making my own hives

[Brian Bush]

I make all my own hives. I started by buying the plans for a national and a wbc from the BBKA website. I modified the plans to make National sized wbc and 14X12 supers and my own NUC boxes. Currently I am making some lightweight swarm collection boxes based on a design from a company box and Dave Cushmans plans. I have somewhere, send me a PM, a series of cutting sheet plans for 2400X1200mm plywood sheets for making hives. $ sheets and about £120 expenditure plus some good glue and a little time and you can make four or five hives. Use panels from old white goods, aliminium if possible to cover roofs.

 

[hedgerow pete]

i use 18mm shuttering ply, it makes a sheet of ply per bee hive, national, £25 a time, lasts ages and works great

 

[kermit]

All my hives (4) have bee made from ply. Use Dave Cushman's plans and Hedgerow Pete's videos. Loads cheaper and they work fine. Note - they are heavy, but that just keeps you fitter

 

[charlievictorbravo]

how are things, im thinking of making my own hives does anyone on here make there own, would ye safe much money making your own and what is the best timber or most popular timber that is used.

I was in exactly your situation a year ago. I spent last winter making two 14x12 Nationals (with top bee-space), each with two Supers, cover boards, roof etc. I used 18mm exterior grade plywood and with careful planning you can get all of that from one 8x4 sheet plus some offcuts. I made underfloor entrances from skipped 4x2 offcuts. The roof was covered with thin aluminium from a scrap yard caravan. For about £60, I had two complete hives but price was kept down by skip-diving for other stuff. I paid for the exterior paint (Cuprinol Garden Shades) and some castellated spacers and a large box of drywall screws (a la Hedgerow Pete).

I'm retired so I could afford the time but I don't think I'd tackle it again - it is so time-consuming and you need power saws, router, electric drill, etc. and lots of hand tools. A well designed poly hive might be a better investment!

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

CVB

 

[hedgerow pete]

i have just brought a load of 18mm and 12mm ply to make a load of national with over the humbug break, i can do a simple design thats easier to make than the standard national type and it works very well, try looking at the you tube channel "hedgerow pete" and look for the nuc vedios to see a rough idea of what to do the same with a national construction