The Beehive & Bee Equipment Patent Archive

The patented pursuit of the perfect hive

19th century beehive

Line drawing of a square wooden beehive with a peaked lid, side entrance holes, a honey-drawer chamber on top labeled B,B, and a hinged inclined-plane base below labeled A, C, D shown both assembled and in exploded detail views.BEEHIVE.William M. Hall · December 27, 1839Patent drawing of a tall stacked beehive made of multiple rectangular boxes with small windows, topped by a peaked roof, alongside a perforated slide plate and a small tube.BEEHIVEJohn Milholland and Benjamin Crane · April 29, 1842Exploded technical drawing of a wooden beehive showing stacked sliding boxes with glass sides, perforated tin slides, sliding doors, and a separate ash-filled worm trap box beneath the stack.BEEHIVEElijah Grumman · May 26, 1842Technical patent drawing of a multi-story wooden beehive with labeled drawers, sliding doors, glass panels, and a central vertical passage connecting twelve compartments.BEEHIVEHenry Hiser · June 27, 1842Three technical line drawings of an 1850 beehive: a perspective view of the boxy hive body with a wind vane wheel mounted at the rear corner, a bottom view showing the two converging inclined planes forming the floor with a fluted roller between them, and a cross-sectional detail of the grooved roller sitting between the sloped surfaces.BEE-MOTH TRAPGeorge Fletcher, Sr. · March 26, 1850Patent drawing of a wooden beehive with three sectional views showing a central brood chamber flanked by compartments for sliding spare honey boxes, side ventilation tubes with perforated plates, and a front feeding box with a glass door.BEEHIVE.Joseph D. Sanderson · December 14, 1858An exploded perspective drawing of a wooden beehive box with one door open, showing rows of sliding comb-frames suspended on rods inside, alongside a cross-section detail and a small honey-board with four round holes.BEEHIVEHorace Gushee and John G. Dawes · October 11, 1859Patent drawing of a wooden beehive showing a perforated front panel with comb-guide holes, an internal cross-section with inclined bottom planes and moth apartment, and a perspective view of the assembled hive with a peaked super on top, surplus honey-boxes, and an entrance door at the base.IMPROVEMENT IN BEE-HIVESOliver P. Reeve · January 10, 1865Patent drawing of a wooden beehive showing a bank of triangular comb-bearer frames mounted on an X-shaped trestle stand, with two honey boxes on top, and below it a separate hinged-roof house covering a similar stand.IMPROVEMENT IN BEE-HIVES.John Harper · February 21, 1865Patent drawing of a wooden beehive box showing triangular comb-frames arranged inside a rectangular case, with end views of the frame guides and clamp bar, and a cross-sectional triangular frame detail with hatched wood sections.IMPROVEMENT IN BEE-HIVEST. F. Bingham · October 30, 1866Patent drawing of a sectional beehive showing two cross-section views (Fig. 1 and Fig. 2) with a wooden outer case containing multiple glass-sided boxes fitted with hanging comb-frames, slide openings, and connecting rods, plus an alighting board at the base.IMPROVEMENT IN BEE-HIVES.C. P. Lloyd · February 12, 1867Patent drawing of a wooden beehive with hinged sides, a bottom drawer, comb-racks, glass-windowed honey-caps, and a ventilation board, shown in multiple perspective and sectional figures.IMPROVEMENT IN BEE-HIVESJames S. Hooton · June 30, 1868A wooden beehive shaped like a small house with a peaked, removable top chamber, a hinged front door, stacked drawers holding comb-frames visible through small glass windows, and a sliding bottom board forming a landing platform for bees.IMPROVEMENT IN BEE-HIVESDavid S. Burget · July 5, 1870An exploded perspective drawing of a wooden beehive casing with a peaked roof, hinged front door, internal partitioned compartments holding honey-boxes, and a separate detailed drawing of a comb-frame below.IMPROVEMENT IN BEE-HIVESOliver P. Reeve and Christopher C. Parker · August 8, 1871Patent drawing showing a peaked-roof wooden beehive in vertical and plan sections, with labeled interior frames, honey-boxes, a feeding trough, and a separate detailed frame with zigzag cross-bars and a central tongue.IMPROVEMENT IN BEE-HIVESCharles R. Macy · April 9, 1878