The Cathedral Hive
The next evolution in top bar hive design
NOW AVAILABLE! The Cathedral Hive construction plans and top bar kits
Two, fully detailed pages of construction plans for ease of constructing the complex Cathedral Hive.
Exciting and rewarding woodworking project that is fun and challenging!
The Cathedral Hive is a more complex beehive and is therefore an advanced woodworking project.
The top bars are one of the most difficult parts of the hive to create, so we are offering sets of the hexagonal top bars.
The
Cathedral Hive plans are 2 detailed pages, 24" x 36" architectural
style sheets. Corwin made sure every possible detail was included with
the hive plans for easy construction.
Cathedral Hive Plans Only:
$25.00 
Cathedral Hive Plans & 23 Hexagonal Top Bars:
$184.00
Cathedral Hive _extra top bars sets 23 Top Bars
$159.00
Dimensions: 36" L x 20" W x 15 1/2" H (the landing board adds 2" total length then is 38")
Visit our BackYardHive Shop page for more....
A whole new hive design and approach to
Top Bar Beekeeping
Fully Assembled Cathedral Hives are NOW AVAILABLE!
The Cathedral Hive is a high volume hive with high potential honey production.
The Fully Assembled Cathedral Hive includes:
-Hive body, both top and bottom
-23 hexagonal shaped top bars with ventilation system
-Hexagonal falseback
-2 viewing windows and covers-White pine wood body, reclaimed redwood top bars-A Ventilated Roof!
$878.00
Limited Availability!Please
know that all of the hives we make and provide are handmade locally by
our woodworker here in Boulder, CO and not from a factory.
Dimensions: 36" L x 20" W x 15 1/2" H (the landing board adds 2" total length then is 38")
The Cathedral Hive Additional Features NOW AVAILABLE!
Glass FalsebackWatch as your bees build comb and fill cells with nectar and pollen
Great for placing behind the top bar you are accessing in the hive
to watch the bees in action!
$39.00
Engraved Front Panel DesignSacred Geometry design by Corwin Bell
Includes both front panels and both back panels (the front panels are engraved)
$79.00
Copper Living Roof Tray with drain pipe
For an elegant touch to your Cathedral Hive
16 gauge
solid copper sheet precision welded
Wood frame included that holds copper try in place on hive top
$329.00
The creation of the Cathedral Hive
and the Design Process
By Corwin Bell
I
asked myself several years ago, what would improve the current top bar
hive designs. I thought, “If I could ask the bees what hive design they
would prefer, what would be the ultimate hive for them to prosper
within? what would they say about its construction?”
One of the
main design criteria that I held tight to during the design process for
the Cathedral Hive was, how do we create a hive that can weather the NEW
weather!? The environmental anomalies that we are now experiencing and
those of the future to come, are and will continue to impact our bees
survivability. Shouldn't we begin to look to the future and see if there
is something we can innovate in hive designs that will help the bee
colony survive extreme fluctuations in temperatures and the new seasonal
changes that are occurring?
After a long and challenging design and prototyping phase the Cathedral Hive is born.
I
believe that this is one of the biggest advances in bee centric hive
designs to materialize in a very long time. The design process was quite
unique in that we included “input” from the bees. We set up design
criteria in a way that allowed the bees to demonstrate preference. We
then carefully adjusted the hive design and its' features to support how
we observed the bees responding to the structure with their nest
building behaviors.
Over the last 5 years we let the bees
determine how the hive was created. We made several hives per year in
order to test numerous variables and modifications and then by observing
how bees interacted with the modification, we adapted the architecture.
With each successive hive we made, we either included or abandoned the
previous modification depending on the response from the bees.
This
spring we started several swarms in the newest Cathedral Hive design.
It was heartening and at the same time astonishing how the bees built
out these new Cathedral Hives. We watched carefully as the bees
interacted with our redesigned travel passages and top bar ventilation
slots.
Corwin and Bee Guardians viewing the Cathedral Hive combs
Unique features of the Cathedral Hive
Three sided hexagonal top bar structure
-Allows for superior comb stability
-Greater potential for straight comb
-Zero to no attachment -Fully drawn out honey combs weigh 9-10 pounds
-Very attractive Hexagonal combs!!
Integrated top bar feature we call the "Super Highway"
-Specially designed top bars that improve the bees efficiency, health and overwintering ability
Colony Regulated Venting System
-Carefully engineered ventilation design that allows the bees to regulate air flow
Multiple views into the bees world
-2 viewing windows
-Offer greater learning and monitoring of the bees health
-Allows bee guardian to track progress
-Enjoy observing the bees world without disturbing them
Innovative Living Roof
-Helps bees to regulate critical hive temperatures
-Cuts down on UV from the sun
-Reduces electromagnetic radiation and outside noise
A joy to work the hive!
-Access any comb in the hive like a framed hive
-Bees use the passage holes to move out of the way when removing combs
-Use the same great top bar hive tools
Key design features of the Cathedral Hive
There are considerable
advances in the Cathedral Hive over the flat top bar hive designs. I
think you will be impressed by how much thought and research and 'love
of bees' went into the Cathedral Hive design. Take some time to
understand the key design features. I think you will see why we believe
that The Cathedral Hive is the next evolution in the top bar hive. We did listen to the bees and the bees got heard, maybe that is why they seem so healthy and happy in the Cathedral Hives!
Three sided hexagonal top bar structure
We created the first
triangle or wedge shaped top bar, that has now become a standard in most
top bar hive designs. Now we have extended what we have learned and
incorporated the same wedge shape bar into these new hexagonal top bars.
We have reinforced the corners with spline joints, so that they are
very strong and durable. The hexagon lower segments rest on a support
ledge attached to the hive body. The combs built in the hive have zero or minimal comb attachment. The top bars may be removed from the middle of hive without clearing attachments, much like frame hives.
We feel that the
hanging comb is much better for the bees rather then making a hexagonal
frame around the comb. It is kind of hard to explain, but basically it
allows the bees to manage the space from the comb to the hive walls,
along the bottom where disease can develop.
The
hexagonal bars do not need spacers. The bees seem to make some magical
calculation of total comb volume verses area of the bar to support
attachment, that determines the total fatness that the comb can be
created. The bees learn to naturally taper the comb toward the bottom of
the hive resulting in a comb that is a perfect weight for the hexagonal
top bar. 
Three sided bars give superior support to comb when working the hive.
Hexagonal bars encourage beautiful hexagonal shaped straight comb.
Hexagonal top bar Passage Holes...we call “The Super Highway”
This
design feature is amazing for the bees in several ways. It came from
students questioning me about why some bees create holes on the comb
right in the center just below the bar. For a long time my answer was
simply “I don't know”. Now after a lot of observation and a few
experiments, I do know !
This
behavior seems to be mainly present in the feral bee colonies with
intact survivor genetic behaviors. I noticed that these holes in the
comb were very intentional. When I incorporated them into the top bars,
all of the bee colonies used these holes in the bars. You can see from
the picture that the bees not only kept the holes clear, they have made
connective wax tunnels from bar to bar.
Wild or Feral bees preserved a common behavioral trait to aid in survival.
In
the process of making the Cathedral Hive, I learned about making
passages from the feral or wild bees. I witnessed the feral swarms we
caught in remote areas making these holes in the comb. So based on what
the feral bees were doing, I created 3 holes in the top segment of the
Hexagonal top bar. The bees overwhelmingly agreed with vigorous use of
these holes. What was surprising is that the bees who did not naturally
create passage holes in the combs, when given the top bars with holes,
they all used the travel passages with intensity.
Passages in the top bar allows for horizontal ventilation
in the top of the hive cavity.
How
do we create a large volume hive, while at the same time avoid the
crooked comb that is always associated with big volume hives? I think “
The Super Highway” is the answer we have been looking for.
I
have made and worked with many large volume hives and inevitably when
the hive gets to a certain design length the bees construct curved comb
to ventilate the back of the hive or in the case of a side entrance
hive, the ends of the hive get the “crooked” or curved ventilation comb.
The length of a top bar hive should end just prior to where the bees
would normally begin to curve the comb. Who wants to deal with curved
comb?
Ventilation in the top bars
In
this prototype we gave the bees 4 passages per segment of top bar.
After careful observation we determined that the bees ignored the
passages in the side segments of the top bars. So that is why our final
plans call for only four passages in the top segment of the top bar.
Interestingly
4 passages seems to be the number the bees want because when we made
only 3 equally spaced passage holes in the top bar, the bees made paths
on the comb surface to move about the comb.
With the four holes
in the top segment of the top bar, the bees walk up the side segments of
the top bar and pass through one of the 4 passage holes at the top of
the bar and move to the next comb. Because of this sophisticated “Colony
Regulated Venting System” we use in the Cathedral Hive, the combs are
typically straight to the very back of the hive.
The top bar 'Super Highway' provides efficient movement of the colony throughout the hive.
The
top bar passages allow for efficient movement throughout the hive. This
creates an alternative pathway through the hive without bustling
through the already very crowded floor space. We studied the bees
movement through the hive by creating tiny plexiglass windows above the
passages in the top bars. Here we could observe how many bees were using
the passages throughout the season. The bees used the passage so much
that they left non-honey filled trails on the surface of the honeycomb
leading to the holes. (see picture above)
Paths on comb show heavy use (three passageway prototype).
The
bees apparently leave the paths honey-less, so as not to walk on their
food supply. Here you can see the path splits into a “Y” leading to two
separate holes. When we added additional passages in our later
experiments the bees stopped making the “paths” on the surface of the
comb and instead walked around the hexagonal edges to access the
passages. Because the bees can efficiently move throughout the hive,
there was a noticeable increase in nest build up, health and
productivity.
The 'Super Highway' improves survivability in winter.
One
of the most important uses of the passages that the feral bees
demonstrated, was superior over winter survival. The colony must be able
to move through the honey stores in the winter to survive. I have seen
so may dead-outs where one could clearly see that the bees died while
traveling to the cold sides to “get around” the combs in an attempt to
reach more of their honey stores. I also observed feral colonies that
showed no passages going into the winter, but in the spring had chewed
passages through the comb, increasing their ability to over winter in
the face of multiple below zero days. With the Passages the bees don't
have to break their cluster, they move from comb to comb as necessary by
flowing through the passages located in the warmer top of the hive. The
bees are able to stay in a tight cluster when migrating through the
honey stores because of the multiple passage holes.
Joy of working the Cathedral Hive
If
you have been following along with our newest methods of working with
the bees, rather then against them with smoke and other strange
beekeeping practices, you would have seen how we use a technique we call
“herding the bees”. Rather then brushing bees off into the air or back
into the hive, we move the bees to different parts of the hive that we
are not working. We do this with a “herding tool”. This is such a gentle
technique that the bees are much more calm when working the hive. With
the passage holes in the top bars, when we begin to herd, the bees
actually run for the holes and disappear into the hive, rather then
collect in masses on the top or sides of the hive. Wow, where did all
the bees go?
Colony Regulated Top Bar Venting System
Colony Regulated Ventilation System
The
Cathedral Hive is a very large volume hive, with a single comb weighing
in at nearly 10 pounds. The passages all line up so these tunnels allow
heat at the top of the hive to move and dissipate out of the hive, but
at the bees discretion. What I mean by this, is that the bees can fan
these tunnels in the heat of the summer or not fan in the cold winter.
The hot air can also move vertically, completely out of the hive through
the “vents” in the top of the bars. (more on the vents below) The bees will propolize the vents in the Cathedral top bars as needed
Top
vents allow the bees to determine how much venting they want, they can
self regulate the movement of air, by closing off vents. The vents are
cut into one side of each top bar and are only big enough to allow air
to flow, but not allow the bees to get through. This is the same with
most top bar hives. The vents allow air to move vertically out to the
hive, but only if the bees determine this is helpful. If the bees don't
want the vents then they close it with wax and propolis. In the picture
above the entrance and the brood nest is on the left side. The bees have
closed the vents here, but toward the back of the hive away from the
entrance they have left these vents open, now they don't have to curve
combs to vent the back of the hive. As winter approaches the bees will
close up the remaining vents. Just as good feral bees do with the
entrance, in the spring the bees will chew back out the vents to allow
for increased ventilation. It was great to see the bees implement this
venting system. Depending on location of the hive, sun or shade or from
micro climate to micro climate, the bees can adjust, as needed the
amount of the vertical dissipation of heat.
The Cathedral Hive body and design incorporates multiple ventilation architecture
There
is a space beneath the roof side panels where heat that is generated by
the sun hitting the side panels, flows up and out of the top of the
hive. There is also space to slide “pink board” insulation sheets into
the space beneath the side panels. The long oval vents in the front and
back panels provide cross ventilation over the top bars, so with the
addition of the vertical venting in the bars themselves, this creates an
efficient way to for air to flow freely. Four circular vets in the
upper section of the hive (not seen in this picture) provide air flow
even in the event that the air is still, with no breeze. The whole
ventilation system is determined by how much the bees open or close the
inner top bar vents.
Multiple views into the bees worldOffers greater learning and monitoring of the bees health, progress and enjoyment without disturbing the bees. Viewing windows are included on both sides of hive body.
The Cathedral Hive Ventilated Roof (seen here sitting on top of the Cathedral Hive top section)
The Cathedral Hive Additional Features NOW AVAILABLE!
Glass falseback for viewing (additional feature)
The Cathedral Hive with the engraved front entrance panel (additional feature)
Innovative Living Roof (additional feature)
The
living roof is one of the key and unique features of the Cathedral
hive. The living roof helps bees to regulate critical hive temperatures
by cutting down UV from the sun, electromagnetic radiation and outside
noise.
The
concern that environmental anomalies that we are now experiencing will
continue to impact our bees survivability. This concern was the
inspiration for the living roof. Shouldn't we begin to look to the
future and see if there is something we can innovate in the hive design
that will help the bee colony survive the extreme variations in
temperatures and the new seasonal changes that are occurring?
SOME AMAZING FACTS ABOUT A LIVING ROOF FOR THE BEE HIVE AND INTERNAL TEMPERATURE REGULATION.
A LIVING ROOF is capable of reducing electromagnetic radiation penetration by 99.4%, reduce sound from
outside by 40 decibels. The light absorbed by vegetation would
otherwise be converted into heat energy. With respect to hotter summer
weather, green roofing is able to reduce the solar heating of a
structure by reflecting 27% of solar radiation, absorbing 60% by the
vegetation through photosynthesis and evapotranspiration, and absorbing
the remaining 13% into the growing medium.
Testimonials from Bee Guardians who have experienced the Cathedral Hive:
"From
the moment I peeked through the back of the Cathedral Hive, I was
mesmerized. There was an order and calmness about the hive that I had
not seen before. The bees hummed a beautiful sound that I had never
heard. It's the easiest hive design I have ever worked with. You can see
into it without moving any bars and when you do move bars, it is simple
and clean because there are no comb attachments to the sides of the
hive. The combs are super stable on the hex-shaped bars so there is no
worry about breakage and dropping. It’s much bigger than my Golden Mean
hives which will give my bees the room to create bigger, stronger
colonies. I will be using Cathedrals for all of my future hives." ~ Matt S., Louisville, CO
"I LOVED
the Cathedral Hive and desperately want a few. While the hexagonal
shape was appealing because of comb shapes, it didn't exactly translate
for me into a shape for a whole hive that the bees would necessarily
gravitate to (I never saw a hexagonal bee tree.)
I was wrong. We looked at a bunch of Corwin's hives, and the
Cathedrals were both the best. While certainly some of it could have
been queen related, these hives had beautifully drawn comb, dense brood,
and great pollen and capped honey, even when most of his other hives
were almost starving because of the horrendous rains. You know how you
have to (consciously or unconsciously) be very careful when handling
laden top bars, (and while to be on the safe side, you should be with
these, too), the cathedral bars (three wooden sides of the hexagon),
made for a very substantial frame that was much more solid and
protected, despite the fact that the volume of comb on each was bigger
than on standard top bars. The holes cut in the bars were clearly used
by the bees, helping them communicate and travel. I have made about ten
of Corwin's golden mean hives, and can't wait to make a few of these
cathedrals once the plans are available. Just as with the Golden Mean
bars, however, which I found much harder to make than I liked, I am
hoping he makes the Cathedral bars available for purchase so I don't
have to try to make them. I don't know if he has done it yet, but the
idea of the living roof is so cool!" ~ Dr Mark S., Pennsylvania
Credit for the Cathedral Hive
New
truly bee centric innovations are rare these days and if they are fully
realized, they are usually born of the passion and commitment of many
individuals with sensitivity and creativity. Rather then feeling that I
am launching a product, I feel more that we are launching a concept or
an art project. So I want to do a call out to everyone who helped to
create the Cathedral from the initial ideas to those who stuck with me
and helped to perfect it.
I
would like to thank the Bee Doctors who came to our retreats and worked
the Cathedral Hives in total secrecy, : ) while sharing their ideas,
observations, their joy and amazement, which inspired me to finalize the
design and get it out to the world. Yay! This years' colonies in the
Cathedral Hives have done so well, that I finally felt we hit the mark
and are now ready to offer this most endearing hive design to others.
Dave
and I have worked together on anything wood, including a couple of
wooden sea kayaks we built together. Dave builds all our hives for
backyard hive, along with an occasional elf around Christmas time. Dave
and I have spent years and countless hours perfecting the Cathedral hive
and Dave has put up with “can we just build another quick prototype to
test this” or “sorry I just put bees in the demo hive, I couldn't
resist” and “can you make up another one for my workshop this weekend?”
Dave is a great designer that knows wood, is fun to work with and loves
bees, so how could you ask for more ?
Karen,
as you might know makes everything happen at Backyard Hive. She is the
Propolis that seals and heals our virtual hive, she fills the cracks and
holds things things together. Karen, has the ability to, at the perfect
moment, when we were totally baffled on some way to do a hive feature,
calmly comes up with the solution.
During
my early in my pursuits of creating a new Hexagonal hive, I found
inspiration from several others who had experimented with Hexagonal
hives. Thank you Marco Lamm, your inspiration helped to create a
wonderful hive that bees and Bee Guardians are really going to enjoy for
years to come. I would also like to thank Gunter Hauk and Toni Wilkinson for creating the first Hexagonal hives that I had seen almost 10 years ago, that got me thinking and exploring.
A happy Bee Guardian enjoying the New Cathedral Hive!
Phill Chandler jobber også med en lignendes tak, men denne fra backyard synes jeg er nok best.
Og så kan vi naturligvis prøve disse 'takhullveier' i våre vanlige topplister også. Det skal jeg prøve først.
