Ocotber 2009   

    Making Your Own Bee Equipment  

Most of us have a place we can keep a hive of bees. The location can be almost anywhere, a garden, farm, ranch operation, or even on your roof. In New York City many people keep bees in all kinds of locations, even on the roof of apartment complexes (check city ordinances and laws to see if it is legal in your area). Beekeeping can be a great hobby for almost anyone, and most of us will need to boost our pollinator force in the future, and we all could use the extra cash that can be generated by selling honey and other hive products.

The second biggest hurdle to beekeeping is the cost of equipment. (The first hurdle is the sting of course.) I have checked the catalogues and the cost for a beginner kit with all the hive components and tools you will need can cost you over $400.00 (shipping not included). That is a big investment for a hobby, or at least that is what Lisa my wife says. (Good for her, She is the one that keeps us financially afloat.) If the cost is keeping you out of beekeeping I have a piece of the solution.

I have been building my own hive components since the beginning of my time in beekeeping. This past Christmas I spent time drawing up the plans for hives I make. All you will need is a table saw or a router, hammer, lumber, and some carpentry skills. (Always bee careful and get trained before using any carpentry tool.) Below are the drawings for the bottom board, (it goes on the bottom of course), the deep hive body (it is where you put in the frames of foundation for the bees to make a home), the medium super (for the storage of honey), and the cover (it goes on the top). Most of these can be made for less than $6.00 depending on the grade of wood you use. The frames are harder to make. I suggest ordering the frames and foundation to put into the boxes.

The bottom board is made of ¾ inch plywood. Cut it 16 ¼’’ wide by 22’’ long. You will need to nail on 3/8’’ wood strips along the border of the back and the two sides. This keeps the hive body and frames up off the bottom board and allows room for an entrance in the front (do not put a strip of wood on the front). On the underside add two pieces of wood at least 1’’ thick. These pieces keep the bottom board off the ground.

The hive body and the honey super are made of ¾’’ pine boards. The sides are cut to 19 1/8’’ long by 9 5/8’’ wide. The dimensions are critical. These dimensions ensure that inside the hive the bees will experience spaces that are only 3/8’’ wide. Anything smaller gets glued shut and anything wider will be filled with burr (extra) comb. If that happens, the frames in the hive will be hard to remove. The front and back boards are first cut 16 ¼ ’’ long by 9 5/8’’ wide. An entrance hole 5/8’’ in diameter is cut in the front board for a bee escape. The side edges of these boards are given a rabbet ¾ ‘’ deep to accommodate the side boards when the two are joined together. The tops of the boards are given a rabbet 5/8 ‘’ deep to accommodate the ears of the frames that will be placed inside the hive. It is best to construct a jig that will hold the boards firm and square as you nail the four of them together. Remember to use wood glue to strengthen the joints. The honey super is constructed in the same manner, except that the boards are all cut 6 5/8’’ wide. They are much shallower and will hold smaller frames. To ensure you have made the box correctly you should measure the inside dimensions as this is what the bees will encounter. They should be 18 3/8 ‘’ long by 14 ¾ ‘’ wide. Please note that from the perspective I have used to draw the hive bodies, the rabbit on the front piece is out of sight.

The cover is made from ¾ ‘’ plywood cut 22’’ long by 16 5/8’’ wide. Two cleats 1’’ by 1 ½ ‘’ are nailed to the front and rear. These cleats hang down over the honey super to keep it in place. The drawing is inverted in order to view the cleats.

               

                                 Bottom Board                                        Hive Body                                                   Hive Cover (Inverted)