Inside The Beehive

European honey bees prefer to make their nests in dark, empty cavities such as a hollow tree or a wooden box. They make multiple, evenly spaced, vertical sheets of comb attached to the top of the cavity. Modern beekeeping takes advantage of how European honey bees behave in the wild. Bee boxes are built to reflect a dark cavity, and honey bees are happy to build their comb on the wax or plastic frames provided by the beekeeper. Frames allow honey bees to use less wax and energy to build their comb, and the beekeeper can easily remove frames for inspections without damaging the hard work of the bees.