How To Use The One Queen Keeper

You’ve heard that The Keeper’s Hive makes colony management easy, efficient, effective and enjoyable – but how does it actually work? If you purchased a One Queen Keeper, the information below will help set you up for success.

 

HIVE FUNCTION & PERFORMING INSPECTIONS

The hive is designed to be opened and closed in a specific order: 

  • To open the hive: flip open the hinged roof, remove the tempered glass observation window, and then remove the two “frame guards” with handles. The brood chamber frames can now be accessed. While propolis will not impact the hive's function, we recommend regularly scraping off the components from time to time to prevent any long term build up.  
  • To close the hive: place the two frame guards in place over the frame ends, place the observation window on them so that it “snaps” into the slots on both sides, and then close the hinged roof. The brood chamber is now fully sealed.

When performing an inspection, you usually will not need to remove all 8 frames in the brood chamber. Remember that the brood chamber is symmetrical, so whatever is on the first 4 frames should be mirrored on the other side.

However, if you do need to remove all of the frames we recommend storing them in a quiet box. If you don't have one they are fairly easy to make, but we will also have some for sale in the near future!

 

HIVE COMPONENTS & SUPER CONFIGURATION

In order to use the One Queen Keeper, you will need the following hive components (complete kits containing all of the below will be available soon): 

  • 10 frame solid bottom board*
  • Medium and deep frames
  • One 5 frame deep nuc box**
  • Two to three 5 frame medium nucs
  • 5 frame inner cover
  • 5 frame telescoping outer cover

*Using solid bottom boards is preferable with single brood chamber management because it helps keep cold air off the brood. Remember – the brood chamber is restricted to the very bottom of the hive. 

**If you would like to perform the Demaree method of swarm control, you will need at least one deep nuc to use as the “exchange box”. This is for cycling frames in and out of the brood chamber to prevent swarming. We like to use mediums for honey supers, but you can use deeps if you prefer.

 

HIVE SET UP & LOCATION

For detailed information on choosing a hive location, check out our guide on where to put your beehive.

If you would like to perform seated hive inspections (which are amazing!), we recommend using a shorter hive stand or a stand that matches the height of your preferred seat.

It’s also important to make sure that your hive stays stable in the face of winds and predators, so we highly recommend using a stand that allows you to throw a ratchet strap all the way over the hive. Many beekeepers use this method for securing traditional Langstroth hives. 


STARTING COLONIES

Introducing a colony into the One Queen Keeper is straightforward. We have several guides on how to start new colonies using a few different methods:

 

MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES

We are currently working on extensive and informative guides on colony management and those will be published in the coming months! For now, please check out our overview of seasonal colony management and any of our relevant YouTube videos – especially this detailed breakdown from George about what to look for during a hive inspection.

Thanks again for your support! If you have any questions about our guides, feedback, or requests for additional information, don't hesitate to contact us via email at support@thekeepershive.com.

Every two weeks we invite owners of The Keeper's Hive to join our Co-founder and head beekeeper George Datto for a live Zoom session where we answer their questions and discuss management strategies. Below are recordings of the meetings, some topics may repeat a few times but every session contains a wide variety of information that could be helpful to any beekeeper!

As always, contact us with any questions at hello@thekeepershive.com

4/16/2025 - Zoom Recording

4/16/25 Topics Discussed:

  1. How do you encourage bees to work above the queen excluder?
  2. What should be done with the exchange box during the season?
  3. How do you perform a rolling Demaree in a two-queen setup?
  4. Can I split a hive and use it to populate a two-queen Keeper hive?
  5. How do you get bees to draw out frames in the Keeper’s Hive?
  6. Why might my Keeper’s Hive go queenless?
  7. How and when should I make a split to populate my Keeper’s Hive?
  8. What methods and timing do you recommend for mite control?

4/30/2025 - Zoom Recording

4/30/25 Topics Discussed:

  1. If you use a telescoping cover with a notched inner cover, will drones be able to get out?
  2. Regarding leaving an opening for drones to exit:
  3. Do you have any recommendations for removing pollen from honey frames?
  4. Should we do anything to manage the frames in the spacer box?
  5. Where should honey supers be placed — above or below the exchange box?
  6. How do you decide if a second Demaree is needed?
  7. Do frame guards provide hiding spots for beetles?
  8. What should I do if the Keeper’s Hive swarms?
  9. To help packages start, I placed a honey frame in the spacer box on each side of the double.
  10. When painting queens, should you let the paint dry first?
  11. I’ve had some trouble with frame guards falling out.
  12. Can you make a small box out of screen and place it over the queen temporarily to confine her in a small area?

5/14/2025 - Zoom Recording

5/14/25 Topics Discussed:

  1. We are confused about box positioning.
  2. If I put two single-queen Keeper hives back-to-back, would it function the same as a two-queen Keeper?
  3. I tried to use a queen isolation cage in the brood box, but it would not fit.
  4. What should be done after a hive swarms?
  5. Where should honey supers be placed?
  6. Do you feed splits?
  7. When executing a Demaree, why not move capped brood into the spacer box instead?
  8. How large does a two-queen system need to be before it can be used as a starter/finisher for queen rearing?
  9. Quick question regarding design:
  10. In queen rearing, does the Cloake board go above or below the spacer box?

5/28/2025 - Zoom Recording

5/28/25 Topics Discussed:

  1. What is the purpose of the spacer box?
  2. In the video on installing a package, the top box is used to feed the bees.
  3. In South Carolina, we experience a dearth from late June into July and August.
  4. If you attempt a Demaree but can’t find the queen, and she ends up in the exchange box, will the colony treat the exchange box as the new brood box?
  5. George, could you discuss the placement and use of green drone frames as part of IPM in a two-queen Keeper hive?
  6. Could you share any experiences with using the newer oxalic acid (OA) strips in 2QK or 1QK hives?
  7. When sharing brood between colonies, should capped brood be moved with or without the nurse bees on the frame?

6/11/2025 - Zoom Recording

6/11/25 Topics Discussed:

  1. How should I manage a single Keeper hive to support winter bee health and ensure sufficient honey reserves for overwintering?
  2. Regarding Demaree timing:
  3. What should be done if a hive goes queenless?
  4. What should be done if a hive becomes heavily populated?
  5. What should be done if a colony is not capping nectar?
  6. Our transfer box frames are bare.
  7. In a 2QK populated in early May, the bees immediately built comb between the excluder and the frames under the spacer box.
  8. I have a two-hive Keeper, but one side is stronger than the other.
  9. Recent experience:

6/25/2025 - Zoom Recording

6/25/25 Topics Discussed:

  1. Mite management!

7/9/2025 - Zoom Recording

7/9/25 Topics Discussed:

  1. Queens (general queen management, single vs. two-queen setups)
  2. Brood (brood frames, brood management, Demaree references)
  3. Honey (production, storage, supering, and related issues)
  4. Exchange box (its role and management)
  5. Robbing (concerns and prevention)

7/23/2025 - Zoom Recording

7/23/25 Topics Discussed:

  1. What are the benefits or drawbacks of charring wood to preserve it by burning the inside of a hive?
  2. What can be done if a two-queen Keeper hive becomes nectar-bound despite regular Demarees?
  3. How should preparations for overwintering differ between a single-queen hive and a double-queen hive?
  4. What steps can be taken to prevent wax moths and small hive beetles during overwintering?

8/6/2025 - Zoom Recording

8/6/25 Topics Discussed:

  1. Can you give a quick review of how to do a Formic Pro treatment, or tell me which Lunch and Learn covered it previously, since I am going to treat later today?
  2. Do you perform mite counts on both sides of a two-queen hive, or do you assume they will be identical?
  3. What should be done if the bees have done nothing with the foundation in either spacer box of a two-queen Keeper hive, leaving it exactly as it was when set up? Should the frames just be replaced with drawn comb from the exchange box in the hope that they fill it with honey, or should the bees be fed instead?
  4. What are the best ways to address robbing?
  5. How should a one-queen Keeper hive be managed for overwintering?
  6. How should a two-queen Keeper hive be managed for overwintering?