Product Overview
12 Frame Double Wax Dipped 9-5/8" Deep Hive Body with Triple Wax Coated Frames
Build a Stronger Brood Nest with Premium Double Wax Dipped Woodenware
The 12 Frame Double Wax Dipped 9-5/8" Deep Hive Body with Triple Wax Coated Frames is designed to provide the space honey bee colonies need to raise brood, store pollen, and build the population required for a productive hive. Manufactured by Lappe's Bee Supply, this fully assembled hive body combines premium double wax dipped woodenware with triple wax coated frames to provide long-lasting durability and encourage faster comb acceptance.
Whether you're expanding an existing colony, replacing worn equipment, or building a new hive from individual components, this deep hive body provides a dependable foundation for healthy colony growth.
Quick Answer
A 9-5/8" deep hive body, often called a deep brood box, is the primary living area of a honey bee colony. It houses the queen, brood nest, pollen stores, and much of the colony's honey reserves. This fully assembled 12 frame deep includes triple wax coated frames and is ready for immediate use.
What Is a Deep Hive Body?
A deep hive body is the primary brood chamber of a Langstroth hive.
This is where the colony spends most of its time raising brood and where the queen lays the majority of her eggs. Worker bees also store pollen and nectar within the brood chamber to support developing larvae and maintain colony growth.
As colonies expand, additional deep hive bodies may be added to increase brood space before honey supers are installed.
Why Choose a 12 Frame Deep Hive?
Compared to traditional 8 frame and 10 frame equipment, a 12 frame deep hive body provides additional comb space within a single box.
Benefits include:
- Increased brood area
- More room for honey and pollen storage
- Fewer brood boxes may be needed
- Greater flexibility during rapid spring buildup
- Larger brood nest capacity
- Excellent choice for strong colonies
Triple Wax Coated Frames Included
This hive body includes premium triple wax coated frames that contain significantly more beeswax than standard plastic foundation.
The heavier wax coating encourages bees to begin drawing comb more readily, especially during nectar flows when colonies are actively expanding.
Benefits include:
- Faster comb acceptance
- Improved brood nest establishment
- Better colony development
- Increased wax drawing
- Ready for package bees, nucs, or established colonies
Why Double Wax Dipped Woodenware?
Every hive body is manufactured by Lappe's Bee Supply and protected using our premium double wax dipping process.
Double wax dipping helps:
- Improve moisture resistance
- Extend the service life of woodenware
- Reduce maintenance
- Protect wood from seasonal weather
- Provide years of dependable performance
Excellent For
- Brood chambers
- Colony expansion
- Replacing damaged hive bodies
- Installing package bees
- Transferring nucleus colonies
- Building complete hives
- Swarm captures
- Growing strong colonies
What's Included
- Fully assembled 12 Frame Double Wax Dipped 9-5/8" Deep Hive Body - measures 19-7/8" x 18-1/2" x 9-5/8"
- Twelve Triple Wax Coated Frames
- Ready for installation into your hive
What This Component Does
The 12 Frame Double Wax Dipped 9-5/8" Deep Hive Body with Triple Wax Coated Frames provides a complete brood chamber that is ready to install into your hive. As the primary living area of a honey bee colony, this deep hive body is where the queen lays eggs, worker bees raise brood, and the colony stores pollen and much of its food reserves.
Unlike an empty hive body, this complete unit includes premium Triple Wax Coated Frames, allowing you to begin installing package bees, transferring nucleus colonies, or expanding existing hives without purchasing frames separately. The combination of durable double wax dipped woodenware and heavily wax-coated frames provides an excellent foundation for establishing healthy, productive colonies.
Where This Fits in Your Hive
The 9-5/8" deep hive body with frames serves as the primary brood chamber and is installed directly above the bottom board.
Typical hive configuration (top to bottom):
- Telescoping Hive Lid
- Inner Cover
- Honey Super(s) (when installed)
- 9-5/8" Deep Hive Body with Triple Wax Coated Frames ← This Product
- Bottom Board
The queen establishes her brood nest inside this hive body while worker bees raise brood, store pollen, and maintain the colony's food reserves. As the colony grows, additional deep hive bodies or honey supers can be added above the brood chamber to provide additional space.
What This Product Is Compatible With
This 12 Frame Double Wax Dipped 9-5/8" Deep Hive Body with Triple Wax Coated Frames is designed for use with compatible 12 Frame Langstroth hive equipment, including:
- 12 Frame Wax Dipped Telescoping Hive Lids
- 12 Frame Wax Dipped Inner Covers
- 12 Frame Solid Bottom Boards
- 12 Frame Screened Bottom Boards
- 12 Frame 6-5/8" Wax Dipped Honey Supers
- 12 Frame Queen Excluders
- Complete 12 Frame Double Wax Dipped Bee Hives
- Additional 12 Frame Double Wax Dipped Hive Components manufactured by Lappe's Bee Supply
Using matching 12 frame equipment helps ensure proper fit while making it easy to expand your hive as your colony grows.
When You'll Need This Component
A complete deep hive body with frames is one of the first components required when establishing a new honey bee colony and is also commonly purchased when expanding existing hives.
You may need this component when:
- Building a new 12 frame hive
- Installing package bees
- Transferring a 5 frame nucleus colony (nuc)
- Expanding a growing colony
- Adding a second brood chamber
- Replacing damaged brood boxes
- Building additional hives for apiary expansion
- Purchasing a brood chamber that's ready to use with included frames
Because this hive body includes Triple Wax Coated Frames, it eliminates the need to purchase frames separately, allowing beekeepers to get new equipment into service more quickly while providing bees with a foundation designed to encourage faster comb acceptance.
Why Choose a Hive Body with Frames Instead of an Empty Hive Body?
Purchasing a hive body with Triple Wax Coated Frames saves time by providing a brood chamber that's ready to install into your hive. Rather than selecting and assembling frames separately, you receive a complete unit designed to work together, making it an excellent choice for new hive construction, colony expansion, and replacing worn equipment.
Why Buy from Lappe's Bee Supply?
Lappe's Bee Supply has roots in commercial beekeeping dating back to 1978.
Our double wax dipped woodenware is manufactured to provide long-lasting durability while remaining compatible with standard Langstroth management practices. Every component is designed by beekeepers who understand the demands of maintaining healthy, productive colonies season after season.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a deep hive body used for?
A deep hive body serves as the primary brood chamber where the queen lays eggs and the colony raises brood while storing pollen and honey for colony growth.
Is this hive body assembled?
Yes. The hive body is assembled and includes triple wax coated frames.
Can I use this as my first brood box?
Absolutely. This hive body is designed to be used as a primary brood chamber when starting a new colony.
Why are triple wax coated frames better?
A heavier beeswax coating encourages bees to begin drawing comb more quickly than lightly coated plastic foundation.
Is this compatible with standard Langstroth equipment?
Yes. It is designed to work with compatible 12 frame Langstroth equipment.
Can I add another deep later?
Yes. As your colony expands, additional deep hive bodies can be added before installing honey supers.
