9-5/8" Deep Wax-Dipped Propola® Hive Body | Assembled
10-Frame: $44.95
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The Propola® hive restores the natural habitat your bees know and need.
With roughened interior surfaces, Propola facilitates the formation of a propolis envelope inside your beehive. This propolis-rich environment is a critical part of honey bees' natural defense against disease.
Less disease means stronger bees and more of them. The Propola hive has been shown to increase colony populations by up to 2 frames of bees per hive, leading to stronger colonies.
The hive body comes wax-dipped to provide long lasting protection without the hassle of painting.
Milled in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
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10-frame hive body dimensions: 19-7/8” (length) x 16-1/4” (width) x 9-5/8” (height)
Product weight: 9 lbs
Box material: White pine
Made 100% in the USA
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Qualifies for free shipping on orders over $150.*
In-stock orders typically take 24-48 hours to ship.
*Free shipping offer extends to orders anywhere inside the contiguous 48 states. Read our full shipping terms here.
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What makes the Propola hive different from other beehives? The Propola hives features roughened and grooved interior surfaces to facilitate the formation of a propolis envelope. This propolis envelope is a natural function of a bee colony to fight disease.
Will the bees still propolize the box if it’s wax dipped? You bet! The wax-soaked hives have no obvious effect on the amount of propolis deposited by bees.
How does the wax dipping process work? The boxes are dipped in a microcrystalline wax blend at high temperatures, which pushes moisture out of the box and impregnates the wood with the wax. The wax preserves the wood for years by shedding moisture and preventing fungal growth and decay.
What is propolis? Propolis is a resin-like material that comes primarily from trees. Sometimes referred to as “bee glue”, propolis is used by bees to seal unwanted gaps and fight infection in the hive due to its antimicrobial properties.
Can you harvest the propolis from the Propola hive? No! The propolis envelope that will form in the Propola box is meant to stay in the hive to support colony health.
How long does it take for bees to envelope the hive in propolis? This depends on the supply of resin available in your region and the propolis-hoarding behavior of your bees. The typical envelope will fully form within 1-2 years, though many will be quicker.
What grade of lumber are the hive bodies made from? Wax-dipped Propola hive bodies are made from a combination of select- and commercial-grade eastern white pine. There will be occasional tight knots, though not in structurally integral locations (i.e., joints, handles, frame rests).
Does the Propola hive kit come in an 8-frame size? No. At this time, the Propola hive is only available as a 10-frame box.
Is assembly required? No. This hive body comes fully assembled.
Where is the Propola hive body made? All hive bodies, frames, and foundations are made in our factories in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
The benefits of the Propola hive are very well documented and scientifically supported. It’s clear that Propola hive bodies will become my standard equipment as I rotate out older boxes. I’m an instant fan.
- Fred Dunn | Educator, content creator
Restoring the propolis envelope is just like washing your hands: It provides basic sanitation and defense against foreign microbes. Help bees help themselves!
- Marla Spivak, Ph.D. | University of Minnesota Bee Lab
The natural habitat for the modern hive.
Since their origins, honey bees have been enveloping their nests with a natural, resinous substance called propolis. Research has shown that this propolis envelope is a critical part of the colony’s natural defense against disease.
Restore the propolis envelope.
The modern, smooth-walled beehive discourages bees from coating their hives in propolis.
The Propola hive features roughened interior walls to encourage propolis collection and restore the propolis envelope inside the hive. This creates a healthy, stable environment for your bees.
Propolis surrounds a natural bee nest inside a tree cavity.
Resist disease.
Research has shown that the Propola hive leads to many individual- and colony-level health benefits.
The antimicrobial properties of propolis significantly reduce the presence of American foulbrood, European foulbrood, and chalkbrood diseases, among others. There is even some evidence that propolis lowers the fertility of Varroa destructor.
Perhaps more importantly, the propolis envelope greatly reduces bees’ immune response, meaning your bees will feel healthier and be more productive.
Raise more bees.
Less disease results in stronger bees and more of them. The Propola hive has shown to increase colony populations by up to 2 frames of bees per hive.
More bees means stronger colonies, more opportunity, and potentially higher survival rates when compared to weak colonies.
Wax-dipped for long-lasting protection.
Dipped in a premium microcrystalline wax blend by Nature’s Image Farm™, this “Endurahive™” box weathers the elements without having to stress about painting or reworking later on. With wax permeating throughout, this box is built to shed moisture and prevent rot for years to come.
No paint. No rot. No hassle.
Read the scientific literature:
Shanahan M, Simone-Finstrom M, Tokarz P, Rinkevich F, Read Q.D., Spivak M. Thinking inside the box: Restoring the propolis envelope facilitates honey bee social immunity. PLoS ONE, 2023. (Coming Soon)
Product Details:
10-frame hive kit dimensions: 19-7/8” (length) x 16-1/4” (width) x 9-5/8” (height)
Frame dimensions: 19” x 9-1/8”
Product weight: 17 lbs
Lumber: White pine
Foundation color: Black
Foundation wax coat: Double coat of 100% rendered capping beeswax from A.H. Meyer & Sons
Foundation material: Virgin, food-grade plastic (BPA-free)
Made 100% in the USA
