In the past, when people did not provide beehives for the bees, the bees built their honeycombs into hollow tree trunks. When the combs were taken out of the trunks to get the wax and honey, they were destroyed. Early evidence of Man's influence is shown in paintings in a cave in Spain which depict woman climbing on a tree to steal the honey.

People then began to construct racks for the beehives with a roof as a kind of protection against rain. The beehives with movable frames were stored in bee-houses. In this way they were protected, also against theft, and the beekeepers could work in a more comfortable manner.