What are the components of a bee hive?

We’ll start from the bottom up

1. Hive stand -  supports the hive off the ground to keep the hive bottom dry and the hive insulated
2. Bottom board – forms the floor of the hive.  Sometimes has a wooden entrance reducer to keep out mice and some cold during winter
3. Hive bodies – Consists of Body, Frames and Beeswax Foundation. “Brood Chambers” are the bees’ living quarters. Queen lays eggs in these chambers and brood is raised. Honey is also stored for the bees’ food.
4. Queen Excluder – Keeps the queen bee in the brood chambers as she is too large to pass through the excluder. Prevents her from laying eggs and raising brood in honey supers placed above the excluder.
5. Shallow Supers – Consist of Super, Frames and Beeswax Foundation for “surplus” honey storage. Bees store their extra honey in the frames for the beekeeper to remove. 6-5/8′ or , 5-11/16” supers, or even hive bodies may be used.
6. Inner Cover – Creates a dead air space for insulation from heat and cold.
7. Hive Cover – Telescoping cover “telescopes” over the sides of the top super to protect the hive. Galvanized covering.