Draper makes a very beautiful observation hive.  I have installed a few of
theirs as well as my own designs and overseen their maintenance.  For the
quality and features, I don't think their price can be beaten. I recommend
theirs when the site is going to be continually supervised.

Observation hives are inherently difficult to maintain.  They are
continually on the verge of swarming or collapsing due to limited space and
the sequence of seasons.  This is often compounded by them being overseen by
non-beekeepers.  I regularly make service calls where the park management
say that everything is going good in my pre-visit telephone call but I find
just the opposite that can recognized by an experienced beekeeper when still
ten feet away.

I find that the spindles Draper uses for decoration on the outside tend to
be grabbed for turning the hive.  In an unsupervised area with a lot of
traffic, this leads to them working loose.  Since many of the installations
I have are in areas that are not continually supervised, I have added
security features such as a turntable lock-down, at the request of park
personnel.  I have twice had to do emergency services because someone put a
brick through the glass when untended and have added removable locking cover
panels to my latest designs.  My web page covers some of the things I've
considered in Observation hive setups but I haven't gotten photos of my
latest design up on the web.  I plan on doing that over Christmas Holiday.
I wrote a booklet directed to the park personnel on hive management
requirements to consider for a setup which I am told has been very useful.
It is available through my web page.

Raymond J. Lackey                           Sweet Pines Apiary
web page: http://www.tianca.com/tianca2.html
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