A beehive is the manufactured structure housing a bee colony, most commonly a movable-frame design such as the Langstroth or Dadant type, enabling inspection, disease management and honey extraction without destroying the comb.
In trade practice
Standardised movable-frame hives allow veterinary inspectors and beekeepers to examine brood for notifiable diseases such as American foulbrood, a requirement linked to apiary registration in Ukraine. Hive type influences extraction logistics: Dadant frames, common in Ukraine, yield larger comb sections and affect uncapping and centrifuge settings at the extraction facility. Buyers auditing honey suppliers may review hive inspection records as part of traceability verification. Hive condition and colony strength at harvest time are recorded to support lot documentation.
In a specification
Supplier quality questionnaires may ask for the hive system in use and frame dimensions where comb honey or specific extraction methods are specified in the purchase agreement.