Rev. Langstroth, who in 1850s invented conventional vertical multi-box beehive, was a congregational minister who advocated for a “dominion of man over bees”. 

Langstroth shared the prevailing philosophy of the 1800s, that Man’s mission was to control, dominate and subjugate nature rather than live in harmony with it. 

Modern conventional beekeeping practices still rely on now mass-produced multi-box Langstroth-like vertical hives, prioritizing industrial-style efficiency over harmony with nature – they place significant stress on the bees and make them work harder. 

— A common practice in conventional beekeeping with vertical hives is frequent, often bi-weekly, invasive hive inspections, placing a significant stress on the bees. 

— With small modular boxes, conventional vertical hives are very well suited for Migratory beekeeping – a regrettable but widespread commercial practice of migrating honey bee colonies to multiple farm fields for pollination and high honey yield. Typically, hundreds of Bee colonies are transported on trucks for days, with little ventilation or water. Migratory beekeeping heavily stresses the bees, increases their pesticide exposure, and spreads pathogens and parasites across colonies and locations. 

— In conventional commercial beekeeping, vertical beehives are typically arranged in high-density clusters next to farm fields to boost honey yields. In addition to high exposure to pesticides, with close proximity of beehives to each other there’s an increased sharing of pathogens and parasites between the bee colonies 

— To fight parasites, conventional beekeepers use various Miticide Treatments. Medicating the bees is, however, is a double-edged sword – it can only work short-term saving the weak colonies and propagating their unfit genetics. In the long term any treatments harm the bees, contaminate their honey, disrupt the hive’s natural balance, and ultimately result in weaker bees and treatment-resistant parasites impacting the bee population and the health of the ecosystem 

— Another common yet unnatural practice in conventional beekeeping is feeding bees large quantities of sugar instead of relying exclusively on natural foraging. While this practice maximizes the harvest, it negatively impacts both the bees’ health and the quality of the honey. 

— Yet another common but unnatural practice in conventional beekeeping is clipping the queen bee’s wings to prevent swarming. At our ForestBeehive apiary we don’t treat our bees like cattle. Our queens are naturally mated and we allow swarms to happen and offer them good housing. Our horizontal Layens-style beehives allow us to practice beekeeping with minimal interference. And our bees are always free to fly and leave whenever they wish. We never treat or sugar-feed our bees – the Surrounding woodlands offer them abundant foraging from spring to fall. And in the fall, we harvest only the surplus honey, leaving our bees plenty of their own honey to sustain them through our long New England winters.