MayBee 10-Frame Langstroth Beehive Dipped in Beeswax, Complete Bee Hives Includes 2 Deep Bee Boxes and 1 Medium Box with Beehive Frames and Foundations

Why it's worth it

You get two deep brood boxes, a medium honey super, and 30 dovetail frames with beeswax foundation, all in cedar dipped in beeswax. It's the most complete hive stack here, and it's the one you're least likely to outgrow in your first summer.

You get the whole stack at once. Two deeps plus a medium is the configuration most colonies need by the end of a good first summer, and buying it upfront means you're not scrambling for another box during a nectar flow. Crowded bees swarm, and a swarm takes half your colony with it. Having the next box sitting in the garage is the simplest swarm prevention there is.

Cedar dipped in beeswax means you never paint it. Cedar's own oils fight rot and insects, and the wax dip seals the wood against water without any primer, brush, or drying time. You don't repaint it in three years either. For anyone placing a hive in a damp corner of the yard or somewhere they'd rather not haul a ladder and paint tray, that's a genuine relief.

From our review of 8 beekeeping starter kits, by Genevieve Dubois, Home & Living Expert

What we like

• +You get the whole stack at once
• +Cedar dipped in beeswax means you never paint it
• +The joinery is cut to hold its shape
• +The hardware budget kits leave out is in the box

What to know

• –You're assembling this one
• –The bottom board is solid, not screened