A Review on Busy Bees ‘n’ More Beehives

When buying a beehive you want a quality product, made of durable materials that will last a long time. The Amish are known for their woodworking, so it makes sense that they’d excel at constructing beehives.  

About Busy Bees ‘n’ More

Located in Ohio, Busy Bees ‘n’ More are manufacturers of Langstroth beehives. What sets them apart from other beehive manufacturers is that these hives are made by Amish woodworkers.  The Amish are known for their quality craftsmanship and high quality woodwork.  

All Busy Bees ‘n’ More hives are made in the USA using responsibly sourced wood.  They sell both 8 and 10 frame hives, as well as a starter kit that includes a hive, bee suit, smoker, gloves, and various accessories.  

Disclosure: As an affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. This is at no cost to you and helps to keep this website running.

Amish Made Beehives

Not only are the Amish skilled craftsmen, they are also experienced beekeepers. Those two skills come together to create the high quality beehives at Busy Bees ‘n’ More.  

These authentic hives have been meticulously crafted in the USA using eastern white pine. They pride themselves in using only the best, responsibly sourced wood from Michigan and Pennsylvania.  

Busy Bees ‘n’ More Shipping

If you order from their website, busybeesnmore.com, you’ll get free shipping for all orders over $99.  This applies to the lower 48 states and orders typically ship within 1-2 days.  

However, a better deal can be found by ordering through their partner site, Galena Farms.  Galena Farms offers Busy Bees ‘n’ More hives for the exact same price, but will ship for free for orders $50 and above.  

Galena Farms tends to ship their hives out within 24 hours of the order being placed.  Either FedEx or UPS will be used, whichever is faster. Depending on where you live, you can expect to receive your hive in 1-4 business days.  

See my review on Galena Farms here.

Furthermore, the Busy Bees ‘n’ More Starter Kit can only be bought at galenafarms.com. 

Busy Bees ‘n’ More Amish Made 10 Frame Beehive Starter Kit

This is the perfect kit for beginners or anyone who is interested in getting into beekeeping.  It comes with 1 Amish made deep brood box, frames, foundation, a bee suit, smoker, and all the tools you’ll need to get started.  

I like that you can buy everything all together instead of having to purchase each item separately.  It’s faster, easier, and even comes out cheaper this way. The hive even comes assembled, so you don’t have to put it together.

This particular kit comes nuc ready with 5 frames, or you have the option of getting 10 frames.  If you prefer, the kit also comes with an 8 frame hive.  It is called nuc ready because it has space for the 5 frames that typically come with a nuc.  All you have to do is put the nuc frames in. 

Since this is a deep brood box, the foundation this kit comes with is colored black.  That’s because it’s easier to see eggs against a black background, especially for new beekeepers. 

The Busy Bees ‘n’ More Starter Kit Includes:

• Telescoping Top Cover Capped with White Aluminum (18-1/2″ x 22″ x 2-7/8″)
• Inner Cover (16-1/4″ x 19-7/8″ x 3/4″)
• Plastic Queen Excluder (16-1/4″ x 19-7/8″ x 1/8″)
• 1 Deep Brood Box (16-1/4″ x 19-7/8″ x 9-5/8″)
• 5 Deep Brood Langstroth Wood Frames (1-3/8″ x 19″ x 9-1/8″)
• 5 Plastic Black Textured CellTech Foundations (100% Wax Coated)(3/16″ x 16-3/4″ x 8-1/2″)
• Screen Bottom Board (16-1/4″ x 22″ x 2-9/16″)
• Plastic Insert (15″ x 21-3/4″ x 1/8″)
• Entrance Reducer (14-5/8″ x 3/4″ x 3/4″)
• Elbow Length Leather Gloves
• Extra Protective Jacket
• Reinforced Up Right Veil
• The Original Smoker
• Curled Hive Tool
• Product Comes Assembled

Busy Bees ‘n’ More Standard Amish Made 10 Frame Beehive

If you don’t need a starter kit, you can’t go wrong with the Busy Bees ‘n’ More Standard Amish Made 10 Frame Beehive. The wood used to build this hive is Eastern White Pine.  Eastern White Pine is a strong, durable wood that is resistant to rot.  The color is a pale, light brown with a straight grain and even texture.  

This hive includes 2 deep brood boxes and 1 medium honey super.  This is the standard and also most versatile set up used for beekeeping.  When your colony grows, more deeps and honey supers can be added.  

Each hive part uses standard measurements, so you can easily add more boxes, regardless of the brand.  Every hive part is precisely cut, including the tightly fitting finger joints. 

Unlike the Starter Kit, this hive comes unassembled. However, the precision cuts make assembly quick and easy. The wood is also unfinished, so you should plan to coat your hive with paint, stain, or wax.  

This hive kit includes 30 frames and 30 plastic textured CellTech foundations.  (Or 24 frames and foundations if you go for the 8 frame version.) I really like that the brood boxes have black foundation because that makes spotting eggs easier.  The super has natural honey colored foundations, which helps in spotting debris. 

The Busy Bees ‘n’ More Standard 10 Frame Beehive includes:

• Telescoping Top Cover Capped with White Aluminum (18-1/2″ x 22″ x 2-7/8″)
• Inner Cover (16-1/4″ x 19-7/8″ x 3/4″)
• Plastic Queen Excluder (16-1/4″ x 19-7/8″ x 1/8″)
• 1 Medium Super Box (16-1/4″ x 19-7/8″ x 6-5/8″)
• 10 Medium Super Langstroth Wood Frames (1-3/8″ x 19″ x 6-1/4″)
• 10 Plastic Natural Honey Colored Textured CellTech Foundations (100% Wax Coated)(3/16″ x 16-3/4″ x 5-5/8″)
• 2 Deep Brood Boxes (16-1/4″ x 19-7/8″ x 9-5/8″)
• 20 Deep Brood Langstroth Wood Frames (1-3/8″ x 19″ x 9-1/8″)
• 20 Plastic Black Textured CellTech Foundations (100% Wax Coated)(3/16″ x 16-3/4″ x 8-1/2″)
• Screen Bottom Board (16-1/4″ x 22″ x 2-9/16″)
• Plastic Insert (15″ x 21-3/4″ x 1/8″)
• Entrance Reducer (14-5/8″ x 3/4″ x 3/4″)

Pros of Busy Bees ‘n’ More

• Made in the USA.
• Made from responsibly sourced eastern white pine.
• Amish made quality craftsmanship.
• Standard dimensions  – can be used with other brands of beehives.
• Starter Kit comes assembled.
• Affordable and good value for the money.

Cons of Busy Bees n More

• Hives do not come painted, stained, or waxed. That means that you’ll have to do that yourself and give it time to off-gas if you choose paint or stain.  
• Free shipping is only for the lower 48 states.
• Larger hives will come unassembled.

Where to Buy Busy Bees ‘n’ More Beehives

Busy Bees ‘n’ More beehives can be bought online. They have their own website, busybeesnmore.com, however I prefer to order from their partner site, GalenaFarms.com. The prices are the same on both sites, but Galena Farms has a better deal on shipping.  Plus, Galena Farms has more hives and supplies for sale. 

Another advantage to ordering from Galena Farms is that they are offering a 5% discount when you order.  Simply use the code COMPLETEBEEHIVES at checkout to get your discount.  

Summary

Busy Bees ‘n’ More offers Amish made beehives that are made in the USA using Eastern White Pine. The advantage of Amish made hives are skilled craftsmanship and quality woodwork.  The best place to buy Busy Bees ‘n’ More hives are at galenafarms.com.