Hives

The combs that comprise the hive are two layers of six-sided chambers constructed from wax that the bees make and secrete. The cells contain food from honey, nectar from plants, and pollen bread, also known as bee bread. Honey, made by bees from blossom nectar, was the only easily accessible sugar for humans until the modern era. That is why people have been bringing honeybees into their homes for generations. Beekeeping is the practice of maintaining honeybee colonies. Honeybees are vital to farming for more than just their honey production; they pollinate many domesticated plants. To raise their young, several species of honeybees (genus Apis) reside in enclosed structures known as beehives. While the term “beehive” can refer to the nest of any colony of bees, the term “nest” is used more specifically in scholarly and professional writings. In this context, “nest” refers to a colony that makes its home in an exposed or man-made cavity or even in a hanging basket. An artificial or man-made structure used to house honeybee nests is called a hive. As a colony animal, Apis is home to multiple species. Apis mellifera, the western honeybee, and Apis cerana, the eastern honeybee, are the two most common species in hives for honey production.