecting nectar there as well.
That’s not exactly true, because bees from wild hives will forage on commercial crops just as quickly as hived bees, and all of them will frequent the flowers that are most abundant. Wild bees are no different than “domestic” bees that a beekeeper has other than sometimes their aggressiveness. The reason that honey from wild hives tastes so different is that the honey harvested from ‘commercial hives is stored in NEW comb, beekeepers prevent the bees from raising brood in that comb, and bees normally only store pollen with the brood. Wild bees usually raise brood in comb and then… Read more »
To be specific I am talking about domestic honeybees vs wild (feral) honeybees. None of the other native bees in the US store honey to over-winter their hives.
The only thing that affects the taste of honey is the source for the nectar. The most common type of honey is called clover honey, because the primary source of nectar for most honeybees are clover flowers; of course, no homey is 100 percent derived from clover. Local flora affects the taste of honey, which is why honey from beehives near orchards are labeled based on the type of orchard, such as Apple blossom or Orange blossom honey, yet even when near an orchard, the honey is still significantly clover based.
The most common honey in Australia is not Clover but Eucalypt. About 80% of our honey is sourced form this tree. The claim that bee health is improved by such a hive ( or a Warre type) needs a little scientific backing. Like so many quotes in the Permaculture literature people believe that a statement often repeated becomes fact. I would have believed that production is a better means to judge hive health? Is it reasonable to assume that a well cared for and healthy hive is more likely to produce more honey? The hive shown, while very beautyful, would… Read more »
Terese-it depends where you put the hives.If they are surrounded by clean natural flower source then the honey will indicate that. Wild bees can also set up home near to industrialised cropping and so be harvesting the yuckiness of sprays and artificial… We are lucky enough to have our bees surrounded by native Australian bush in square boxes AND we care for our bees. When you rely on your bees to provide honey for you then you would be stupid not to care for your bees- Bee health and happiness comes first and a good bee keeper NEVER takes all… Read more »
I second that!
Good beekeeping does not require for the beekeeper to jump on the latest fad.
Beautiful, unusual, a curiosity, but … completely not practical when pumping honey.
<3 !!!
Those hives are pieces of art in themselves. I wonder if it would work for native Aussie bees?
cool
This bodel is quite good for the bees, but there are a few problems with it. First, you try to impose them the distance betweenn combs and the orientation. This is not really natural. The japanese version of Warre hive does not do that: http://warre.biobees.com/japan.htm Second, you have not thought about replacing old combs. When you collect honey you have to destroy an entire comb, with brood and eggs. If you separate the top part from the bottom part you remain with old combs in the bottom part all the time. Third, you have not taken into account expansion of… Read more »
Yep I also see comb renewal as a bit of a prob in this design. To meet regulations in many countries (Australia included) you need to have some removable frames for inspection… hence the frames, which therefore impose the distance between the combs… as I said, it’s an experimental design, and probably wouldn’t work well where we are, but interesting all the same 🙂
As wonderful and special and divine as honey is, bees are more important than any honey that they might make above their own needs. I love the concept of bee-first hive ideas and I love the rustic and simple beauty of these hives.
I love your idea and by the way your website which I look forward to exploring. Just a caution about conceptualising better beekeeping as one that prioritises pollination over honey production. Commercial ‘exploitative’ beekeeping does just that. Commercial beekeepers engage in beekeeping for the profits from Pollination. They receive large fees from orchard owners etc. Most honey sold on shelves is simply a waste product of such activity (full of the pesticide residual from the main activity of pollination). I know this is the opposite of what you do but thinking of bees as primarily pollinators and secondarily honey makers… Read more »
Yep its very tricky isnt it – what we’re aiming for is beekeeping that maximises bee health while still providing benefits to humans. I suppose cause natural beekeeping is synonymous with permanent hive siting (ie as opposed to migratory beekeeping, as necessitated by the commercial pollination contract scene) I neglected to emphasise that it’s ‘beekeeping in place’ which replicates wild hives more closely – thanks su –
I think sustainability bee colony can achieve its minimum interference and maximum colony established conditions for natural development. This includes adequate and clean pasture for bees. Last year, which was very dry – with virtually no rain all summer, my hives open them only twice: once for the extraction of honey, and a second time to review available food before winter. I was amazed by the amount of honey you got! Minimum interference and maximum yield. This hive is an interesting concept, but I do not know what would be suitable for the climatic conditions in Bulgaria. Bees as a… Read more »
There are some incredible misconceptions voiced here. These hives would have been fine in the days before varroa andf all the other pests, predators and diseases took hold, but not now. It is incredibly difficult to inspect the brood area for diseases in thesun hive or skep and not doing so means that your bees could eaily be spreading these problems to adjacent beekeepers hives and so on ad infinitum. Be responsible bveekeepers. The framed system of keeping bees was introduced because these systems do not work comprehensively. By using thenm, you are simply turning back the hands of time.… Read more »
Stewart, from my understanding of beekeeping history, frame beekeeping was introduced as much to increase honey yields as anything else, and not really with the bees health in mind…
I would argue that ‘leave alone beekeeping’ of a type, when done properly, has its place (after all, the enormous feral (wild) bee population in Australia contributes to our general bee health enormously, and that’s completely ‘leave alone’ beekeeping), and that as much disease and ill-health of our bee population is brought on by many aspects of conventional beekeeping…
Whereas the feral bees in the UK are nearly zero from varroasis.
Actually, Langstroth had a eureka! about his hive because it allowed him to perform intensive, invasive hive management as he saw fit. He took singular pleasure in mucking about with frames. Go to google books for his first edition (mid-1850s) and you’ll discover the good Reverend was a bit of a control freak with Divine entitlement issue. Or read my book 😉 for a quick overview.
//Alex Templeton, Beekeeping for Poets
“leave alone beekeeping”has gone in areas where we have the SHB in Australia. And with it have most of the feral hives. In warmer parts of Australia ( and some not so warm – the SHB was first noted in Richmond , west of Sydney) if you care for your bees you need to check for SHB.
I suspect that a lot of the comments here come from people who have never kept bees.
mmm i couldn’t agree with that particularly, given the extremely healthy feral honeybee colony population of places like the Sydney basin + Blue Mountains of NSW, despite SHB being present throughout those areas…
Stewart, lots of things are illegal in the USA, doesn’t mean it is always correct or best for people or the environment or that people agree with it. Like Raw Milk for one! or Medicinal marijuana, or industrial hemp and so on.
Stewart, the problems you mentioned(varoa, etc) came about because of the framed system and intensely industrial methods of keeping. Diseases and pests are much less likely to spread from single, leave alone colonies kept by hobbiests than they are from large scale, intre-state operations. Kirsten also brings up an excellent point, how do wild colonies figure into your view? Should we inspect all wild colonies? Are wild colonies inconsiderate to their neighbors? Wild and leave alone colonies are much more disease resistant, have better pest grooming behaviors, and are generally much healthier genetically than our inbred commercial hybrids, which have… Read more »
Then why do we find mites, beetles and moths in most if not all wild hives?
Rarely do I save a wild colony that is completely free of pests..
Myrddwn –“Diseases and pests are much less likely to spread from single, leave alone colonies kept by hobbiests…” These wild bees or the 1 hive owned by the hobbyists (who often don’t look at them, I believe are irresponsible and can cause long term problems for more responsable bee keepers. “wild “bees you refer to are introduced European bee and some think shouldn’t actually be in Aust bush.. BUT yes we need them. I think the ‘sun hive’ is a beautiful piece of art craft BUT why romantise bee keeping or any other farming practice when it’s common sense to… Read more »
Stewart Gould is correct. The hive is a harness for the energy of the bee colony. Effective hives (Langstroth), combined with knowledge and experience can help guild your bees towards a healthy and productive future.
Excuse me, what? A “harness for the energy of the bee colony.” Not the most scientific statement of all time. Does this mean “Bees need a home or they’ll die?” Or is this some hint that bee colonies have a magical aura? I must be missing something, because “harness for the energy of a bee colony,” sounds like a freshman trying to write poetry, not a valid scientific concept.
Anthony most people that take physics class learn about energy before they get to freshman year. The energy of the hive refers to the embodied energy that the hive represents and contains – in terms of bee effort, honey collected etc.
If you are truly putting the bees first, why is this hive in a patio or porch setting? The noise and jostling lifestyle of having humans so nearby is NOT their natural environment. It is for your viewing pleasure I think. To pat yourself on the back perhaps for having provided them a “better” home. I applaud your sentiment for making it bee-centric but really in placement of the hives so close to homes, you negate the sentiment.
I believe these hives are in their own purpose built pergola at the bottom of the garden, away from the house?
Howdy, I am happy that you are using my website material (http://strathconabeekeepers.blogspot.ca/2012/07/the-sun-hive.html) and my box.com (https://www.box.com/s/ekldf26i8x1zm8clua2c) account but usually a reference is made to the origin of the material. I am not possessive of my internet productions but it is common courtesy to acknowledge the origin. Bruce.
Hi Bruce, all the images have live click-throughs to where we sourced them from as attribution? I’ve updated the box.net link to attribute you more clearly…
This hive contains mostly non-movable, non-inspectable comb. As such, it is not api-centric at all, in that it allows diseases and pests to take over before the beekeeper can notice. The hive is also very small, and without expansion capability, does the bees a disservice. Overall, this hive is yet another misinformed attempt to create a “feral” simulation. Only 1/3 of feral colonies survive even their first winter for the same reasons: lack of disease and pest management, and limited size, with limited space to save stores with which to overwinter.
I think this hive design looks beautiful. My thoughts on the concept of putting bees first is that it really has little to do with hive design and everything to do with the kind of beekeeping practices you choose. If you look at wild bees they will build anywhere. In a barrel, hanging from a tree branch, under the eves of a house, inside a tree… I even know of a colony the set up shop inside a rat trap! Bees are very adaptable. The vessel they choose is not important. What is important is how they are treated and… Read more »
I think this hive style is just politically correct hype. It looks groovy. It looks vaguely like something from a previous culture. But I see no real advantages to hive health whatsoever compared to boxes and supers that were developed over the years. For example, the write-up says allowing the queen to roam freely promotes hive health. Really? Any proof of that or are we just talking “sure seems like that statement will fly.” Where’s the evidence? Or are we talking politically correct guesswork, like all the drones are “happier” because of some projection of expectations. These are bees, not… Read more »
There is plenty of scientific evidence that allowing the queen to roam the hive increases colony health… Go read a good book on bee biology maybe…
Any particular book kirsten? Winston’s Bee Biology maybe?
Could you please give us a quote and the author? thanks
Check out bee scientist Jürgen Tautz’s book ‘The Buzz about Bees’ – in the section on comb + communication
I must say that the pushback here from the beekeeping orthodoxy is alive and well, viz the gripes of “Jim” and “Anthony”. We of the “postmodern” school of beekeeping repudiate the very notion of “feral” as only reinforcing the fancies that a) honey bees are domesticated in the first place, that b) only intensive management, medication, and intervention by the beekeeper lead to colony health (as if this has been proven out in practice); and c) using non-Lang hives only leads to festering sources of disease and bad breeding. All these are rejected for very good reasons and are supported… Read more »
Reblogged this on Johnfsapp's Blog and commented:
I’m holding onto this just for how fantastic it can …bee!
Wow, that is super cool. Looking forward to reading more about it. I’ve never seen a such a hive.
I do want the bees to be free to make their own comb, but I also like to see each frame and the health of the colony in general. That’s why I go for the kenyan topbar. Also, I have afro-euro hybrids, so maybe that’s the issue, but I’ve observed that your statement about bees never wanting to live on the ground tp be very false. Many time’s, I’ve found wild colonies living under trees!
To anyones knowledge, has the Sun Hive been tried in the country of Panama?
I too have seen many colonies living at ground level.. especially in old growth olive trees. I am a Rescue Beekeeper.. taking them out of nasty places, getting them healthy and back to work is a full time job here 8months a year.
This is a very cool concept.. putting the bees first is my motto!
Curious about the weight of this hive.. being held up by 4 thin wires.. looks precarious.
Reblogged this on In Frog Pond Holler and commented:
This is an awesome idea!
I keep bees langstroth style, and produce an excellent honey harvest from 4 colonies. I have noticed mite damage on my hives only after taking the honey off (stress?). I live in Canada, close to Ottawa Ontario. Other than varroa mites, black bears are one of our biggest nuisances here. To have a hive like this hanging where a bear can’t get it, near our home where a bear is less likely to come close, is an intriguing idea. (like hanging food in trees on a canoe trip). If there were signs of mites (evident at the entrance by wingless… Read more »
Reblogged this on Gypsy Sunshine Travels and commented:
Bio-mimicry: learning from the designs of nature to help work cooperatively with mother earth and all her creatures.
How would we get one of those hives here in Arizona
WARNING!!! Arizona is killer bee territory. If you keep bees in Arizona, you must take that fact into consideration! (just so you know).
where can i get these in australia
you can’t.
What a wonderful design! These bees must be very happy with their beautiful plalace-hive!
Arne
I have been trying to get one of these for years. A friend brought a skep hive from Europe. I love the smell and art of these woven hives. I wouldn’t use it as a first hive but to add to my collection of unique objects full of bees. http://superbeerescue.com/
Interesting Hive design. I am curious about how you would treat for Varroa or check for AFB in this design?
Heya Alex – yeajh those are a problem with this design – you’d have to ask the Sun Hive mob?