Hive design:
(based on Wyatt Mangum’s design)
Lumber:
Sides: 1”x12” boards, can be 3’ or 4’, what ever length
of hive you want.
Front and back: cut from 1”x12” board
Solid Bottom: 1”x10” board the length of the hive.
Screen bottom with floor: 1”x10” board the length of the
hive.
1”x2” strips. 2x
the length of the hive + about 8”
1/8th” mesh wire, this will fit over the
bottom, about 9” x length of hive
Top bars:
these will be 19”, about 7 can be cut from a 12”x19” board, each are 1 3/8” wide
Cutting front trapezoid:
Top length is 17
½”, bottom is 9”.
An easy way
to mark this on the board is to measure 17 1/2” first. The take a 12” ruler, place the 0 at the top
corner and rotate until the 12” mark touches the bottom of the board and mark. Same for the other end of top of the
trapezoid.
Assembling hive body:
Attach the sides
to the back sides of the end pieces, not the edges of the ends. I like using
nails instead of screws. I use about a
6d size nail. I place the sides just a
bit lower than the top edge of the front. This gives an slight edge for the top
bars to go up against so that they do not slide of front or back.
Entrance holes:
1” holes,
three above the handle and 3 above the alighting board. I just eye ball these
Handle and alighting board:
Both can be
made from the same dimensions as a top bar.
Attach the handle flat to the front and attach the alighting board a
long the narrow edge. Handle is about 3” from the top edge
The screen can
be added to the bottom if you want a screen bottom with no bottom board
Solid bottom:
Nail the
1”x10” board on the bottom is you prefer a solid bottom
Screen floor with bottom:
Take the 1”x10”
board and add the 1”x2” strips to the top edges of the 1”x10” board. Attach to only 3 sides, leave one end
open. Staple the screen to the top of
the strips and trim.
Attach the bottom
to the hive body with the screen next to the hive with the open end to the
back. I attach this with 3 3”
screws. I first drill pilot holes.
Once attached, cut
a piece of wood that will fit the end and this will be attached with a hinge as
a door. In the space between the bottom
and the screen, you will be able to slide a sticky board to do a mite
count. If you want to get fancy you make
the bottom board hinge on one side to help with cleaning or even ventilation.
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Top bars:
Any 1” thick
lumber will work for top bars, as long as the bars are 19” long. But if you have 1”x12” board, cut a piece
that is 19” long and then cut strips that are 1 3/8” wide.
I use a strip
of wax hive foundation as a starter strip for the comb. Cut a groove down the center of each bar
about 3/8” deep. I set up my table saw
and run them across the blade. Then cut
hive foundation into strips about wide and just long enough that they will not
touch the sides of the hive. The “glue”
into place with melted bees wax.
Top for the hive:
I
use a piece of aluminum roofing or siding.
By using a 2x4 on edge down the length of the hive, this gives air space
above the bars and discourages ants and roaches. Make sure all sides of the top over hang the
front, back and sides by several inches. You can use the handles as anchors for tying
down the top.
Wyatt only
uses stands for his hive since he needs them to be portable. My first hives had a rectangular front and I
attached 2x4 legs to the backsides of the front and back. I didn’t like that it wasted a lot of the
1x12 board.
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