People who care about bees in the natural environment may want to keep bees of their own.Today's bee boxes are designed to encourage the health of the bee society as well as make it easy for the beekeeper to remove the honey from the hive with the least disruption possible.A honey bee box consists of a hive stand, bottom board, hive bodies, and smaller boxes called honey supers.The supers are separated from the lower hive body by an excluder.Learn how to make a honey bee box.
Step 1: There is a Hive stand.
The stand that lifts the hive off the ground may have a landing board for the bees.A stand of sorts is what you will need to prop your super off the ground.If you are looking for a home-made substitution, a small table or bench built to fit your honey bee box will work.
Step 2: The board is bottom.
This is the first part of your box.The base for your super is a flat piece of wood.The bottom board can either be solid or screened, the only difference being that screened bottom boards are better at keeping out pests.There is an entrance in the bottom board.
Step 3: There is a entrance reducer.
A small piece of wood blocks off part of the entrance in the bottom board.Small colonies are helped by entrance reducers.
Step 4: There is a Slatted rack.
This is, just as it sounds, a flat panel of wood that is crossed by other smaller wood pieces forming a rack.This is between the bottom board and the brood chamber to make it easier to access and to prevent the bees from forming ladder comb.If you can, a slatted rack is an optional addition to your box.
Step 5: There is a deep super.
The bees use the deep super to build their hive.You can use 1-2 for a single honey bee box if you use a deep super.The deep super has either 8 or 10 frames.
Step 6: Superframes are deep.
The frames are inserted into the deep super.The foundation is the wax and wire base the bees use to build their wax building.Depending on the size of your deep super, you will need a number of frames.
Step 7: The excluder is the queen.
You add a queen excluder to your box because you don't want the queen bee to lay eggs in the honey.There are small holes for worker bees to use, but they are too small for the queen.
Step 8: There is honey super.
The bees will store their honey in the honey super.The queen excluder is sandwiched between the deep super and the large box.It can become too heavy to lift the box full of honey if you use shallow or medium-sized honey supers.
Step 9: Superframes of honey.
The panels of wood or plastic are inserted into the honey super.The bees build their wax and honey here.To match the size of the honey super you are using, frames are either shallow or medium, and have a foundation similar to that in deep superframes.
Step 10: There's an inner cover.
A type of lid with an entrance that is placed over your honey super is the final layer in your bee box.There are two sides to the inner covers, one for fall and the other for spring.
Step 11: The outer cover has something on it.
The metal lid is used to keep the weather from interfering with the bee box.The top of the box is over the inner cover.
Step 12: Purchase the supplies you need.
If you want to get a honey bee box, you have three options: buy a complete box for a lot of money, buy separate parts and put them together for less, or build all your parts from scratch and save over 50% of your money.Regardless of which option you choose, you should always purchase your supplies from a bee seller.Cheap supplies will not last very long and may cause damage to your bees.You should always use pine or cedar.You only need to purchase enough wood to create the outer edges for multiple supers because the boxes don't have bottoms.Some supplies, like your frames and the outer lid, can't be made easily and you'll have to purchase them.
Step 13: You should build your deep supers.
There are two short sides and two long sides that are 16.25-by-9.56 inches and 20.8-by-24.28 cm, respectively.The tongue-and-groove ends will be on all 4 sides.To create proper joints along the edges of your wood, cut it to meet the measurements.
Step 14: Make honey supers.
Depending on what you want, the size of your honey supers will vary.The honey supers will be the same length and width as the deep ones.The height won't be the same.If you want a shallow super, your box should be 534 inches high.Just like the deep super, use a tongue-and-groove joint on the edges.
Step 15: Put your supers together.
Put your supers together with waterproof wood glue.Put a small amount of glue on each of the interlocking joints and slide the slats into place to form your boxes.To hold the boxes in place, use a system of vices.When the glue has dried, use a few small nails to build your supers.
Step 16: If you want to build the bottom board, buy an entrance reducer.
The first layer of your box is the bottom board, which is a flat piece of wood with raised edges.The board is the same length and width as the supers, but the edges are not as high.The entrance reducer is attached to the front and needed for the summer and winter entrances.Rats may be attracted to larger entrances.There are bases that can be used for the correct seasonal entrance.This eliminates the need for the storage of 1 base during the off-season, as well as reduces the cost of the setup.
Step 17: The exposed parts of your box can be painted.
Beekeepers prefer to paint the exposed parts of the box white in order to reflect sunlight.Use a white, non-toxic outdoor paint if you decide to do so.This can be harmful to the bees and your honey if you paint inside the supers.
Step 18: Purchase an excluder for your bee box.
The queen can't move into the honey supers if this fits on the top of the deep super.This item cannot be made at home and will need to be purchased for your box.
Step 19: Purchase the covers for the box.
The inner and outer covers are required for your honey bee box.The inner cover is made of wood and has a hole at the top for an entrance.The outer cover should fit over the hive bodies.
Step 20: You should get the frames for your supers.
The frames are part of the box the bees use to build their hive and wax.If you want to make your own frames, you need to go through a long process of assembling the wire/foundation.Both wood and plastic are used to make the frames.Depending on the size of your honey supers, you will need 10 and 8 frames.Once they lock into place, slide these into each super vertically.
Step 21: Pick out your box.
You have been waiting for the right time.You need to layer the parts on top of your stand to put your box together.The bottom board goes first, followed by the slatted frame, queen excluder, honey super, and the cover.The hive stand can help keep the hive dry and insulate it.You can either use a commercially purchased hive stand or make your own.Your hive will be protected from ants by the hive stand.