https://www.draytonbeehive.com/the-drayton-beehive-copy daily 0.75 2026-01-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e43fa4d08f1cd0315d635d8/41ae3dec-c3a1-4ee0-96c5-42c9267161bf/Drayton-Beehive-homepage-image-caption.jpg The Drayton Beehive (Copy) - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e43fa4d08f1cd0315d635d8/41ae3dec-c3a1-4ee0-96c5-42c9267161bf/Drayton-Beehive-homepage-image-caption.jpg The Drayton Beehive (Copy) - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.draytonbeehive.com/shop daily 0.75 2026-02-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e43fa4d08f1cd0315d635d8/7f2c6f6a-f3bb-4b62-9658-f170246ee65d/Thorne+Drayton+Hive.jpg Shop - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e43fa4d08f1cd0315d635d8/1620657728502-MY7SX6L5OZVW4OZ34M72/production-team-Sylva-Foundation-with-Drayton-Hives.jpg Shop The production team at the Sylva Foundation with Drayton Hives ready for customers https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e43fa4d08f1cd0315d635d8/1982ef1b-2976-41d3-927a-5998faf43b81/b95147c8-3509-f947-b4fb-4bea8903353f.jpeg Shop - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.draytonbeehive.com/seasonal-management daily 0.75 2026-02-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e43fa4d08f1cd0315d635d8/1606735083263-2WT700OG8H4NOH8F2453/the-drayton-hive-seasonal-management.jpg Seasonal Management https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e43fa4d08f1cd0315d635d8/1606735120301-SDB2KPKZ4P23VC0LQTTM/the-drayton-beehive-seasonal-management.jpg Seasonal Management https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e43fa4d08f1cd0315d635d8/eadfbb7d-d257-4104-a0b1-a3d7b09e7553/drayton-hive-manual.jpeg https://www.draytonbeehive.com/home daily 1.0 2026-02-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e43fa4d08f1cd0315d635d8/88bf66da-e086-40d0-aa1d-250f17628957/Drayton-Beehive-homepage-image-caption.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e43fa4d08f1cd0315d635d8/1581516746409-KKXXHL91J3WE1XD3GLCM/Drayton+Hive+Hexagon.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e43fa4d08f1cd0315d635d8/1581516746409-KKXXHL91J3WE1XD3GLCM/Drayton+Hive+Hexagon.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e43fa4d08f1cd0315d635d8/1581516746409-KKXXHL91J3WE1XD3GLCM/Drayton+Hive+Hexagon.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e43fa4d08f1cd0315d635d8/1581516746409-KKXXHL91J3WE1XD3GLCM/Drayton+Hive+Hexagon.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e43fa4d08f1cd0315d635d8/1581516746409-KKXXHL91J3WE1XD3GLCM/Drayton+Hive+Hexagon.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e43fa4d08f1cd0315d635d8/1581516746409-KKXXHL91J3WE1XD3GLCM/Drayton+Hive+Hexagon.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e43fa4d08f1cd0315d635d8/1581516746409-KKXXHL91J3WE1XD3GLCM/Drayton+Hive+Hexagon.png https://www.draytonbeehive.com/development-of-the-drayton-hive daily 0.75 2026-02-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e43fa4d08f1cd0315d635d8/1581926605862-8EKRVUPGAQCQINFRJQRE/andrew-bax-drayton-beehive.jpg Hive Development A photo from the 1980s. The bees in this hive produced 212 lb of honey in a single season. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e43fa4d08f1cd0315d635d8/eadfbb7d-d257-4104-a0b1-a3d7b09e7553/drayton-hive-manual.jpeg https://www.draytonbeehive.com/a-simplified-system daily 0.75 2026-02-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e43fa4d08f1cd0315d635d8/1582555242216-5FEOC64GNV86SL20A6X6/P5300546.jpg A Simplified System Photo: Paul Honigmann https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e43fa4d08f1cd0315d635d8/eadfbb7d-d257-4104-a0b1-a3d7b09e7553/drayton-hive-manual.jpeg https://www.draytonbeehive.com/contact daily 0.75 2026-02-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e43fa4d08f1cd0315d635d8/7f2c6f6a-f3bb-4b62-9658-f170246ee65d/Thorne+Drayton+Hive.jpg https://www.draytonbeehive.com/honey-and-wax-extraction daily 0.75 2026-02-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e43fa4d08f1cd0315d635d8/1606747359500-N6LVGAO9NK6A7EOCLN0F/drayton-beehive-wax-extraction2.jpg Honey and Wax Extraction https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e43fa4d08f1cd0315d635d8/1606747958866-7WLTIQ3XSLLYNMZH6W63/drayton-beehive-honey-and-wax-extraction.png Honey and Wax Extraction https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e43fa4d08f1cd0315d635d8/eadfbb7d-d257-4104-a0b1-a3d7b09e7553/drayton-hive-manual.jpeg https://www.draytonbeehive.com/about-the-hive daily 0.75 2026-02-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e43fa4d08f1cd0315d635d8/1581691013898-CIKRJ0QUASNTGS6TF3QB/drayton-beehive-hive-body2.jpg About the Drayton Hive - Hive body This is a box of a size to accommodate standard 12 x 14 Hoffman frames, fitted with an entrance, inspection window, removable floor and roof. The sides and ends are heavily insulated so that, together with the insulation bags (see below) the bees are well protected against extremes of temperature in both winter and summer. Its raised, horizontal structure enables management without bending or lifting, thus avoiding the risk of back injury which is so common among beekeepers. The standard hive holds 18 frames, roughly equivalent in comb area to a National brood chamber plus two supers. Overcrowding in the Drayton Hive is avoided by replacing frames full of capped honey with empty frames as the season progresses. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e43fa4d08f1cd0315d635d8/1581691035492-8G0JGYS2LO8VOZILEQJV/drayton-beehive-frames2.jpg About the Drayton Hive - Frames The body of the Drayton Hive is fitted with 12 x 14 Hoffman frames fitted with a narrow piece of unwired foundation as a starter strip or with solid top bars and a V profile on the underside (available from certain equipment suppliers). Bees will build their own comb within the frames but, because they do not have wire support they should always be held vertically when filled with comb. Pre-wired foundation should not be fitted into the frames because it will make honey extraction much more difficult. All 18 frames remain in the hive throughout the year, avoiding the need for storage in the winter months. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e43fa4d08f1cd0315d635d8/1581691056507-CO55C4140KA8LA8YI768/drayton-beehive-floor.jpg About the Drayton Hive - Division board In the Drayton Hive the queen and cluster are confined to a brood chamber at the front of the hive throughout the year. During the winter months, a division board, consisting of 12mm plywood held vertically between two frames, is positioned in the middle of the hive to reduce the size of the brood chamber and conserve heat. Spare frames are stored behind it. The division board is movable and its position is determined by the size of the colony. For uniting two colonies, a spare division board in which a hole of, perhaps, 25cm² has been cut and covered with perforated newspaper is effective. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e43fa4d08f1cd0315d635d8/1620657372009-ZP5ICFI9WK8GFM2BPAU6/P1030875.jpg About the Drayton Hive - Excluder This is a standard queen excluder cut to size with a 4mm wooden frame on either side to fill the bee space. It rests on the floor and is held vertically between two frames in the middle of the hive; it replaces the division board during the spring and summer months. During this period the colony will expand through the excluder to fill the frames behind it with comb and honey. The excluder is movable and its position is determined by the size of the colony. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e43fa4d08f1cd0315d635d8/1581691162796-8UWL1DDFPRLTG737V2EX/drayton-beehive-cover-cloth2.jpg About the Drayton Hive - Cover cloth The Drayton Hive has a cover cloth made from stiffened hessian and laid across the top of the frames. It will be propolised down by the bees so has to be peeled back to expose the required area when working on the hive. There is a hole at the front of the cover cloth for feeding which, when not in use, is covered by a separate piece of stiffened hessian (see Seasonal Management). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e43fa4d08f1cd0315d635d8/1620656610145-N48RQSGWOPL3NT88YO3G/drayton-beehive-quilts.jpg About the Drayton Hive - Insulation bags These bags are made from unstiffened hessian, stuffed with dust-free barley straw and sealed by Velcro. Their purpose is to provide insulation against temperature extremes in both winter and summer, and to absorb excess moisture in the Drayton Hive. There are three of them so that they can be removed one at a time without disturbing the whole colony. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e43fa4d08f1cd0315d635d8/1581691224726-SLUYSDVN3F2LWHT4SLJY/drayton-beehive-entrance-slot.jpg About the Drayton Hive - Entrance slot Small (150mm wide and 8mm deep), to make it defendable against wasps and too narrow for mice. It is, however, big enough to allow free access by workers, drones and queens. A landing board is fitted at the entrance so that returning bees can be observed, together with their pollen loads. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e43fa4d08f1cd0315d635d8/1581691274306-V9JOMZEXXMOAWBRBR1LC/drayton-hive-optional-observation-window.jpg About the Drayton Hive - Observation window Useful for determining the strength of the colony and for monitoring the situation during the honey flow without having to open the hive (see Seasonal Management). In the illustration here of a prototype hive, the edge of an excluder can be seen between two frames. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e43fa4d08f1cd0315d635d8/1581691299893-8YV7FHM08VOQ44A12O9S/drayton-beehive-floor2.jpg About the Drayton Hive - Floor The floor consists largely of a sump which is hinged down to release hive debris and, by inserting a card above it, to measure varroa infestation. It is rebated and held tightly in place to reduce drafts. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e43fa4d08f1cd0315d635d8/1581691321421-0L4Y30KVRODSVXWELC79/drayton-beehive-roof.jpg About the Drayton Hive - Roof The roof is pitched to throw off rain and the eaves overhang the hive to provide additional protection. There are ventilation holes at each end of the Drayton Hive. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e43fa4d08f1cd0315d635d8/1606735473686-DDFJY2E7AMOOAE0RDYQR/drayton-hive-legs.jpg About the Drayton Hive - Legs These raise the hive by about 500mm, and are made from rot-proof timber. They have to be strong enough to support the Drayton Hive and, potentially, up to 40 kilo. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e43fa4d08f1cd0315d635d8/eadfbb7d-d257-4104-a0b1-a3d7b09e7553/drayton-hive-manual.jpeg https://www.draytonbeehive.com/the-pallet-hive daily 0.75 2026-02-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e43fa4d08f1cd0315d635d8/1770738574296-NT2ZMEXZFZ6XOJS9QANM/the-pallet-hive-02.jpeg The Pallet Hive https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e43fa4d08f1cd0315d635d8/1770738574427-71MVZUDNL5KDBMH768A7/the-pallet-hive-01.jpeg The Pallet Hive https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e43fa4d08f1cd0315d635d8/f05ed722-90af-4640-a12a-97f56b944ec2/Scan_20260120.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e43fa4d08f1cd0315d635d8/32c81360-10f5-4fec-9b7a-3644fc74871a/Scan_20260120+%282%29.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e43fa4d08f1cd0315d635d8/1770738574427-71MVZUDNL5KDBMH768A7/the-pallet-hive-01.jpeg The Pallet Hive https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e43fa4d08f1cd0315d635d8/1770738574296-NT2ZMEXZFZ6XOJS9QANM/the-pallet-hive-02.jpeg The Pallet Hive https://www.draytonbeehive.com/manual daily 0.75 2026-02-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e43fa4d08f1cd0315d635d8/1982ef1b-2976-41d3-927a-5998faf43b81/b95147c8-3509-f947-b4fb-4bea8903353f.jpeg Manual - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.