HIVE365 INSULATED Bee Hive DOUBLE DEEP

Very nicely built

I purchased 4 of these this year. I run 40 hives and I've had some issues with over wintering. I decided to try 4 of these since I had bee cozies to replace, I wanted to add more pollen traps, I liked the idea of the feeders and I'm tired of wooden ware that breaks down over the years. I also do small pollination and like the locks, so I don't need to strap everything down. All these are reasons I bought the hives and I think most of these will pan out.

So why 3 Stars?

1. I've already had to replace two of the bottoms and most likely will have to replace the other two. The mold that holds the feet in place seem brittle and have already cracked out. I'm extremely concerned about Winter in MN and will they completely break apart. I'm making some wood components to fit in the open slots on the bottom to give extra support. When I have 6 supers on, I just don't think they will handle the weight in it's current design.
2. The feeders are a challenge and need some tweaking. I had a hard time getting the covers on after I filled them. They also make it a challenge with a pollen patty on top. I had to roll the pollen patties out just a bit thinner so they fit on the hive correctly. Love the concept, just needs tweaking.
3. Pollen trap basket should come out the back not the front. I've been using Sundance traps for years, probably one of the best on the market. What I love about these is it's always on and should be easy to start and stop at anytime. But when I'm out collecting pollen, I don't want to suit up. I just want to zip out and grab the pollen. Pulling out the front seems like it's going to be an issue.

Don't get me wrong, I think these are going to be fantastic, I just think there are some kinks to workout.

I ordered two hives to try with new package bees. Bees are due April 12th. At this time, I'm unable to give a quality review.

I just installed a #3 package in the 365 hive it was nice and easy no problems. Just make sure to aline the feeders up properly,if reversed the top cover won’t go on, my bad. One other issue is the small holes in the feeder flanges front and back allow the bees to come up through as you are trying to put the top back on. Don’t see a reason for the holes just wondering why they are there. Bees are doing well in it will check next warm day to be sure queen is out.

I had really high hopes for these and they are good in a lot of ways, but there are some issues. The construction is solid and they're very sturdy. The multiple entrance options and frame hangers are great!

I currently do not collect pollen but the ease of collection is one of the reasons I purchased these. However, the bottom boards that I received were warped. This allows the bees to enter the pollen trap even when the pollen trap doors are closed.

Unfortunately, one of the main reasons I bought these and the biggest disappointment are the feeders. I really like that the feeders are transparent. This is a great advantage.

Firstly, The feeders are unidirectional (you have to put them in a certain way), which if you're not paying attention to can cause issues putting on the lid.

Second, they're free floating - meaning they don't "snap" into place like other feeders. This allows them to move in multiple directions and can also make putting on the lid a little tough.

Thirdly, when I was having issues with bees dying in the feeder, I tried to replace the top feeders that came with the hive with my ApiMaye feeders. As it turns out the ApiMay feeders are too wide and don't allow you to close the lid.

I haven't found any other hive components that don't work with these (I'll be putting on honey supers/mediums soon).

If none of these concern you then they're phenomenal hives and I would definitely recommend them.