What's Buzzing at Skookum Beehives?

Log hives, also called "Bee Gums," in addition to straw skeps, are how beekeepers kept bees in America up until the invention of the Langstroth hives. Log hives are great (There's actually one going into the Skookum Bee Yard in 2024!), but they are heavy and difficult to create (trust us, we're hollowing one out now...and it is really hard to do!). Skookum is working on a modern version. It'll be a 24" tall (not including the roof) octagon "log." At 24" tall and 10.25" in diameter, it will have an interior volume of about 49 liters, which is right in the sweet spot of what feral honeybees prefer for their tree cavity. We plan to make it of 2x4 pine lumber (1.5" actual thickness) with a nearly full-height access door for cutting out comb and performing inspections. We'll likely offer these in both bright (varnished wood) and painted finishes. We are looking forward to adding one or two of these to the Skookum Bee Yard this coming spring, too!

Skookum is hard at work on a new line of super-insulated Ultimate hives. Normal pine 3/4" lumber has an insulative rating of about R1. Using solid board insulation, our Ultimate hives exceed R10! Considering the latest research about hive insulation, which has found that standard hives are WAY under-insulated and are causing terrible stress to the colony, it's about time that we ensure that our bees are as comfortable as we are in cold weather (or hot weather, for that matter...insulation helps for both extremes!).

We are also working in a few additional features to help the hive function better, such as integrated thermo-hygrometers, solar-powered vent fans in the roof, and an advanced entrance system. We are hoping to revolutionize the beekeeping world!