The OATH (Original Australian Trigona Hive) is the workhorse of Australia’s stingless bee industry. The majority of beekeepers use it, or a variant of it. The OATH has proven ideal in many ways. It is simple to construct, so it can be built by anyone with average skills and modest tools. It is cheap, because the labour involved is minimal and the materials are economical. Its design also incorporates a means of splitting the hive, which has boosted its popularity and the number of new stingless hives being created. The OATH has propelled the propagation of countless thousands of new hives. The standard footprint has the advantage that it allows hives from various sources to be interchangeable. Timber thickness of 25 mm is often used, although it is common to see hives made of timber up to 45 mm thick.
