There is always another adventure happening around Wooly Wildflowers & Honey. This time, it is one we are especially excited about!
We are proud to be an authorized Shamrock Equipment dealer offering ANEL plastic beehives. As beekeepers ourselves, we are always looking for products that make caring for bees easier. We also want products that are practical, durable, and worth the investment.
That is exactly what caught our attention about ANEL plastic beehives.
Even better, we are working toward having our ANEL hives and additional beekeeping supplies available before October 1st for both our local and online customers.
What Is an ANEL Plastic Beehive?
The ANEL plastic beehive is a Standard Langstroth hive. Therefore, it works with the familiar Langstroth system commonly used by beekeepers in the United States and other countries.
One of the features we really like is compatibility. ANEL hive parts can be combined with standard Langstroth wooden hive equipment. As a result, beekeepers do not necessarily have to replace everything they already own when adding ANEL equipment to their apiary.
That makes these hives an interesting option for both new beekeepers and experienced beekeepers.
Why We Are Excited About ANEL Plastic Beehives
Traditional wooden hives have served beekeepers well for generations. However, wood requires maintenance.
ANEL hives offer another option.
The hard outer shell is made from high-quality polypropylene plastic. Inside the hive body and cover is high-density polyurethane foam insulation. This insulation works much like the insulation inside a refrigerator.
According to ANEL, the insulation helps bees maintain their desired hive microclimate more easily. It helps keep the colony warmer during cold weather and cooler during hot weather.
ANEL also states that achieving a similar insulation level with wood would require approximately 7 cm of wood thickness.
For those of us dealing with hot North Carolina summers and changing winter temperatures, insulation is certainly a feature worth considering.
No Painting or Regular Wood Maintenance
Here is another feature that immediately got our attention: no painting!
ANEL plastic beehives arrive ready for the apiary. There is no need to paint or prepare the hive body before putting it into use.
In addition, the hive material will not rot, decay, crack, deform, or absorb water like traditional wood can.
For a beekeeper managing multiple colonies, saving a little maintenance time on every hive can add up quickly.
Strong Without Being Unnecessarily Heavy
Durability is important in an apiary. However, beekeepers also know how quickly equipment gets heavy.
ANEL hives are designed to offer both strength and manageable weight. According to the manufacturer, the hive construction can support more than 500 kg of weight.
At the same time, the individual hive components remain relatively lightweight.
That combination can make a difference when you are moving equipment, adding supers, inspecting colonies, or simply spending a long day working bees.
Designed to Handle the Realities of Beekeeping
Beekeeping equipment comes into contact with more than sunshine and rain.
ANEL hive material is resistant to chemicals commonly encountered in beekeeping, including oxalic acid and formic acid. The material is also designed not to corrode when exposed to several other commonly used substances.
Most importantly, the ANEL components that come into contact with bees and bee products are made from 100% new, virgin, food-grade plastic.
ANEL also provides a 10-year warranty on its synthetic materials, subject to the company’s warranty terms and conditions.
Compatible With Standard Langstroth Equipment
One of our favorite features is worth mentioning again.
ANEL plastic beehives are Standard Langstroth hives.
That means ANEL components can work alongside compatible wooden Langstroth equipment. For established beekeepers, this can make trying an insulated plastic hive much easier.
You can learn more about the construction and features of the ANEL Plastic Insulated Beehive directly from the manufacturer.
You can also review the manufacturer’s ANEL 10-Year Warranty Terms.
Growing Our Beekeeping Supplies at Wooly Wildflowers & Honey
Becoming an authorized Shamrock Equipment dealer is another step in growing the beekeeping side of Wooly Wildflowers & Honey.
Our goal is not simply to sell a hive and send you on your way. We want to continue building a useful selection of beekeeping supplies for new and experienced beekeepers.
We are currently working on stocking the equipment and supplies needed to go along with the ANEL hive system. Our plan is to have our expanded selection available before October 1st.
We are learning and growing right alongside our customers. After all, that is part of the adventure of beekeeping!
And Yes… We Are Already Thinking About Christmas!
This may be the part I am most excited about.
We are planning Christmas beehive packages!
Imagine giving someone an actual beehive setup for Christmas, complete with beekeeping essentials and finished with a big bow.
For someone who has been saying, “One day I want to keep bees,” this could be one unforgettable Christmas present.
It could also make a pretty amazing gift for the beekeeper who is ready to add another hive to the apiary.
We plan to put together packages that make getting started easier while still offering useful options for experienced bee lovers.
Follow Along With Our ANEL Beehive Adventure
We are truly excited about becoming an authorized Shamrock Equipment dealer and offering ANEL plastic beehives through Wooly Wildflowers & Honey.
For us, this is more than adding another product to the website. Beekeeping is already part of our everyday farm life. Therefore, being able to offer equipment that we can learn about, use, and share with other beekeepers feels like a natural next step.
Over the next several weeks, we will be adding more ANEL hive equipment, beekeeping tools, protective gear, feeders, frames, hive tools, smokers, and other apiary supplies.
Whether you are an experienced beekeeper or you are still dreaming about your first hive, we hope you will follow along.
And who knows? There might just be an ANEL beehive with a great big Christmas bow waiting under someone’s tree this year.
Wooly Wildflowers & Honey
Farm life, honey bees, sheep, and a little bit of chaos in between.
