GoodLand Bee Supply GL-2B1SK-ER Double Deep Box Beehive Kit Review

GoodLand Bee Supply is a subsidiary of Toolmart®. They are known for their high quality beekeeping supplies including protective gear, honey extractors, tools and beehives. The GL-2B1 SK-ER beekeeping double deep box beehive kit is a complete beehive kit sold by GoodLand Bee Supply.

In the beekeeping industry, GoodLand Bee Supply prides itself in provide quality products, service and support. Input from the field, recommendations and experience all go into shaping all of GoodLand Bee Supply’s products. They are great for both amateurs and experts.

About the GoodLand Bee Supply GL-2B1SK-ER Double Deep Box Beehive Kit

The GoodLand Bee Supply GL-2B1SK-ER Double Deep Box Beehive Kit is a modern premium beehive kit. It is sold in parts that you must assemble yourself. This prevents damage of parts during shipping. Unfortunately, the kit does not come with instructions for putting the beehive together. Though it is would be straightforward for the more experienced, it can be quite daunting for the beginner.

This GoodLand Bee Supply hive kit is a Langstroth beehive. Langstroth beehives are popular in modern beekeeping and give high honey yields. The Langstroth design also gives beekeepers a lot of ease in managing their bees. Hive inspections, maintenance and honey harvesting are easy to carry out on Langstroth beehives.

Specifications

Parts included in the GoodLand Bee Supply GL-2B1SK-ER Double Deep Box Beehive Kit on purchase are:

1. Bottom board – takes the weight of the beehive. It also allows the bees in and out of the hive. The bottom board included in the features an entrance reducer.
2. Entrance reducer for hive protection and to reduce drafts flowing through the hive.
3. Two brood/deep boxes for the bee colony to live in and reproduce.
4. One super box to hold honey.
5. Inner cover and top lid to keep out the elements and seal up the beehive.
6. Frames with foundations. These are where your bees will build their honeycombs. Foundation on frames makes it easier for bees to start building honeycombs. The foundation found in this beehive kit allows for well sized cells for honey storage and brooding.
7. Queen excluder to keep the queen from laying eggs in the super box. This is a feature of Langstroth beehives that allows you to harvest honey that is free of larvae and bees’ eggs.

Once you finish assembling the beehive, you might want to add some reinforcement at the joints. This can be done using screws or brad nails.

You may increase the size of openings on the entrance reducer if your bees are bigger or if they are many in the hive. Caution must however be taken not to make the entrances too big for your bee colony to defend. The design of this beehive allows for the entrance to be located in the upper regions of the beehive if you prefer it that way. An entrance at the top of the beehive is rarely blocked up by dead bees – especially in winter.

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Pros and Cons

Pros

• With proper assembly, the joints in the beehive are nicely tight and strong. You might add some reinforcement but not necessarily.
• You only need simple tools to assemble the hive. No heavy hammering and tiring screwing is required. Most of the pieces mesh together to make complete sections of the beehive.
• Goodland Bee Supply has put very nice grips on the sides of the boxes. Lifting and moving them is easy even when you are wearing gloves.
• The beehive kit is made of wood that is nice and durable. The type of wood used in this beehive kit is light yet strong.

Cons

• Frames included in the kit are not very well crafted. They tend to take up too much space since they are quite on the larger side. You may want to thin them out or get replacement frames after some time.
• The bottom board in the beehive kit is not very well built. This should be the first area to evaluate for reinforcement. The bottom board takes all the weight of the beehive, honey and bees. A strong bottom board is important for the beehive’s integrity in the long-term.
• The design of this beehive kit does not allow for placement of the entrance on the upper part of the beehive.
• The beehive kit does not come with an instructions manual. While professional builders of beehives may not need the manual, amateurs might find it an uphill task assembling the beehive.

 

Further Thoughts

Since you will be putting this beehive together yourself, it is good to have schematics or a diagram of the hive with you. A print of the general Langstroth hive will be adequate to guide you in the process of assembly. You may also piece together the various parts and invite a more professional beekeeper to show you how to stack them into a hive.

The brood boxes are spacious enough to hold a large colony made of many bees. The beehive kit provides you with large brood boxes to support a strong thriving colony of bees. This allows beekeepers to add a second super box to be filled with honey.

Conclusion

The GoodLand Bee Supply GL-2B1SK-ER Double Deep Box Beehive Kit is a practically designed product. It gives you an instant solution to your need for a beehive. The beehive is good for beekeepers that are either starting out or adding the number of hives in their apiary, though you should be wary of its shortcomings.

Do you own the GoodLand Bee Supply GL-2B1SK-ER Double Deep Box Beehive Kit? Leave a comment below and let us know what you think of it.

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