In the last few months, we have been in the process of moving our headquarters from Utah to Saskatchewan. It is never a small thing to move a business. Please note that orders will be delayed and shipped 1st week of May. We apologize for the inconvenience.
To improve manufacturing and shipping we are making a few changes to our products:
Hives
Our hives will be shipped unassembled. You will need a Philips head screwdriver and/or a drill. We recommend bending the brackets on the corners to fit tight against the rabbets, this makes it easier to inspect and provides additional support for the rabbet, but that will be left to your preference. Videos will follow on our channel on YouTube.
Carvings will be available separately and can be added to your order instead of being included in each order. Pricing will lower per hive kit as a result of these changes.
Bees
Due to the hassles of shipping live bees across borders, we will no longer be selling bees directly to our customers in the United States.
We believe it is better to buy bees locally if possible.
There are many ways to start a Mini Urban Beehive, you can start with a pair of mini frames of bees and brood, a package, a swarm, a queen sabbatical, or one of the other methods (see MUB Magazine or Start a Mini Hive for more details).
Mini Frames
Our mini frames now have plastic sidebars. We feel this change increases the convenience, sturdiness, and versatility of the frames. These hybrid frames can be assembled with a hammer. No staples or nails needed, and glue is optional.
These frames are very secure, no longer will you be able to pull off the tops with a prybar.
We cut the top and bottom bars a little thicker to ensure a very snug fit. You can sand them before assembly if you wish them to be a little more loose.
Assembly is quick and easy. The color may vary with the year as a visual aid for our customers who desire to cycle old comb out. We recommend removing any comb older than 3 years to help keep your bees healthy. The color for 2020 is lilac.
The frames have access holes for the bees on the sides. The access holes can also be used with elastic for holding drawn comb in place. We’ve found this feature to be especially useful for cut-outs.
A new feature of our frames is the optional center bar rail. This can be used with a center bar for small comb honey or for holding a grafting bar for queen rearing.
With the use of the center bar rail, each frame can hold between 8 to 12 JZBZ cups, allowing you to use mini frames for grafting a handful of queens.
Recycling the sidebars is possible and they can be sterilized in boiling water prior to reuse.
Plastic-free all-wood frames are still available in limited quantities. We will have more details on that in the future.
