Segeberger Hive
Lexikon
The Segeberger hive is a modern box hive made of moulded rigid polystyrene foam (EPS), named after the beekeeping school in Bad Segeberg in Schleswig-Holstein and especially widespread in northern Germany.
The Segeberger hive is a modern box hive made of moulded rigid polystyrene foam (EPS), named after the beekeeping school in Bad Segeberg in Schleswig-Holstein and especially widespread in northern Germany. Its footprint is square with an edge length of about fifty by fifty centimetres, so the boxes can be turned in any direction and can be run in both warm-way and cold-way orientation.
Each box holds eleven frames in German Normal (DN) size. Thanks to the light but sturdy plastic material, Segeberger hives are noticeably easier to handle than comparable wooden boxes and need no additional weather protection outdoors. The good insulating properties of the polystyrene benefit the colony above all in winter, because less heat is lost through the hive wall.
For beginners the Segeberger hive is a practical choice because of its low weight and the wide availability of accessories, though under the guidelines of most organic associations, honey from plastic hives does not count as organic honey, since these prescribe wood or other natural materials. Polystyrene is also more easily damaged than wood, for instance by mice or woodpeckers, which is why damaged boxes should be checked regularly.