Commercial beekeeping

A full 10-frame deep weighs 80 pounds. An 8-frame version cuts that by 20%. Here's why more beekeepers - hobbyists and commercial operators alike - are making the switch.

Inside the contracts that move 2.6 million bee colonies into California every February. Frame counts, inspection protocols, pesticide clauses, and the $200-per-hive details growers and beekeepers actually negotiate.