# OH newbie questions



## cnt (Jun 8, 2013)

I'm working on my first beehive and I want to make a 4x2x1 (deep body) frame observation hive(OH) similar to what the pacific science center has (had?). 
http://pacscilife.blogspot.com/2010/01/bees-in-winter_10.html

I have a few questions though since I've never kept bees before.
Is this a reasonable general layout? Is it big enough?
do bees need to be kept in the dark? ie should the windows be covered when i'm not looking inside?
If I keep this in my garage will the warm temperatures keep them too active during the winter?
What about car engines and other noises in the garage will they be bothered?
Is it big enough that I'd eventually be able to harvest some honey/wax?

Thanks for the help.


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## Tenbears (May 15, 2012)

I could not get the link to load so I cannot answer the first question. 

Bees prefer the dark, however it is not necessary, they will become accustom to the observation hive. 

it is the cold out side that keep bees from foraging. they work hard to keep the hive warm. they will be fine in a garage. if the hive is built properly the exhaust from pulling cars in and out should be no problem unless you leave it running for extended periods of time in the garage.

Observation hives are just that. the dynamics of an observation hive are such that harvesting product is rare. in fact the opposite is true. 

No I will ask a favor. when posting a tread at least take the time to spell your acronyms out once. so we will know what it means. Look at your title it leads one to believe you are from Ohio. and some of us old timers feel if someone is too lazy to type out their questions, them maybe they do not have enough dedication to use whet we have to offer.


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## cnt (Jun 8, 2013)

Sorry about the acronym. I read OH so much in the observation hive forum that I figured it was standard jargon. I've edited the above but cannot change the title. 

Here's the image I was referring to:


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## Tenbears (May 15, 2012)

That is a nice hive. It seems to be well built and is plenty large. Mine is similar but only 4 frames. should do the job for you.


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## cnt (Jun 8, 2013)

I noticed that a lot of observation hives are even smaller than a brood box (ie <8 frames) I choose 8 frames to mimic the size of a brood box. Am I making it needlessly big?


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