About Our Manufacturing
Our Company
Royal Hives is a beehive manufacturing company based in Sofia, Bulgaria. We produce beehives and frames with traditional woodworking joints. We manufacture Dadant Blatt, Langstroth (multi-body), Farrar, Warré, National hive, Commercial hive, French Dadant, Dutch beehive, Roger Delon, hybrid models and more. For every hive type we produce the corresponding frames. All frame-holding parts have external recessed handles and an internal rebate for the frames.
Materials & Durability
We work with seasoned coniferous wood and limetree, dried to 10–12% equilibrium humidity. Brood chambers, bodies, supers and roofs are made with finger joints, glued, then filled twice and sanded twice. We use waterproof D3/D4 class woodworking adhesive. The putty is made on-site from the adhesive and fine sawdust. Finishes include water-based primers and varnishes with UV protection. Colours can be by the beekeeper's choice — it is a myth that bees recognise only part of the colour spectrum.
Our Process
All beehive woodenware is produced in our Sofia workshop. Inner covers, feeders and roofs must have ventilation and air circulation systems. This is necessary to prevent overheating in summer and moisture condensation in winter — the greatest enemy of bees, after the beekeeper, is moisture in the hive. Modern beekeeping requires the use of so-called "deep" bottoms — complex bottoms with two or more trays, at least 12 cm high, creating a buffer air volume under the brood box.
Who We Supply
We serve individual beekeepers, professional apiaries, beekeeping associations, distributors, and commercial retailers. From a single backyard hive to bulk orders of hundreds of units.