A fully loaded Primal Bee hive can reach 120–160 lb (54–73 kg) — comparable to a double-deep Langstroth setup. Knowing what contributes to that total, from super size to colony strength, helps you plan placement, inspections, and harvests. This article covers hive specs, super options, and a full breakdown of what ships with your kit.

Note: Empty weight ranges from 40–45 lb (18–20 kg) depending on your configuration (medium vs. deep supers, number of supers).

Full supers add 40–65 lb (18–29 kg) for mediums or 60–90 lb (27–41 kg) for deeps, depending on how many supers you're running and how full they are.

Note: These are working estimates. Your location, available forage, season, super count and size, and colony strength all affect total hive weight. The hive amplifies what your colony does — strong nectar flow shows up in the weight.

Two options are available:

The kit includes either three medium supers or two deep supers. About 60–65% of customers choose mediums for the lighter lift; deeps store more honey but get heavy. Primal Bee regulates heat well regardless of super size, so the choice comes down to what your back prefers.

For more on the medium-vs-deep decision, see Primal Bee hive kit specifications, box sizes, and pricing.

The kit includes everything needed to house a colony:

Note: The follower board insert clips into one of the 8 frames, turning it into a divider ("follower frame") during colony establishment. Once the colony fills the nest, remove the insert — all 8 frames become fully active.

Important: Foundations for nest frames (sold separately), wooden frames for supers (standard medium or deep frames from any supplier), bee suit, smoker, and bees are not included. For more on what works with your existing equipment, see Primal Bee hive compatibility and frame dimensions.

A medium super full of honey typically weighs approximately 19–20 lb (8.6–9 kg).

A nest frame full of brood typically weighs 6–9 lb (2.7–4 kg) — similar to a Langstroth deep brood frame, since most of the frame is brood with only a small percentage of stored honey. A nest frame full of honey weighs approximately 16–20 lb (7.3–9 kg). Newly drawn frames with sparse stores can be lighter.

The empty hive weighs approximately 40–45 lb (18–20 kg), depending on configuration (medium vs. deep supers and number of supers).

A fully loaded Primal Bee hive is comparable to a double-deep Langstroth setup — approximately 120–160 lb (54–73 kg). Full supers add 40–65 lb (18–29 kg) for mediums or 60–90 lb (27–41 kg) for deeps, depending on how many supers you're running and how full they are.

Several factors affect total hive weight: your location, available forage and resources, season, number and size of supers, and how strong the colony is. Strong nectar flow and a populous colony will both push weight to the high end of the range.

Two options: medium supers (20 cm depth) and deep supers (30 cm depth). The kit includes either three medium supers or two deep supers. About 60–65% of customers go with mediums for the easier lift, but deeps work well too — Primal Bee regulates heat efficiently regardless of super size.

The kit includes 8 proprietary deep nest frames plus 1 follower board insert. The follower board insert clips into one of the 8 frames during colony establishment, acting as a divider ("follower frame") to help a new colony focus on building comb progressively. Once the colony fills the nest, remove the insert and all 8 frames are fully active. Also included: 2 nest beams, 1 top ring, screen bottom board with Varroa tray and bottom net, feeder lid with 2 feeding hole plugs, weatherproof outer lid, Langstroth spacers, entrance plugs (3 configurations), and safety strap. Not included: foundations (sold separately), wooden super frames, bee suit, smoker, and bees.