Long ago, people from many parts of the world discovered that they could increase honey production by creating a special environment for bee hives. Today, apiculture, the science of beekeeping, is a comprehensive scientific and technological enterprise. Beekeepers study topics from the anatomy and physiology of bees to their evolution, genetics, and ecology. The best beekeepers are those who can combine scientific knowledge with practical skills to manage their hives and to process and market honey.
The first human-made hives were quite variable in size and shape. They were made by these ancient beekeepers from material that was readily available. For example, early Mediterranean and Egyptian hives were often pipes made of sun-baked mud, hives in Africa were pipes made from tree bark, and the earliest northern European hives were vertically standing hollowed out logs. In Western Europe, the hives were constructed from basketwork plastered with mud and cow dung. The material was made into a long tube several inches in diameter. This tube was laid upon itself into a spiral to form a cylinder with a cap. The final construction was then bound together using split bramble stems. These hives held about five gallons of honey. When the time to harvest arrived, honey was collected by first killing the colony of bees inside the hive and then removing all of the honey comb.
Beginning in the seventeenth century, beekeepers began to experiment with hives made from wooden boxes. With this strategy, boxes could be stacked or placed side by side to extend the size of the original hive. Dividing plates could be placed between the boxes to make addition and removal of boxes easy to do while still having control of the activities of the bees inside the hive. With these innovations, honey could be removed without destroying the colony.
Since the middle of the eighteenth century, bee hives have had movable parts and spaces for bees to move around the hive. The interior design of the beehive is a series of vertically hanging rectangular frames. These frames look like a shallow dresser drawers. In building a frame, a piece is cut out from the base to allow the bees to move around. The remaining base is then coated with a wax foundation. The coating has an imprint of the hexagonal design of the honey comb to encourage the bees to build their comb so that the frames can be easily removed.