Why do you own bees? We know, we get that question a lot. It's not the most usual hobby for 25 year-olds. In between studying for finals, Calvin would watch countless videos on bees, beehives, and beekeeping. He just found them so fascinating.
One day, he came home and said, I want to build a beehive. Knowing how much he researched, and how bad he wanted to do it, I said, "Sure, why not?" So this is how our adventures in beekeeping started.
It's important to know that there are two philosophies to bee keeping. The first philosophy believes beekeeping is an elitist activity requiring hundreds of dollars and countless classes. The other philosophy of beekeeping is more the "do it yourself with what you have around and it will work out just fine" method. Either way works, but we choose the second route.
There are a lot of blogs and Youtube videos to help along the way. After researching, Calvin chose to build a top bar beehive, because according to his research, they are more sustainable and less prone to mites and mold. We also decided to add a glass window, so we can observe the bees. Some beekeepers don't like the class window because they say the comb sticks to it, but we thought we would try it.
How we built our top bar beehive
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
The only problem was there were no attached plans, but that didn't stop us.To overcome this we watched the videos several times, excitedly writing down the specific measurements and supplies. Not the easiest method but it worked.
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| Our chicken-scratch plans |
We also used this guy:
(he does have free plans)
And this:
A rough outline of supplies
12" wide pine boards
3 scraps of plywood
two piano hinges, one big, one small
one small piece of glass. Calvin got the glass from school, but an odd-shaped picture frame would work.
3 pieces of cedar fencing
2 old corks
wood glue
screws
small nails
Popsicle sticks
beeswax
old paintbrush
strip of silver drywall corner bead
a 1"wide wooden dowel
A small piece of mesh (the size matters because too big and the bees will go through, too small and the mites will get stuck.)
1" long pieces of pine (The length and width matter because bees like their combs a very precise distance away from each other to be successful
2 2x4s for the legs
1/4 inch thick bolts for the legs
small soft broom
a crowbar
mason jar with 1/16 holes in it
sugar water
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| Late nights during construction. |
Jig saw *
Table saw
Chop saw
Power drill with drill bits
Screwdriver
Hammer
Clamps
Ratchet tie-down straps
Power sander
The finished product
Thanks to all the friends and family that made this possible. We had to borrow a lot of tools, as well as the space in the backyard. (Don't worry, we checked with neighbors and local regulations first before setting our hive up.) We also scrounged up a lot of the materials so we don't have to buy new.
Time: 2 weekends Cost: $75 for the hive Level of difficulty: Level five (because of the various tools needed and the cost of supplies)
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| The box of bees we bought. (I carried it on my lap for an hour.) |
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| Homemade bee suit. Worked great except for the Chaco sandals. |
We are so proud of our beehive. We really didn't have a lot of woodworking experience before this project. We also love the fact that they really are a low maintenance "pet." They pretty much do their own thing.
The best part of this whole project is when the neighbor kids knock on the door and ask if they can see the bees. They are so fascinating!
A beehive can also produce 40-80 pounds of honey a year. That's a lot of honey!
Do you keep bees? What questions do you have about bees?
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