Hancock 
alternative beehive
The joy of bee's

History and Origin?

Designed and made in England specifically for English bees.
Originating in Essex in a response to the unprecedented fall in bee colony numbers. 
Some thing had to be done!!

Traditional beekeeping was not helping, if anything it was, and is making things worse!

How does this Hive work??

It is a single cavity box hive, the same Idea as in nature, a dead tree.
It has beneficial bugs in a bead of wood chip and compost in the bottom.
To get honey, up to three "honey boxes" can be added to the out side.
These honey boxes can also be used as Bee colony lures or traps.
SIMPLE ,  NATURAL , BEE FRIENDLY

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Bee Habitat 

slim and can be put in a small space in a corner.

Honey bee Habitat 3
Honey bee Habitat 3
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Bee habitat with honey boxes 

Hidden under a tree.

If you are urban or rural, no matter. What matters is that you get start  as soon as possible.


So when is the best time to start? Well rite now!  The sooner you can get your hive up sooner they can start to weather.
 Even when it is no longer swarm season, the bees will remember, So get them up and get them baited....


One must realise that, this is not an instant gratification system!! Perceive this, as to a bird box.. sometimes the birdies fight over them, and sometimes nothing ever happens. As it is with an HAHive. 


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Description

Description

A B C = roof

D F G = bee entrances

E = hive body

H = Bead for beneficial bugs

I = Legs for hive

J = bottom cover.

So the Short instructions are:

Buy a "honey bee-habitat"

Put it in the garden

Bait it every two months 

When bees move in' you are a beekeeper

If you then want honey, add some honey boxes to the sides, and in a few month you will be able to harvest your very own honey.

The long version..

The short version will work just fine, However if you would like to complicated things, here you go.

[a]
Buy however many hives you want.  One or maybe even two. Then put them where you would like it to be once it has bees in. Say a good quiet spot at the bottom of the garden or allotment.  (bait it, and re-bait every two months and then let the magic happen).

 
[b]

Buy a few "swarm traps."  (See: "Honey box /Swarm trap/..")
Buy, then put up a few "swarm lure poles"
See : Honey Box / swarm trap / swarm stick

Bait them with lemon grass oil (from March till July is swarm season) one or two drops at or in the entrance once a month. Or if you have lures, two or three drops once a month. (powerful stuff, don't over do it, that has opposite effect.)
Start rite now, the sooner you can get some hives lurs swarm traps outside the sooner they can start to weather, and the bees will remember when swarm season comes round.. ] that is what makes this a really great birthday Christmas and occasion gift !! the sooner you can get them up the better your chances of attracting a swarm!!


you are now part of the club!! WELKOM  

[c]

Stay vigilant! if you have traps and lure sticks, the bees in the area will know about it! what you don't want is for a swarm to arrive and then leave!!  have your swarm gear ready. A Smock, Gloves, and a cardboard box to put them in. Or better still your hive. Ask around, to get a feral swarm. Speak to every bug exterminator in your area. Local beekeepers, every one. Some get lucky and get give a swarm, but this is very uncommon, to buy a swarm they cost £200.00 upwards! I however have had one or two swarms come though my garden every year. they might have been there in your garden, every year, you just have not been looking?

[d]

As soon as you have a swarm put them in your hive , then that evening move the hive to the location you want it to be. (dont be disheartened in my first two years I had none.. then the second I had one and the third I had Two!!)

[e]
You are now a beekeeper. Welkom to the "club", you are now "part of the team" of a very select few, trying to directly help honey bees by providing habitat.

[f] 

you can now do nothing, and just enjoy having bees. 
Or you can proceed with the list below.


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OK So if you want to really get involved!!

And this is still simpler than traditional beekeeping!!

So here is a first and second summer "what to do when chart", if you want some honey harvest.

A: is, the when you can expect a swarm and put it in your (HAH) HANCOCK ALTERNATIVE HIVE somewhere around June July time.they are put in the hive with the four top plugs in and the bottom holes all oppen.

B: they are then just left until it starts to get cold they stop flying and the pollen and nectar stops.
at this point all the access holes can be plugged except the smallest for them to do their poo flights in winter.
You can also add extra insulation to the top and sides if needed?

C: towards the end of winter, one of the of the entrance holes can be opened and as soon as you start getting more and more movement all the entrance holes at the bottom can be opened.
Once the bees really start flying ( this indicates the queen is laying and she has moved down) and there is a good nectar flow, you can allow access to one, two or three of the honey boxes.

D: mid summer solstice

E 1: Halfway between the midsummer solstice and the date they stopped flying the previous year, or the average date over the last few years for your hives specific climat, honey can be removed.

here there are a few options.
O1: You can knock out the bees out of the honey boxes to walk back into the hive. Then plug all four of the honey box entrances.

O2: You can knock the bees from one, two or three boxes into one and replace it  with only access to that one box. ( I suppose you could also vacuum them all into one box? Not your hone Hoover but a "bee Vac")

O3: replace all the boxes  ( how ever many new boxes )with access to all the boxes.
Then what? I do not know at this time is if they have access to one or more than one honey box over winter, will they starve in one box even if there is honey in another, I think so.






Equipment needed
working with bees and honey
bee smock
gloves
electric screw driver

no smoker (this might be handy when removing honey)
No hive tool ,
 No workshop, 
No hive jack,No FramesNo foundationNo extra boxes 

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Keep It Simple

Do not try to over think , or complicate something, that is effectively only a box full of bugs!!