Assembling a hive with your own hands is a very profitable business. Buying a new model is quite expensive. Buying second-hand dwellings is dangerous, as they may contain various infections that will cause disease in the bee family. It is for these two reasons that the question of how to design houses for bees on your own is so relevant.
Materials for making
Today, craftsmen use several types of raw materials to assemble houses. The most popular are wood, polyurethane, polystyrene foam, polystyrene foam, plywood. To successfully complete all the work, you will also need to draw up a drawing of the hive.
Wood is considered a traditional material for assembling a home for bees. This resource will create a habitat that will be as close to natural as possible. The best woods for assembly are cedars, lindens and aspens. However, here it is worth paying attention to the fact that linden and aspen will need additional insulation for the winter.
The second material that is successfully used when assembling a hive with your own hands is plywood. It is considered quite durable andecological raw material. In order for a plywood house to function successfully, it is necessary to paint it on the outside, and insulate it from the inside with polystyrene foam. If these conditions are met, it will be quite dry and warm inside. However, this raw material is very afraid of moisture, and therefore you will have to constantly take care of it so that it does not rot.
Expanded polystyrene is a modern material used by beekeepers very actively. It is characterized by the fact that it has sufficient thermal insulation properties, and therefore additional insulation is not required. In addition, the cost of Styrofoam is quite low.
You can also construct a hive with your own hands from foam. The advantages of this substance will be the lightness of the finished house, as well as high thermal insulation. However, the styrofoam is very fragile, and from exposure to direct sunlight crumbles too quickly, and therefore it will have to be constantly tinted.
The last raw material is polyurethane. It has a lot of positive aspects, which makes its use quite effective. In addition to high thermal insulation, beekeepers distinguish the absence of processes of decay and decomposition of the material. In such a house, fungi and pathogenic bacteria do not develop. Of the minuses, it can only be noted that ventilation will have to be done, since the material itself does not allow air to pass through. It is also highly flammable.
Main types of housing for bees
Types of bee houses may differ in such parameters as volume, functionality, materialmanufacturing, design. To make an object without problems, you need to make a drawing of a hive of the type that you want to build.
If we talk about the design, then there are two types of houses: collapsible and non-collapsible. Due to the fact that non-separable hives are very difficult to clean, almost no one ever builds them. To date, the most popular frame hive for 24 frames. However, there can be 12, and 16, and 20. Frame structures are divided into horizontal and vertical.
If we talk about horizontal models ("sunbeds"), they differ in that they expand to the sides. Working with such a house is quite simple, it is convenient to increase the number of frames, etc. Among the shortcomings, the large weight of the structure and its bulkiness stand out. Naturally, the vertical models of do-it-yourself hives expand upwards. The mobility of this type of construction is much higher and the weight is significantly reduced.
Summary of popular housing designs
There are quite a lot of types of hives.
The first type is Dadanovsky. It is this type that is used in almost all apiaries. It is made of wood and is characterized by simplicity and spaciousness, despite its size. A 12-frame hive can be equipped with additional cases or stores as the family of bees grows. When winter comes, the insects are kept in the nest box.
The second type of construction is called alpine. This model belongs to multi-body products. Peculiarityof such a hive for bees lies in the fact that it is created according to the principle of a hollow, which helps to take into account all the natural habitats of insects. This design is compact, and therefore is most often used if space is limited. It has no ventilation and partitions, and the air enters naturally.
The next type is rue. Here it must be said right away that this species can be used only in the southern regions, characterized by warm weather at any time of the year. The thing is that the partitions are constantly rearranged, because of which hypothermia of the house is possible. This bee hive has 6 cases, each with 10 frames.
Another type of house is a cassette. Diseases of bees began to spread greatly, and therefore such dwellings are gaining popularity. The reason for this was that the partitions here are very thin, so the bees create their own microclimate. Such models are made only from wood, which is impregnated with wax. For this reason, the risk of developing the disease is reduced.
The last variety is the Ukrainian lounger. It is easiest to assemble a hive with your own hands, the dimensions of which are not too large. For this reason, this model is best suited for beginner beekeepers. Maintenance of such houses is quite simple, and the number of frames in them does not exceed 20. The sides of the dwelling are insulated, which allows the bees to winter inside without any problems.
Styrofoam for the beehive
Next, it is worth considering some of the materials in more detail. Styrofoam beehives are made by handwith all the necessary tools. You will need a metal ruler, expanded polystyrene sheets, a clerical knife, a steel corner, a circular saw, liquid nails, a screwdriver, self-tapping screws, fine-grained sandpaper.
First of all, you need to start with markup. To do this, you need a metal ruler and a felt-tip pen. The markings on the sheet are applied according to the dimensions indicated in the drawings. The next step is cutting the material along the drawn lines. To do this, use a clerical knife or a circular saw. When all the details are cut out, it is recommended to process their edges with sandpaper.
Next, you can proceed to the actual assembly of the Styrofoam hive.
- You need to take each of the walls and cut a "four" along its edge. This is necessary in order to securely connect the fragments to each other in the future.
- Two walls are applied to each other (grooves to ledges). All connections are fixed with liquid nails.
- When the walls are connected to each other, it is necessary to press them tightly against each other and wait until the points of contact dry a little.
- With the help of self-tapping screws, the structure is pulled together and additionally fixed. The screw installation step is 9-12 cm. It is also recommended to deepen the caps inside the wall by about 5-6 cm.
- The same principle is used to assemble cases in the required quantity.
- It is necessary to check the quality of the assembly so that there are no cracks, gaps, etc.
This method is considered the easiest in the manufacture of beehives.
Styrofoam housing, polyurethane foam
It is worth noting that the total weight of the hive structure without frames will be from 12 to 14 kg, which is relatively small, especially in relation to wood structures. For assembly, you will need a few of the following parts:
- 4 cases for 10 frames each with dimensions 435 x 230 mm.
- Cap.
- Dno. This detail consists of several components: a grid from ticks, a pallet, an arrival board.
- Feeder.
Production of a foam hive largely consists in the successful assembly of the bottom of the structure. As a mesh against ticks, you can use a regular galvanized mesh. Its cell size should be no more than 2-3 mm. A heating element with a power of 10 watts will also be placed on the same part. The wire from the device will go to the plug, which is located on the wood insert.
For the successful assembly of the pallet, it is necessary to use galvanized sheet. This part of the hive will be responsible for the successful wintering of flying insects. Thanks to this detail, it will be possible to determine the level of damage to bees by mites, the presence of ascospherosis. If the house will be transported, then the pallet must be removed to avoid steaming the bee colony.
How to make a beehive right? It is very important to monitor the thickness of the walls for the home. The front and back of them should be 35 mm thick. The side parts are somewhat smaller - 25 mm each. Each wall should have a recess for a pen.
Home feeders are made from nomadic mesh. The cell size for this element is 3x3 mm. In order for the bees to successfully overwinter, it is necessary to close the feeder with polystyrene foam insulation. If the hive needs to be transported, then the mesh is dismantled, and the insulation is placed in the feeder itself.
Plywood houses
Beginning beekeepers are recommended to make a double-hull hive. The number of frames in such a dwelling does not exceed 12. The length and width of the walls inside are 450 mm each, and the height is 310 mm. External dimensions may vary depending on the selected material thickness. The manufacturing process consists of the following steps:
- First you need to prepare 12 elements for walls with dimensions of 450x310 mm, as well as 4 elements - 450x306 mm. In order to get the best house for the life of bees, you need to use plywood with a thickness of 8 and 10 mm.
- Plywood hive parts are glued together with wood glue. On one of the edges of the wall must coincide with each other. On the other hand, in the area of the front and rear walls, it is necessary to form folds. These are the notches that will be needed to position the frames.
- Next, you need to make a slot for the upper notch. The minimum hole diameter is 15 mm and should be located in the middle of the front panel.
- If the bottom is non-removable, then a rectangular niche with dimensions of 250x5 mm is cut out in the lower part. This is necessary to accommodate the lower notch.
- On the details of the blocks, it is also necessary to make folds (notches), which willserve to install additional housings.
- After that, you can start assembling the plywood hive boxes. Work begins with the fact that all parts are smeared with glue, and then connected with self-tapping screws. If necessary, you can use corners and staples to create additional fastening around the entire perimeter.
- The bottom box must be equipped with a bottom made of waterproof plywood, the dimensions of which will correspond to the dimensions of the case. All joints are also lubricated with glue and connected using self-tapping screws.
Two-case wood products
To successfully craft a double-hull wood beehive, you need the following materials:
- boards;
- beam - 7 cm;
- screws, nails, washers;
- galvanized steel is used for roofing and mesh;
- for the arrival board, additional overhead elements are needed;
- linseed oil, chalk, glue;
- cutter, hacksaw, machine tool, chisel.
The blank for the hive is made from a board (40 mm). To cut it, you can use both a special machine and a hacksaw. The surface of all boards must be perfectly flat. The upper part should have recesses for 12 or 10 frames. You can also make a 16-frame hive. It is necessary to make folds not only from the inside, but also from the outside, since with their help the second body will be attached. In order to build a notch, it is necessary to step back 7 cm from the top edge and make a hole in the front panel 2.5 cm in diameter. To plug the hole, it is recommended to machine a round sleeve. Next, you need to fasten the boards together. It is important to remember here that there should be a gap of 1.5 cm between the wall and the bottom, which can be adjusted using a valve. This will be the bottom notch for the hive. The device of the second case is recommended not to be made similar to the first one.
The main part of the hive is the roof. This part consists of two elements - strapping and roofing shield. For a successful assembly, you need to have 150 mm strapping and 2 cm boards. To increase the stability of the roof, it is necessary to nail boards around the entire perimeter of the strapping. To ensure normal ventilation inside the hive, you need to make a hole in the side of the harness with a diameter of 2 cm. To prevent flying insects from mistaking these holes for notches, they are covered with a net. After these procedures, the strapping can be completely covered with wood. To maximize the strength of the roof structure, galvanized sheet steel is used.
Conditions for the survival of bees in winter
Making a beehive is actually pretty easy. It is much more difficult to create the right climate inside the dwelling so that the bees successfully overwinter. The amount of honey next year will depend on this. Therefore, there are several recommendations with which you can create the right climate.
First, a stable temperature inside the dwelling must be maintained. Indicators should range from 0 to -4 degrees Celsius. Secondly, an important indicator is humidity, which should not be higher than 85%. Needbe sure to ensure that mice do not start in the room where the bees hibernate. Otherwise, these pests will gnaw out honeycombs and destroy all bees. While the first half of winter is coming, it is imperative to visit insects 1-2 times a month. It is also important to look in to them whenever there is a sharp temperature drop outside. In the second half of winter, you need to go to the flying insects once a week, as the first brood begins at this time.
It is quite easy to determine whether the wintering conditions are suitable for bees or not. If you come close to the hive and listen, you can hear a smooth, quiet rumble. This means that wintering is going well. If the sound is too loud, then you need to adjust either the temperature or the humidity.
Advantages and disadvantages of Styrofoam and plywood
A do-it-yourself foam beehive has quite a few positive qualities. However, they also come with many problems. If we talk about the benefits, then the self-assembled version of the house perfectly resists moisture and cracking. In addition, the material initially does not have knots and chips that a tree has. Due to the high thermal insulation qualities, it is warm enough inside the dwelling in winter, and not hot in summer. The raw material is quite durable and has good sound insulation. The design itself is very simple to assemble, and it is also convenient to operate it in the future. Bee nests have a stable and good microclimate, as polystyrene foam does not rot.
However, there are a certain number of disadvantages. Hive turns outrather fragile, with a low strength index, when compared with wood. Due to the light weight of such dwellings, if the wind is too strong, the house will have to be strengthened. Since the material is completely waterproof, any liquid that gets inside will accumulate at the bottom. It is quite difficult to clean the material from propolis; when cleaning, whole pieces of polystyrene foam can also fall off. This material is sold as a slab with fixed parameters, so the assembly will leave a lot of scraps that cannot be used.
When it comes to beehive plywood, the main advantage over wood is its cost. Also, this material is much easier and easier to work with, which will facilitate the installation process of the structure. From this raw material, the dwelling will turn out to be quite strong. When using well-dried plywood and subsequent high-quality processing with moisture-resistant agents, you can significantly extend the service life. Another significant plus is lightness and mobility, especially if you often have to move the hive from place to place.
The most significant disadvantage is the need for insulation. By itself, plywood keeps the heat inside quite poorly, and therefore you will have to use, for example, foam plastic to increase thermal insulation.
Hive with 20 and 16 frames
The case for this design resembles a box with dimensions of 37.5 cm wide, 45 cm long, 24 cm long. From 10 to 12 frames with dimensions of 43.5x23 cm are placed in such a hive. It is worth adding that such parameters are great for regions with a warm climate. On the territory of the Russian Federation, such hives are made with a width of 0.5 cm more.
To assemble the hull, you need to use the most dried boards. To do this, they need to be harvested in about a year. When sawing out all the details and boards, it is recommended to make an allowance of 3-5 mm, which can later be corrected if necessary. On the front parts, folds are made with a depth of 1.1 cm, and at the back - 1.7 cm. This depth will be enough to comfortably install the upper case.
On each side wall you need to make a handle or a small indentation. To provide the dwelling with a sufficient amount of fresh air, ventilation is done. In the end part, retreating 25 cm down from the roof, you need to make a small hole - this will be ventilation. Boxes with frames are interconnected, but folds are not used here. Thus, operation and construction are simplified. The folded design is also dangerous in that during transportation, the bees are frightened and hide in these very recesses. Thus, the uterus dies quite often, and therefore the beekeepers abandoned this design.
For the manufacture of the roof, a plate 2 cm thick is taken. A shield is assembled from it according to the size of the hive, after which it is strengthened with tin. As for the bottom, it is best to make it double-sided and removable. To do this, you need three bars (57x6, 5x3, 5 cm) - these will be the side parts. One beam should measure 44.5x6.5x3 cm. It will be installed at the back.
Grooves are made in the bars with a width of 3.5 cm and a depth of 1 cm.p-shaped design. The grooves are intended for fixing the floor plate. There is a small nuance here. The bottom plate should protrude 50 mm. For the bees, it will serve as a landing board.
