The Hive

 

Open native bee hive (bottom section) - Tetragonula carbonaria 

These stingless bees build their brood  area in a spiral.

When weighed this native bee hive was over 9.5 kg. This meant that it was full of bees and full of honey.

The hive is made to be split in half to make two hives out of one.

The brood area was built as a spiral which is characteristic of Tetragonula carbonaria. The other stingless honey-producing species is Tetragonula hockingsi whose brood area is more higgledy piggledy. 

Around the brood area are pods made of propolis (a mixture of tree-resin and wax). In the photo some pods are broken showing either liquid honey or yellow pollen.

In this particular hive the honey pods are near the  main entrance (bottom of photo) and the pollen pods are towards the rear (top of photo) - This is the opposite of the usual arrangement. This hive was positioned so that the small rear vent was in a sunnier position for some of the year - the bees then preferred to use vent as the  as a main entrance.

I do not remove any honey from the bottom brood chamber. I only remove honey from the separate top chamber called a honey super.